Viļaka (, ; ; ; , ''Vilyaka'';
Yiddish
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
: ויליאקי, ''Vilyaki'') is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Balvi Municipality
Balvi Municipality (, ) is a municipality in northern Latgale, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 from parts of the Balvi district, by merging Balvi parish, Bērzkalne parish, Bērzpils parish, Briežuciems parish, Krišjāņi par ...
in the
Latgale
Latgale (; ; ; ; ; ; Belarusian Latin alphabet, Belarusian Latin: ''Łathalija''; ), also known as Latgalia or Latgallia, is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region of the country and lies north of the Daugava River. Wh ...
region of
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
. The population in 2020 was 1,223.
Viļaka is located 246 km from
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
, and 8 km from border with
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
.
It hosts the power grid interconnector between the Baltic states and Russia, which was disconnected in February 2025.
See also
*
List of cities in Latvia
There are 10 cities (, "state city", ) and 71 towns (, "municipality town", ) in Latvia.
By Latvian law, towns are settlements that are centers of culture and commerce with a well-developed architectural infrastructure and street grid, and have ...
*
Viļaka Castle
Viļaka Castle (, Mariensee Castle, Marienhausen, ) is a ruined castle in Balvi Municipality in the Latgale region of Latvia. The castle is located close to the town of Viļaka, on the only (unnamed) island in Viļaka Lake.
The island on which ...
References
Cities and towns in Latgale
1945 establishments in Latvia
Populated places in Balvi Municipality
Abrene county
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