Daugavpils - the second largest and value of the city, after Riga. There is about 90 thousand people. The town stands on the border with Lithuania (somewhere 25 km) and Belarus (approximately 33 km). The city is very alive, multinational, even noisy. And very old and beautiful. For the first time, this city is mentioned in the annals in the third quarter of the 13th century. In general, there is something to see.
Dinaburgas Pilsdrupas
Dinaburi, this is because the city was also called Dinaburg. And, by the way, still Borisoglebsk. And Dvinsk. In any way, shorter. This castle was built in 1275, on the shore of Dvina, in the town of Town Nevgin, which is 19 km from Daugavpils. And this year can be considered the year of the foundation of Daugavpils. Representatives of the Livonian Order of Livonian Order were built in order to confront Russian princes and conclude obey locals. They built in a strategic place - the trading routes were crossed here from Pskov and Novgorod to Vilna, and from Polotsk to Riga and Baltic. At this place, there was a wooden castle with a height of 24 m, with two deep ravines and Rips with a lifting bridge.
The Commander lived here, which rules on the territory. In 13-14 centuries, trade was actively conducted on this land, but the place was not the shopping center due to the fact that military clashes often occurred. In 1277, Lithuanian prince attacked the castle. For a whole month, his army deposited the fortress, but nothing good did not come out of this, and the troops had to retreat. The next year, the knights decided to attack retortion on Lithuania, but lost safely. In general, in the following years, Russians and Lithuanians captured several times and crumbled the castle, but the knights still touched him back. Ivan III's troops in 1481 captured Dinaburg, Master of Walter von Plettenberg (the main knights) forced to sign an agreement with the Moscow principality about Dani, but the contract was still violated.
Therefore (well, because these knights tried to raise Poles and Sweden to Russia) In 1558, Ivan Grozny began military actions against the Order. So, the next year the castle was captured, Grozny gave himself a residence there. Knights did not cease to deposit the castle, however, although the Order was already specifically weakened. Then the castle briefly got into their hands, however, in 77 years 16th century, Terrible two weeks deposited the castle, with the help of powerful guns, which made the kernel of 320 kilograms (these kernels made students of the master who created the tsar gun, between themes). Of course, who could resist such power. The castle was conquered, Grozny ordered him to destroy it and start building a new one, because the old one stood on the spot where his troops went to Riga. Located a chanet (military strengthening) a little lower in the flow, the city was formed around. The old castle, the same, first rose to restore, then they span, and built a new fortress 19 km. Just where Daugavpils is now. And that castle, more precisely, his remnants, local peasants disassembled on the brick and sold. Although there was an order to protect the remnants of the old fortress, all disassembled the 29th year of the 19th century.
Very sorry! Today, how the castle looked, you can see in Natural Park Daugavas Loki - there is a layout of the castle. According to him, it can be seen that the castle was built from ordinary stones from the field, the gate was completely typical for such locks, in the length of the lock was about 120 steps, in width - 40. It was considered a large castle. Foreburg was located around the castle, the pre-commission fortification, which also surrounded the wall of 2.5 meters thick.
Archaeological excavations were held on the territory of the former castle. There were many shillings, ordinar coins, clay vessels, stone nuclei, vessels and dishes.
The castle ruins are a tourist pedestrian trail, which begins near the parking, then descends 20 meters down, where 2 streams merge. There you can see a wooden bridge. Next will have to climb up the slope on the castle mountain. It can be descended from the wooden staircase and go to the "Knight Square", where the fireplace is equipped. Also, the trail runs through the ancient medieval cemetery, which was destroyed in the 80s of the last century, when the Daugavpils HPP began to build. It is saying that even before the Second World War it was possible to go to the dungeon of the castle, but then everyone would have got confused that they would not find the entrance.
Natural park "Daugavas Loki"
This park is located in Daugavpils district, on the shores of the Daugava River. The park covers an area under 120 sq. Km. Officially registered it in 1990. Earth in the park is very rapid, in some places and 50 and 150 meters above sea level, somewhere on the contrary, the pit. The park is famous for the huge number of streams and little rivers, Daugava's tributaries. Of course, the main goal of parking nature. And yes, about 700 species of plants grow in the park, some of them are. Forests occupy about a third of the territory. Interestingly, in this park there are giving the largest cliffs of the country. For example, a recorded break (42 meters in a height and 400 meters in width).
It is located on the left bank of Daugava, 3 km from the village of the doddes. If possible, visit this place - the cliff opens a luxurious look! These cliffs were formed, it seems like, after the last glacial period. In this area, landslides often occur during severe floods. The last strong occurred in the early 20s. But recently it did not happen, and the broken "calmed down" and began to slowly overgrow.
And on the territory of the park there are interesting archaeological ashoves. Among them, Yuzefovsky, Siekel, Spruce parishes, Castle of the Rosalishk estate, settlement Markovo and Vesrachinsky. And here you can look at the layout of the Dinaburg Castle, as I wrote above. In the village of Vasargelshka, you can climb on an observation platform at an altitude of 18 meters and admire the surroundings. Very interested in Veshrachinskoye (Staroratchinskoy) fortification, 2.5 km from the railway station "Izvalta". The settlement is a fortified settlement, an obsession. This is the size of 60x30 meters and the shape of an elongated triangle. However, no evidence of people in this shaft for some reason was not found. So, presumably, people lived here in 10-13 centuries.
Such interesting places can be visited in Daugavpils and the surrounding area.