Daugavpils Fortress

Daugavpils Fortress is an entire fortified town, a complete early 1800s bastion fortress of earth ramparts, gates and long brick barracks, still largely intact and lived in. Inside its walls the old arsenal now houses the Mark Rothko Art Centre, honouring the abstract painter born in the city.

Background

The fortress is also known as Dinaburg or Dvinsk Fortress, and in Latvian as Daugavpils Cietoksnis. Work began in 1810 on the orders of Tsar Alexander I, and with long delays, serious flooding and slow progress it was not fully finished until 1878. About 10,000 workers built it, working in two shifts. It is the only fortification of its kind and period in Northern Europe to survive without significant alterations. Among its buildings are the Engineering Arsenal, since restored inside, the Gunpowder warehouse and the Officer's House, while the Rothko centre fills the former Artillery arsenal. A Jesuit church stood on the site from the 1670s, rebuilt in Baroque masonry around 1730-1746; its ruins were cleared in the 1950s.

Source: Wikipedia, "Daugavpils fortress"

The main sights

• The ramparts and gates - walk the earthworks and brick gateways of the intact fortress.
• The Rothko Art Centre - original Rothko works in the restored arsenal building.
• The barracks town - long ranges of military buildings, some still residential.
• The Daugava riverfront - the fortress sits on the great river's bank.

When to go

Snow-free months for walking the ramparts; the Rothko Centre is a good year-round indoor draw. The fortress is atmospheric and uncrowded most of the time.

Good to know

This is a lived-in fortress, so parts are shabby, residential or under slow restoration rather than polished heritage. Daugavpils is far from Riga and off most itineraries, which keeps it quiet. The Rothko Centre is the anchor that justifies the trip for many.

Nearby

The Latgale lakes around Razna and the pilgrimage basilica at Aglona are within reach to the north.

Key facts