Go back to routePeople of various nationalities and faiths have long lived together in Daugavpils: Germans, Latvians and Polish, Russians and Jews. This is evidenced by Church Hill, the place where the churches of four different confessions stand close to each other. Unity House (arch. Verners Vitands) is the largest building in interwar Latvia. Unity bridge with authentic stone supports. Land Bank House (now abandoned). The most modern apartments in Daugavpils.
Jānis Volonts, the head of Daugavpils: “Unity House will symbolise the spirit of the new era and will be a testament to the abilities of the Latvian nation and the eternal power of Latvia.” And the Latvian Society called the building a “temple of the eternal Latvian spirit”.
We will climb the bell tower of the Lutheran church and learn the history of the surviving bell. We will find more about the Latgalian language. Like Samogitians in Lithuania, Latgalians do not consider their language a dialect. Latgalian, historian Henrihs Soms will tell about his parents, youth songs and brewing ritual. Marija Vadišiutė, a student of Lithuanian roots at Daugavpils University, will not only play the accordion but also talk about her mixed family.
Daugavpils University and Saliena Saules School.
As in Kaunas, the government of tsarist Russia built a fortress in Daugavpils in the 19th century. Lithuania also always cared about strategic location. During the interwar period, the Lithuanian governments made claims to Daugavpils. National education was a priority of the government in interwar Latvia, therefore, Polish, Jewish and Russian schools were being closed down and Latvian schools, forming the Baltic Light Chain, were opened. We will visit one of such schools in Saliena. actor and director Solomon Mikhoels and painter Mark Rothko were born in Daugavpils. We will visit a famous Latvian poet, translator, political Knuts Skujenieks, who will tell about his family history related to Lithuania, you will hear the verses of Salomėja Neris in the Latvian language. 
