Holiday apartment in Līvāni Municipality: glassmaking history, bridges and the Daugava

Līvāni Municipality takes you from the glassmaking history of Līvāni to ancient settlement sites, Orthodox churches and bridges over the Dubna and Daugava. In the town of Līvāni, culture, waterscapes and regional routes are closely connected, while Jersika and Znotiņi provide further historic sites.

Culture

The Līvāni Glass Museum is considered the only museum of its kind in the Baltics and has been located in the Līvāni Glass and Crafts Centre since 2013. It presents the history of the local glass factory from 1887 onwards and explains the technology used to make glass vessels. Visitors can spend several hours watching Soviet films about the glass factory, its work and its employees. The centre also includes creative workshops for ceramics, glass and textile art, in which visitors can take part.

At the glassblowing workshop, the Līvāni Glass and Crafts Centre is reviving a glassblowing tradition more than 100 years old. Visitors can watch glass objects being made and learn the secrets of glassmaking under the guidance of an experienced glassblower. Another facet of the local craft history is presented in the exhibition “Amatnieki Latgalē 19. – 20. gs.”. It explores the history and development of crafts in Latgale.

History

The Jersika hillfort lies on the banks of the Daugava between the ravines of two streams. In the 12th and 13th centuries, it was the economic and political centre of the ancient Latgallian state of Jersika. Archaeological excavations suggest that people had lived there since the 1st millennium BC. The hillfort is now privately owned; visits must be arranged with the owners.

The Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration of Christ in Jersika is known locally as the “Iron Church” because its exterior components are made of iron or cast iron. It previously stood in Daugavpils and was transported there by rail from Odesa. In the church, visitors can learn more about the beginnings of Orthodoxy in what is now Latvia. The Old Believers’ prayer house in Līvāni was rebuilt in the 1980s and received a bell tower in 1998. The Catholic Church of Znotiņi is a restored red-brick church dating from 1926.

More than 1,000 years ago, a settlement of merchants and craftsmen called Dubna arose on an ancient Viking waterway on the banks of the Dubna, near its mouth on the Daugava. The origins of present-day Līvāni are associated with the year 1533: at that time, the German Baron Jurgens Līvens established an estate and named it Līvenhof.

Landscape

The Līvāni Glass and Crafts Centre has a conference hall overlooking the Daugava. The bridges and elevated viewpoints also offer views of the area’s waterways. From the town bridge in Līvāni, visitors can see islands in the Dubna. The Kalvāni pedestrian bridge crosses the Dubna, while the Švirkstu Bridge serves as a stop offering views of unspoilt natural landscapes over the Oša.

The municipality has created the visitor route “Across Seven Bridges”. The Rožupe pedestrian bridge is a place for walks, creative events and activities. Līvāni’s outdoor living room is located at the town’s highest point; from there, visitors can look out over the town centre and the Dubna bay.

Water and Activities

The Līvāni–Dignāja ferry connects the two banks of the Daugava and serves pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. At the same time, it provides a direct crossing from Latgale towards Zemgale. The 173-kilometre “Latgales zelta vidusceļš” cycle route is also significant in the regional context. Tourism experts from the municipalities of Preiļi, Līvāni, Vārkava, Riebiņi and Aglona developed it jointly; it bears the official route number 37.

The “Upe” swimming pool in Līvāni includes an 11 × 25-metre sports pool with four lanes and a 5 × 7-metre children’s pool. There is also a spa area with a sauna, steam room, hot tub and cold plunge pool. The building, its interiors and the “Upe” swimming pool in Līvāni are also suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Further destinations: Naukšēnu Municipality, Carnikava Municipality, Priekuļi Municipality, Garkalne Municipality, Skrunda Municipality, Salaspils Municipality, Skrīveri Municipality.

For the higher-level travel overview: Latvia.