Rēzekne

Latvian Cities
name=Rēzekne
Coa=Escut Rezekne.png



Caption=The "Latgales Māra" monument. The text reads: "United for Latvia"
citysince=1773
location_

n1=56
n2=30
e1=27
e2=19
othernames= _de. Rositten; _pl. Rzeżyca; _et. Räisaku; _ru. Резекне, previously (-1893) Розиттен, (1893-1917) Режица; Rēzne
Mayor=Juris Guntis Vjakse
nrofmembers=13
area=17.48
Water=
Rural=
Elevation=158.2
population=36345
density=2079
postcode=LV-460(1-6)
callcode=46
webpage=http://www.rezekne.lv/

Rēzekne (IPA2|ræ:zekne, audio|Rezeknepronunc.ogg|pronunciation) is a city in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia, 242 km east of Riga. It has a population of 36,646 (2006).

Built on seven hills, Rēzekne is situated at the intersection of the Moscow-Riga and Saint Petersburg-Warsaw railways.

History

A Latgalian castle"Rēzekne.com". " [http://rezekne.risc.lv/index.php?page=history&lng=2 History] ." Accessed October 4 2006.] is known to have existed at Rēzekne from the 9th to the 13th centuries, until its destruction at the hands of German crusaders of the Livonian Order. The knights built a stone fortress on the site to serve as a border post on their eastern frontier.

The name "Rēzekne" was first documented in 1285. The town became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Peace of Jam Zapolski in 1582 during the Livonian War. Rēzekne received Magdeburg rights from Poland in the 17th century. It fell to the Russian Empire during the Partitions of Poland.

The first congress of Latgalian Latvians was held in Rēzekne in the spring of 1917 during World War I, and following Latvia's declaration of independence in 1918 the city became a cultural centre for the Latgale region. Rēzekne was heavily damaged by both Nazi and Soviet armies during World War II; out of a pre-war population of 13,300, only 5,000 people remained in the city at the end of the war.

Rēzekne was rebuilt after the war with an emphasis on industrial development and currently has a significant population of Russians (50.65% in the census of 2000).

Sights

The town has a famous statue by Leons Tomašickis named "Latgales Māra". First unveiled on September 8, 1939 as a monument to the liberation of Latgale from Bolsheviks in January 1920, the statue was removed by the Soviets in November 1940. The local population restored "Latgales Māra" on August 22, 1943, but the Soviets destroyed it after June 1950. The statue was rebuilt after the independence of Latvia and unveiled on August 13 1992. "Latgales Māra" symbolizes a united Latvia and Latgalian independence from Bolshevik rule. ["Rēzekne.com". " [http://rezekne.risc.lv/index.php?page=culture&sb=mara&lng=2 For united Latgale - Latgales Māra] ." Accessed October 4 2006.]

Notable residents

*Yury Tynyanov (1894-1943) Soviet/Russian writer and literary critic of Jewish origin.
*Iveta Apkalna (born 1976) world famous Latvian organist

References

External links

* [http://www.rezekne.net/ Forum of Rēzekne]