グビシュチェ湖周辺のおすすめファミリーハイキング＆ウォーキング

The old town center of Daugavpils, with its historic two-story houses, is well worth a visit because of its beautiful design. The art installed in many places throughout the city is striking.

The garden in front of the commandant's house is actually beautifully landscaped, but the decay of the many unused buildings surrounding it is depressing. Fortunately, at least some of them are in use, and some have even been restored.

The fortress as a whole is very worth seeing, even if it would deserve better use to prevent it from being left to decay.

In the Jaunbūve district you will find many old wooden houses, some of which are brightly painted. Here you sometimes feel transported 150 years into the past.

Today history in the fortress territory is witnessed by historical large-calibre cannons. In these days nine old cannons can be found here: five of them are from cast-iron, while four – made from steel. They were manufactured in the second half of the 19th century in an ordnance plant in Perm and in Obukhov steel casting plant (Russia). All cannons are made with threading in a gun tube, which increased the range of a missile and improved accuracy and close pattern of shooting. Two of the cannons are placed at the main entrance of the Commandant’s house facing the fortress garden. In the very middle of the garden three cannons enrich the fountain. The steel mortar gun (bore diameter 205 mm, model of 1872) of the fortress is placed on the “Wallgang” (a protected place on the upper part of a rampart) of the main rampart curtain between the Nicholas gate and the 7th bastion – in the way how cannons were placed when the fortress switched to defence emergency. One more steel cannon with the bore diameter of 107 mm (model of 1887) on the original Venglovski gun-mount is placed at the intersection of the streets Imperatora and Konstantīna. Two steel artillery tubes were installed at Hekeļa Street 3, yet now they are moved to a warehouse belonging to the building proprietor. https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd

Houses for officers were built in the 1820s-1830s on both sides of the Commandant’s house and the fortress garden. 1. Oficieru Street has still preserved two houses (No 2 and 8) also for officers at the commandant and committee of the military registration office, yet the architecture of these houses differs from that of other buildings. Officer Assembly with its own club and library was functioning in the fortress. In the 1920s-1940s the building was occupied by headquarters and other services of Zemgale division, different clubs were situated there as well. In order to view internal buildings of the citadel, choose the thematic route “Commandant’s Route” visible on the map that you can receive in Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre (Nikolaja Street 5). https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd

Construction of the Commandant’s house according to the A. Shtaubert’s project was finished in 1818. Services of the fortress commandant as well as a hotel for visitors were located in the Commandant’s house. A telegraph office was operating in the mezzanine of the building. The Senate decree from July 16 (28), 1826 changed the direction of the Vienna high road – now it was going through Dinaburg. Since then, when going to Europe or returning to the capital, the Emperor and his family members were going through Dinaburg. The Commandant’s house provided them with special apartments for rest after exhausting trip in a carriage. During the Soviet period, the building was occupied by the headquarters of the aviation school. After tearing down several buildings, a square was laid out in the yard of the former Commandant’s house; it was later turned into a parking lot during the building reconstruction. The building is architectural monument of State significance. In the building it is possible to see the genuine ornamented metal stairs of the central entrance. Two cast-iron cannons with 112mm bore diameter dating back to the last quarter of the 19th century are placed on both sides of the central entrance. After reconstruction, since 2012, the Commandant’s house and its neighbouring officer house are occupied by the Latgale regional department of the Latvian State Police. Komandanta Street 7, Konstantīna Street 8 https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd

To support the garrison needs, a considerable number of various warehouses were located in the fortress territory. Three bastions facing the bridgehead were used for powder magazines. Today two of them can be seen in the 7th and 8th bastions. The inside of the bastion is made as a room surrounded by a safety gallery (to protect from fire and humidity) – here gun powder was kept in special barrels. It is probable that originally powder magazines were thatched with turves. In the yard of the 8th bastion a long provisions magazine building (1834- 1837) is located that was used to store the fortress food supplies. This building was particularly guarded during the Soviet years since it was used as baggage and armament magazine (Nikolaja Street 9). A warehouse for pontoons of the Birago system was placed in the citadel corner opposite to the 3rd bastion (head of Aleksandra Street). These sheds have been partially preserved till our days. https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd