Jekabpils tourism information centre

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Traffica: Rīga – Jēkabpils 140 km By train - to Krustpils station By bus – to Jēkabpils bus station Jēkabpils has always been the crossroads of different regions, located between Zemgale, Latgale, Vidzeme as well as Sēlija regions. Only the river Daugava has remained unchanged since the old times - the River of Fate of our ancestors, waving 93 km through the city and the district has not changed since the foundation of the city. If you have free time for travel, we invite you to Jēkabpils – an old town of raftsmen and barge haulers that in 2000 celebrated its 330th anniversary, located on both sides of Daugava, the River of Fate of the Latvian nation that causes much concern to the city during the flood time. Jēkabpils was established at the beginning of the 17th century as a settlement of the Old Believers persecuted in Russia, so-called sloboda, on the left coast of the Daugava at Sala`s inn.

Development of the city was facilitated by the barge route on the river. The barger haulers were forced to load their cargo into wagons as barges could not travel further due to Daugava`s falls. In 1670 the Sala`s inn settlement was granted the status of a city and renamed Jēkabpils (Jakobstadt) to honour its founder Jacob, the duke of Kurzeme. The oldest record mentioning Krustpils is dated 1237 when Riga`s bishop Nicholas de Magdeburg built a Kreutsburg castle. In 1585 Stefan Batory the king of Poland, granted Krustpils to Nicholas Korf. The only successor of the owners of the castle Jutta von Korf from Germany regularly maintains contacts with the present owners of thecastle and visits the Krustpils castle.

The existing borders of the city were estabilished in 1962 when the neighbouring city Krustpils merged with Jēkabpils. The city is famous of the Krustpils castle - Jēkabpils History Museum also including a Soviet Army room, cellars of the medieval castle, exhibitions in the tower, outdoor section of Jēkabpils History Museum “Selian farm“ – a Selian 19th century farm from the tourists have a possibility to participate in the old day`s household and craftsmen’s works. Wood park at Radži basin with a place for swimming, volleyball fields and a jogging path, churches of 7 denominations, including churches of the Holy Spirit and Nicholas with a monastery, art gallery MANS`S, protection dam along the left coast of the Daugava – barrier against flood and a place for walking. In Jēkabpils you will notice the typical 19th century one-storey wooden houses and late 19th century and early 20th century red brick houses with the luxurious decorated facades of profiled details. Welcome to Jēkabpils region!