Krāslava

Krāslava
Krāslava
Town
	Krāslava Catholic Church
	Coat of arms
Country	Latvia
District	Krāslava municipality
Town rights	1923
Government
• Mayor	Gunārs Upenieks
Area
• Total	8.6 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
Population
• Total	10,854
• Density	1,262/km2 (3,270/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	LV-560(1–3)
Calling code	+371 656
Number of city council members	11

Krāslava (Latvian: Krāslava, pronunciation^ⓘ; Latgalian: Kruoslova; German: Kreslau) is a major town in Krāslava municipality, in the Latgalia region of eastern Latvia.

History

Krāslava was an important hillfort on the waterway from Variags to Greeks since early Middle Ages, part of the orthodox Principality of Jersika in 13th century.
In 1558 was mentioned for the first time in written sources of Livonian Order.
In 1676 the church was built by Jesuit Order and Krāslava became the most northern located center of the Jesuit movement on the border with the areas dominated by Protestant and Orthodox churches.
In 1729 Count Ludvig Plater bought Krāslava. For nearly two centuries the Plater family determined Kraslava economical and cultural life.
Craftmen from Poland and Germany in co-operation with local people organized the production of carpets, velvet, silk and cotton material, weapons, jewellery and other goods. The goods were in demand at the four Kraslava fairs and also exported to Courland, Poland and Germany.
Between 1757 and 1842 Krāslava was home for the Roman Catholic Seminarium, the first educational institution in Latgale region.

v t e Cities, Municipalities and Parishes of the defunct Krāslava District
Cities:	Dagda Krāslava
Municipalities:	Krāslava
Parishes:	Andrupene Andzeļi Asūne Auleja Bērziņi Dagda Ezernieki Grāveri Indra Izvalta Kalnieši Kaplava Kastuļina Kombuļi Konstantinova Ķepova Piedruja Robežnieki Skaista Svariņi Šķaune Šķeltova Ūdrīši