Augsdaugava Municipality
The Daugava's eight massive bends: UNESCO Protected Landscape (2011). Wraps around Daugavpils on all sides. Wild horses, cranes, where Selonia meets Latgale.
Augšdaugava means "Upper Daugava"—and the municipality contains the river's most spectacular section. Between Krāslava and Naujene, the Daugava makes eight massive bends, each roughly 6 km long. This landscape is a UNESCO-designated Protected Landscape Area (2011), where wild horses graze and cranes call across unique biological diversity.
The municipality was created in 2021 by merging Daugavpils and Ilūkstes districts, covering 2,524 km² of territory that surrounds Daugavpils on all sides. Where Selonia meets Latgale, the Daugava curves through a valley that attracted fortification long before the Russians built their massive fortress at Daugavpils (1810-1878).
The administrative arrangement is unusual: Daugavpils itself is an independent city, while Augšdaugava wraps around it. The municipal headquarters sit in Daugavpils, a city it doesn't govern. Residents look toward the city for services while the municipality manages the river valley, manors, and agricultural land surrounding it.
By 2026, Augšdaugava's challenge is developing the protected landscape for ecotourism without degrading what makes it valuable. The sunsets over the eight bends are Latvia's finest. Whether that attracts visitors or remains unknown is the open question.