Any traveller wishing to see Daugavpils should visit Church Hill, a place where churches of four denominations are located side by side. The Daugavpils Church Hill is located in Jaunbūve, a district of the city that was established in 1865, when the plan for the then Dinaburg was approved. In the early days, Jaunbūve was used for single-storey wooden dwellings, but at the end of the 19th century, red brick buildings also appeared.

The complex of sacred buildings gave the district its name of Church Hill. Church Hill is a unique place in Daugavpils, where churches of all four main denominations of Latgale are represented in a relatively small area, forming a panorama characteristic of Daugavpils. The churches became not only the spiritual centre of Jaunbūve, but also the architectural dominant feature of the district. The churches of each denomination bring their own distinctive features to the city’s skyline, with a variety of architectural styles ranging from Baroque and Neo-Gothic to Byzantine. In building their churches, the congregations consciously or unconsciously competed with each other in the expressiveness of their architectural forms and the splendour of their decoration. Over the centuries, churches have survived different eras and political powers, they have been destroyed several times, but always rebuilt. The coexistence of four churches of different denominations is a testament to the city’s deep and strong religious traditions and the inheritance of cultural and historical values.

Viewing platform in Daugavpils Martin Luther Cathedral

In the late summer of 2017, the congregation of the church managed to realise the long-planned project to build a viewing platform in the church tower. The tower rises to the height of a 5-storey house, while the observation deck is about 40 m high. It offers a panoramic view of the Daugavpils Hill of Churches. The tower of Martin Luther Cathedral is currently the only one of the four church towers on Church Hill that is open to the public.

Admission by donation.

Group visits can be booked by phone +371 26315707

Photos from Daugavpils TIC archive.