Ogre and Ogre district

Historically Ogre is a young town formed as a resort and recreational place. Great architectural monuments of the 19th and 20th century can be found here. Big enterprises built at the end of the 20th century during industrialization process turned Ogre into an important industrial centre.

Ogre district is considered to be the central district of Latvia because the Platere castle mound was considered to be the geographical centre of the country. 

Ogre district has rich cultural and historical monument heritage: castle mounds of the ancient Latvia, castle ruins from the Livonian period, 18th – 19th century manors with spacious parks, churches with ancient altars and altar-pieces, 19th –20th century high-quality town planning, architecture and art monuments.

There are museums in Ogre distric of more than 10 different fields - Ogre History and Art Museum, Daugava Power Station Museum, the Cinema Museum, local history museums and memorial museums of famous people.  

The district centre – Ogre town – is situated only 36 km far from the capital of Latvia – city of Riga.
 
Through the region flows Daugava known as the „river of fate” with tributary streams – Ogre (the third largest river of Latvia), Kaibala, Lichupe and Maza Jugla River. There are three lakes in the region: Lobe or Viskalu Lake, Pechoru and Plauzhu Lake. 

Ogre district occupies 1843,21 km² (2,8% from all the territory of the state), but in the number of inhabitants it has the 2nd place in Latvia with 63 000 people, lagging behind only Riga district. The area of Ogre town is 13,58 km²,of Ogre region in total - 100,88 km².

The number of inhabitants in Ogre region has reached 29 000.

History of town of Ogre and Ogre district
 
Ogre district was populated already before 10 - 11 thousand years. In this territory which development has promoted the ancient trade road of Daugava, there are many cultural and historical monuments. At the end of the 12th century – beginning of the 13th century the district was mainly populated by the Latgallians and Livonians. The regions of these nations were the first ones that were affected by the beginning of the expansion of German crusaders. The establishment of episcopacy in Ikskile in 1186 marked the implication of the nations living in Baltic in the circle of Western Europe churches and culture.
 
For the first time Ogre was mentioned in The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia which tells that in year 1206 have happened negotiations between Libyans and Polockians, but in May 30, 1206 here happened conference between Libyan nobles.. The ancient name of Ogre River is Wogene, Wog. Wogene could be connected with Somugri name voog – „stream”, „flow”, „wave”; voogama – „to stream”, „to flow”, „to wave”.
 
The territory of Ogre region was destroyed in many wars also after the fights of 13th century – during the fights of Riga archibishop and Livonian Order, during Livonian war, Polish - Swedish war and Northern war. Widely in the territory of Ogre region expanded the national revolution events of 1905 – 1907.

Rather peculiarly the history of the centre of Ogre region – Ogre town – has developed. Even till the middle of the 19th century in the place of present Ogre town only farmer’s houses and the countryside of Ikskile manor was situated.
 
The beginning of Ogre town is connected with 1861 when the railway  Riga – Dinaburg (Daugavpils) opened. The pictorial, embosomed by forests, hills and rivers locality of Ogre very fast became a popular place of recreation for the inhabitants of Riga.

Ogre is one of those rare towns in Latvia that has been developed as a resort and recreation place. Already in 1862 here there was opened a new watering and air health resort. Its blooming days were in 20th – 30th pf the 20th century. In 1928 Ogre got the town rights. Since 1950 Ogre is a centre of the district.

In 1928 when Ogre got its town rights, the town official Vilis Mednis developed and handed in the emblem’s project with the view of Ogre river in the middle of it, as well as also with fire-trees and pine-trees. With this emblem the town tax stamps were made.
In 1928 the town board turned to the Committee of the Heraldry with and appeal for development of the coat of arms of Ogre town with a following motto „Strauja upe ar klinti un priedi” (Swift river with a cliff and pine). Only in 1936 the Committee of the Heraldry in its meeting where  the rector of Latvian Academy of Arts, Janis Kuga from Ikskile has participated , decided to make out such a variant of designs of the coat of arms of Ogre town – „In a blue field three golden or black pines, on the bottom – wavy silver beam”.
The design of the project of the coat of arms of Ogre town in its final variant was accepted in 1937. The Committee of Heraldry accepted the project on August, 1938 and on October 22nd it was approved by the state president of Latvia Karlis Ulmanis.
The blue background of the coat of arms symbolizes health resort – forest resources, silver wavy zone – the serpentine onflow of Ogre River through the hill rocks of the town.

Ogre Amalgamated Municipality Council 

Address:  Brīvības iela 48, Ogre, LV-5001, Latvija
Phone: + 371 5071163
Fax: + 371 5071161
e-mail: ogredome@oic.lv  
Mājas lapa: www.ogre.lv