Ogre

The name of the city comes from the Ogre River (the ancient Russian name of the river is Ugr ^[2] ). Since the 19th century, there has been a Russian legend that the name of the river comes from the Russian word "eel" . According to this legend, the Russian Empress Catherine I , traveling through the local area, sent her soldiers to look for a river where eels were found in abundance, and named the river in honor of this fish ^[3] . However, this is only a legend: the current name of the river has been known since at least the 17th century. ^[four]

Archaeological excavations and chronicles of the Livonian Order indicate that already in the XIII century, at the confluence of the Ogre River in the Daugava, on the dry sand hills covered with pine forests, there lived tribes of Livs and Latgals . On the two highest hills - Kentes and Zilia Kalni - their sites were located. After the invasion of the Crusaders, the area went to the bishop of Riga, then after the Livonian War to the Poles and Swedes. As a result of the Northern War, these lands passed to Russia.

Numerous wars led to the devastation of the area.

In the 19th century , there were only a few farms in Ogre, which belonged to the Ikskil estate. The communication between Riga and Ogre was supported by horse mail .

The growth of Ogre was facilitated by the opening in 1861 of the Riga-Dvina Railway .

The rich in Riga noticed a calm, picturesque place on the banks of the Ogre River, and a year later, when the railway company and the Riga authorities opened several entertainment pavilions, the construction of cottages began in the vicinity, the number of which very soon reached several hundred. For a long time, there were no industrial enterprises in Ogre, except for the cardboard factory, which processed the wood rafting along the Ogre River.

The revolutionary storms of 1905 did not bypass Ogre. In 1904, an illegal circle of the LSDLP was created, in which more than a thousand residents of Ikskil volost took part. In January 1906, a punitive expedition was sent, which destroyed many members of the movement.

On the island of Ogre during the First World War , trenches took place, as a result of which the village was almost completely destroyed by shelling.

On January 2, 1918, Soviet power was established in Ogre, which lasted until May 1919.

Soon after Latvia gained independence, on February 25, 1928, Ogre received city status. Its permanent population at that time was about 1700 people. In the interwar period, Ogre continued to be a small, quiet town, spread along the railway.

During World War II, the city ​​suffered relatively little. After its completion and the incorporation of Latvia into the USSR, Ogre developed not only as a resort town, but also as an industrial center. A knitwear factory was built here, which sold its products throughout the Soviet Union.

As of January 1, 2015, according to the Central Statistical Bureau, the population of the city was 24 322 residents ^[5] , or 25 734 people - according to the Register of Residents (Office for Citizenship and Migration) ^[6] .

The ethnic composition of the city according to the 1989 census and estimated at the beginning of 2015 ^{[7] [8]} :

In the city was the Ogre Knitwear Plant , covering an area of ​​more than 8 hectares. The company's products were known far beyond the borders of Latvia. AO successfully cooperated with countries of far and near abroad. Since 1998, the plant began to fade, and is currently (2018) closed.

In the northern part of the city, the oldest enterprise of the city, a cardboard factory, was operating recently, but at the moment it is also closed.

Rail Transport

The Riga - Krustpils railway line (the electrified section of Riga - Aizkraukle) passes through the city. Ogre station and two stopping points are located on the territory of the city: Jaunogre (from Riga) and Parogre (from Aizkraukle ). At the Ogre station, all trains are stopped, except for international trains.

Road Transport

The main state highway A6 passes through the city ( Riga - Daugavpils - Kraslava - Patarnieki ( Latvian-Belarusian border )). Also in the city comes the regional highway P5 Ulbroka - Ogre. There is a bus station near the Ogre train station. There are also several intercity bus routes.

Education in Ogre is represented by three comprehensive schools (including 1 Russian-language), a gymnasium ( 1990 ), 7 active kindergartens (including 1 Russian), a technical school, a music school (the building was built in 1925 as a hotel), and an art school.

Religion is represented by three churches: Orthodox, Catholic ( 1997 ) and Evangelical Lutheran ( 1936 ).

From the cultural and resort complexes in Ogre there are: the House of Culture, a children's sanatorium ( 1927 ), a boarding house ( 1925 ), a sports complex, a swimming pool, an ice complex, a stage, a dendrological park (located on the Lazdukalns Upland, Latvian. Lazdukalns ).

Historical places: mass graves of Russian and German soldiers of the First and Second World Wars, a memorial stone to the victims of communist repressions is placed opposite the Catholic Church. Notable buildings: Post Office ( 1930 ), Hotel Ausbika ( 1927 ), Bookstore ( 1912 ).

Born in the city

• Kalnin, Oscar Yulievich (1895-1920) - holder of two orders of the Red Banner of the RSFSR.
• Tsilinsky, Gunar Alfredovich (1931-1992) - actor, director, people's artist of the USSR (1979)

Lived in the city

• Ketners, Voldemars Ernestovich (1949-2009), amateur radio designer ( Gold Medal of VDNH , 1989)
• Vejonis, Raimonds (b. 1966 ), 9th president of Latvia ^{[9] [10]}

•   Jouet-les-Tours ( France , since 2005)
•   Slonim ( Republic of Belarus )
•   Chernihiv ( Ukraine )
•   Hengelo ( Netherlands )

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  Ogre General form.

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  typical street

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  old house

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  Malkalnes Avenue 30

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  Rainis Avenue

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  Tinuzhu street

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  Brivibas street

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  Brivibas street (in winter)

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  Alley Berzu

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  cultural center

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  flower shop

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  House

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  Catholic Church

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  library

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  Lutheran Church

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  Golden linden shop

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  bus station

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  railway station

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  Ogre River in the city

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  lake

• Official site of the Ogre region (Latvian)
• Information about Ogre on the tourist portal mesta.lv (Russian)
• Information about Ogre in a toponymic database (Latvian)
• rus.ogrenet.lv News portal of the Ogre district