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Alūksne | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Alūksne Location in Latvia | |
| Coordinates:57°25′26″N27°3′1″E / 57.42389°N 27.05028°E /57.42389; 27.05028 | |
| Country |  Latvia |
| District | Alūksne Municipality |
| Town rights | 1920 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dzintars Adlers |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.27 km2 (5.51 sq mi) |
| • Land | 10.68 km2 (4.12 sq mi) |
| • Water | 3.59 km2 (1.39 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 6,175 |
| • Density | 430/km2 (1,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | LV-430(1-2) |
| Calling code | +371 643 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | visitaluksne |
Alūksne (German:Marienburgⓘ[3]) is atown on the shores ofLake Alūksne in theVidzeme region ofLatvia near the borders withEstonia andRussia. It is the seat of theAlūksne municipality. Alūksne is the highest elevated Latvian city, located inEast Vidzeme Upland at 217 m[4] above sea level. The high elevation of the city affects the social and physical arrangement of the place.
The region around Lake Alūksne was originally settled byFinnic-speaking tribes, and from the 8th-12th centuries byLatgalians. The date of settlement at the current location of the town, then known asOlysta,Alyst, andVolyst, is given in thechronicles ofPskov as 1284. The later name "Alūksne" comes from theLatgalian wordolūksna, meaning a spring in the forest.[citation needed]
The Latgalian inhabitants of the settlement were conquered by theGermancrusaders of theLivonian Order in 1224.[5] In 1284, they built a woodencastle namedMarienburg (afterMary, the mother of Jesus) on a nearby island, which served to protect trade routes fromRiga to Pskov. The town, which developed near the castle also became known as Marienburg. In 1342,a new castle from stone was built on the largest isle ofLake Alūksne.[6]
Marienburg was captured by the troops ofIvan IV of Russia in 1560 during theLivonian War. It was incorporated into thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1582. The town became part of theSwedish Empire in 1629.
Ernst Glück, aLutheran clergyman and the first translator of the Bible into Latvian, founded the first Latvian language schools inVidzeme in 1683. It is now known as theErnst Glück Bible Museum. The Russian army led bySheremetyev captured the town during theGreat Northern War in 1702, doing great damage to the area and deporting all the inhabitants, including Glück and his foster daughter, Marta Skavronska, who later became EmpressCatherine I of Russia.After 1721, Alūksne became part of theLivonia Governorate, but for many decades, it was a devastated and minor settlement. Alūksne started development in the 19th century, when it became a major trading centre. Further development was stimulated with the opening of thenarrow gauge railway lineStukmaņi-Gulbene-Alūksne-Valka in 1903.
During theLatvian War of Independence, Alūksne was one of the first major settlements inVidzeme which was liberated byLatvian Army in May 1919.In 1920, Alūksne was granted town rights. Since 2009, it is an administrative center of theAlūksne municipality. DuringWorld War II, Alūksne was underGerman occupation from 5 July 1941 until 19 August 1944.[7]
The town's island is known asPils salas (Castle Island) and Maria Island.Alūksne Castle is now used as an open-airtheater.
Alūksne is located on the shore of Lake Alūksne, which is the eleventh largest lake in Latvia. There are four islands in the lake - Cepurītes or Love Island, Long Island, Tīklu Island and Castle Island. The average depth of the lake is about 7 meters. The deepest place reaches up to 20 meters.
Alūksne has ahumid continental climate (KöppenDfb).
| Climate data for Alūksne, Latvia (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1945-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) | 10.9 (51.6) | 18.2 (64.8) | 26.5 (79.7) | 30.2 (86.4) | 32.0 (89.6) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.9 (91.2) | 29.4 (84.9) | 21.1 (70.0) | 13.1 (55.6) | 10.8 (51.4) | 33.3 (91.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.8 (27.0) | −2.4 (27.7) | 2.5 (36.5) | 10.2 (50.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 19.9 (67.8) | 22.4 (72.3) | 20.9 (69.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 2.3 (36.1) | −1.1 (30.0) | 9.3 (48.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.9 (23.2) | −5.1 (22.8) | −1.0 (30.2) | 5.6 (42.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 16.1 (61.0) | 11.1 (52.0) | 5.3 (41.5) | −0.4 (31.3) | −3.0 (26.6) | 5.7 (42.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.5 (18.5) | −8.1 (17.4) | −4.6 (23.7) | 0.8 (33.4) | 5.7 (42.3) | 9.9 (49.8) | 12.6 (54.7) | 11.6 (52.9) | 7.4 (45.3) | 2.6 (36.7) | −1.6 (29.1) | −5.1 (22.8) | 2.0 (35.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −37.4 (−35.3) | −36.8 (−34.2) | −28.8 (−19.8) | −15.9 (3.4) | −5.8 (21.6) | −0.3 (31.5) | 2.9 (37.2) | 0.7 (33.3) | −5.1 (22.8) | −10.6 (12.9) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −36.8 (−34.2) | −37.4 (−35.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 55.4 (2.18) | 43.9 (1.73) | 40.8 (1.61) | 40.5 (1.59) | 63.1 (2.48) | 90.3 (3.56) | 82.9 (3.26) | 82.9 (3.26) | 63.7 (2.51) | 73.8 (2.91) | 61.0 (2.40) | 52.0 (2.05) | 750.3 (29.54) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 14 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 143 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 30.9 | 60.2 | 133.3 | 199.0 | 278.4 | 273.1 | 284.2 | 243.1 | 151.7 | 73.5 | 28.3 | 20.5 | 1,776.2 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 14 | 24 | 37 | 47 | 55 | 52 | 54 | 53 | 41 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 41 |
| Source 1: LVĢMC[8][9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (precipitation days 1981-2010)[10] | |||||||||||||
Within existing limits, according to CSB data.
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| Source:Latvian Geospatial Information Agency[11] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Preceding station | LDz | Following station | ||
| Vējiņi towardsGulbene | Gulbene–Alūksne | Terminus | ||
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