Description of the attraction
The Daugavas Loki Nature Park is located in the Daugavpils and Kraslava regions of Latvia on both sides of the Daugava River. The park with an area of 120 sq. Km was created on February 25, 1990. The purpose of its foundation was the preservation of a unique natural site. When the park was created, the construction of the Daugavpils hydroelectric power station was stopped. In the village of Slutishki there is a pillar to which the water in the reservoir of the Daugavpils hydroelectric power station could rise.
The height differences in the Daugavas Loki park reach 50 meters, and sometimes even more. So, for example, there is such a place Sargelishki, which is located at an altitude of 160 meters above sea level, and the Daugava, which is located at a distance of less than 1 km from the village, flows already at an altitude of 90 meters above sea level.
On the territory of "Daugavas Loki" there are a large number of streams, the largest of which is one of the tributaries of the Daugava - Melkalne. A little less than 700 plant species are registered in the park. Forests occupy one third of the park's territory.
On the territory of Daugavas Loki Park there are two of the largest cliffs in Latvia. The largest is the Verversky cliff, which is 42 meters high and about 400 meters wide. The Verversky cliff is located on the left bank of the Daugava, 3 km from the village of Slutishki. A beautiful view of Latvia opens from the wash-out.
The flushing occurred after the last ice age. It is mainly composed of gravel. Previously, during strong floods, when the water was close to the edge of the cliff, landslides often occurred. The latter was registered in the early 1920s. Recently, there have been no significant floods and landslides. Which led to the overgrowing of the cliff. The average slope of the Verversky cliff is 38˚С.
There are many cultural and historical treasures in the park. In total, there are 23 valuable archaeological sites: Yuzefovsky, Sikelsky, Spruktsky parishes, the castle of the Rozalishki estate, the settlements Markovo and Vecrachinsky. In addition, there is a model of the Dinaburg castle on the territory of the park. In the village of Vasargelishki, an observation tower is installed, the height of which is 18 meters.
Vecrachinskoe (Starorachinskoe) ancient settlement is located on the right bank of the Daugava, about 2.5 km from the Izvalta railway station. It was first described in 1941 by the hussar Arvid Gusars. The first excavations were carried out only in 1986, led by Tatiana Berga. The settlement, 60x30 meters in size, has the shape of an elongated triangle. To create the settlement, a natural offshoot of the coast was used, in addition, 3 artificial ramparts were created. As a result of the excavations, only a 2-10-centimeter layer of ash was found, no objects indicating the life of people were found. It is assumed that the site is dated to the late Iron Age (X-XIII centuries).
