What are the most popular symbols of Russia that are strongly associated with its language and culture?   They are definitely a bear, Matryoshka, vodka, balalaika, and golden domes. We probably could have used most of these symbols on our logo and made up something funny and amusing. However, we decided to choose a symbol that directly associates Daugavpils with the Russian culture – domes of the Russian Orthodox cathedral

The domes you can see on our logo are the ones of the Saints Boris and Gleb Cathedral in Daugavpils. It is one of the most magnificent cathedrals in Latvia. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century, when Daugavpils (then Dvinsk or Dinaburg) was a part of the Russian Empire. The construction was supported with the money provided by the Russian Military Ministry. The cathedral was built in the Neo-Russian style. The Saints Boris and Gleb Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in Latvia, it can hold up to 5 thousand people.

Why the cathedral is named after the Saints Boris and Gleb? During the Russian-Swedish war of 1656 – 1658, Dinaburg was besieged and captured by the Russian army ot the Tzar Alexey Mikhailovich (the father of Peter the Great) on the day of Saints Boris and Gleb and then renamed to Borisoglebsk.

The stars on the blue background are borrowed from the flag of the European Union, which Latvia is part of. This should symbolize the symbiosis of European and Russian cultures in Daugavpils. Since the time the logo was created its design has not been changed dramatically. It just became more modern and neat.

The  Learn Russian in the EU logo reflects a real nature of the city of Daugavpils. Daugavpils is the largest Russian-speaking city in the European Union. It is a place where Russian and European cultures have been intertwined for centuries. It makes Daugavpils an excellent place for immersion into the Russian environment staying within the borders of the European Union.