Latvia, a small country on the coast of the Baltic Sea, has a large Russian-speaking community and is a very good country to learn Russian. Approximately 37% of the population of Latvia speak Russian as the native language. The city of Daugavpils is a Russian-speaking enclave and clearly the best location for studying Russian in Latvia.

Daugavpils is a unique place – a Russian-language enclave, the largest Russian-speaking city in the European Union and NATO.

• Daugavpils is a home to 80 thousand people;
• In Daugavpils, nearly everyone speaks standard modern Russian as their native or primary language;
• Russian is the language of everyday communication.
• Students will be fully immersed in Russian all the time.

Sometimes, even professionals are not aware of demographic and cultural features of the regions of Latvia. There is a huge difference between Russian-speaking Daugavpils and Riga, where Russian is not spoken as the primary language of everyday communication.

Daugavpils has a very interesting history. Different communities (Russians, Russian Old Believers, Latvians, Jews, Poles, Roma) have been living there side-by-side for centuries. It was a part of Russia and the USSR.

Daugavpils is located in the European Union. This makes it a very convenient travel destination – no visa required, safe, Euro is the official currency, well developed infrastructure, etc.

Learn Russian in the European Union, an experienced Russian-language study abroad provider working in Daugavpils, offers diverse study options for different categories of students. Please learn more at Learn Russian in the EU Study Programs.

You may find more about Daugavpils at Daugavpils, Latvia: unique cultural environment for Russian immersions.