Kommunal.az

Ogre
Ogre
State city
	Aerial view over Ogre.
	Flag Coat of arms
	Ogre Location in Latvia
	Coordinates: 56°49′07″N 24°36′20″E / 56.81861°N 24.60556°E
Country	Latvia
District	Ogre Municipality
Town rights	1928
Government
• Mayor [lv]	Andris Krauja
Area
• Total	16.18 km2 (6.25 sq mi)
• Land	14.38 km2 (5.55 sq mi)
• Water	1.8 km2 (0.69 sq mi)
Population (2025)
• Total	22,757
• Density	1,583/km2 (4,099/sq mi)
GDP
• State city	212,786,000 euro (2021)
• Per capita	9,289 euro (2021)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	LV-500(1-3)
Calling code	+371 650
Number of city council members	13

Ogre (pronunciation^ⓘ) is the state city in Ogre Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, 36 kilometres (22 miles) east of the capital Riga, and is situated at the confluence of the Daugava and Ogre rivers. It has been a city since 1928. The population in 2020 was 23,273.^[4] It is a state city (although without a separate municipal government), and is the seat of Ogre Municipality. Previously, it also served as the seat of Ogre district.

Ogre is composed of three parts: Jaunogre (meaning "New Ogre"), Ogre (the center of the city), and Pārogre (meaning "Ogre across [the river]" though not all the named region is across the river).

The name of the city comes from the Ogre river. The Ogre village was first mentioned in 1206, called "Oger" in German. In 1861, when a railway Riga–Daugavpils was built, Riga's residents started to build summer cottages here. In 1862 Ogre became a health resort.

The city's coat of arms was granted in 1938, and shows the river and pinewoods of Ogre. There is a cultural centre, an art school and a music school in Ogre. It has three Latvian language schools, and one Russian language school — Jaunogre Secondary School.

The city also has a cemetery with the remains of German soldiers who died during the First and Second World Wars, or died in captivity between 1944 and 1951.

Ogre is the home city for the 2016–2017 Latvian ice hockey champions HK Kurbads.

Etymology

There are three main versions of the etymology of Ogre's name (both town and river). The first states that the name of the river from which this city derives its name is of Russian origin (угри, ugri, meaning "eels") because there used to be many eels in the river Ogre. A popular folk legend says that Catherine the Great of Russia was the one who gave the river this name because there were a lot of eels in the river;^[5] however, this lacks any evidence. Whereas Estonian linguist Paul Alvre takes into consideration an older form of the Ogre river's name (Wogene, Woga) first found in Livonian Chronicle of Henry (1180–1227), and argues that it cognates with Estonian word voog (with possible meanings: "stream, flow, waves"), therefore showing connection with Finno-Ugric languages, most probably early Livonian language.

A third etymology gives a reconstructed form *Vingrē, related to Lithuanian vingrùs, "meandering, curly" or Latvian vingrs, "nimble;" thus meaning "the meandering river"; the village of Engure has the same root.^[6]

Sports

Ice hockey, basketball and handball are the most popular sports in Ogre.

Ice hockey club Essamika won the only Latvian Hockey Higher League championship title up to this day. In later years, Ogre had acquired 8 silver medals: 5 with ASK/Ogre and 3 with HK Kurbads.

Ogre has a Latvian Basketball League and Baltic Basketball League team, the BK Ogre/Kumho Tyre, which entered the Latvian highest league after winning the gold in Latvian second league.

Ogre's handball team HK Ogre/Miandum has won multiple medals in the Latvian Handball Higher League and won the silver medal at the 2013–14 season as the highest achievement.

FK Ogre, the city's main association football club, plays in the Latvian First League.

Gallery

Ogre city council
Ogre History and Art museum
Ogre central library
Ogre lutheran church
Arched pedestrian bridge over Ogre river.
Ogre railway station

Notable people

Oskars Bārtulis (born 1987), ice hockey player
Kaspars Bērziņš (born 1985), basketball player
Eliza Legzdina (born 1993), musician
Anete Šteinberga (born 1990), basketball player
Igors Stepanovs (born 1976), football coach

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Ogre Municipality.

References

^ "Reģionu, novadu, pilsētu un pagastu kopējā un sauszemes platība gada sākumā". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
^ "Iedzīvotāju skaits pēc tautības reģionos, pilsētās, novados, pagastos, apkaimēs un blīvi apdzīvotās teritorijās gada sākumā (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā)". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
^ "Iekšzemes kopprodukts un bruto pievienotā vērtība pa darbības veidiem reģionos un valstspilsētās faktiskajās cenās (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā)". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
^ "ISG020. Population number and its change by statistical region, city, town, 21 development centres and county". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
^ "Ogre – pilsēta uz sliedēm". Diena. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
^ Kollektiv artorov (5 September 2017). Балто-славянские исследования. XVIII: Сборник научных трудов. Litres. ISBN 9785457366732 – via Google Books.

Sources

Alvre, Paul Eesti ja liivi keeleaines Henriku Liivimaa kroonikas (III) (Keel ja Kirjandus, 1985)

External links

Official website (in Latvian)

[wikidata-b63e42f4e46c16aacd00b523e709fdbbeda7040c-v20-1] "Reģionu, novadu, pilsētu un pagastu kopējā un sauszemes platība gada sākumā". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 7 January 2025.

[wikidata-817d5437ecc57a6eefd10177383d016610ce6100-v20-2] "Iedzīvotāju skaits pēc tautības reģionos, pilsētās, novados, pagastos, apkaimēs un blīvi apdzīvotās teritorijās gada sākumā (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā)". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 10 October 2025.

[wikidata-9defe2098c861899f2f5afa9593d48e9f366a664-v20-3] "Iekšzemes kopprodukts un bruto pievienotā vērtība pa darbības veidiem reģionos un valstspilsētās faktiskajās cenās (pēc administratīvi teritoriālās reformas 2021. gadā)". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 22 August 2024.

[LVannual-4] "ISG020. Population number and its change by statistical region, city, town, 21 development centres and county". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.

[5] "Ogre – pilsēta uz sliedēm". Diena. Retrieved 28 July 2014.

[6] Kollektiv artorov (5 September 2017). Балто-славянские исследования. XVIII: Сборник научных трудов. Litres. ISBN 9785457366732 – via Google Books.

v t e Ogre Municipality
Towns	Ikšķile Ķegums Lielvārde Ogre
Parishes	Birzgale Jumprava Krape Ķeipene Laubere Lēdmane Lielvārde Madliena Mazozoli Meņģele Ogresgals Rembate Suntaži Taurupe Tīnūži Tome

v t e First-level administrative divisions of Latvia
Municipalities	Ādaži Aizkraukle Alūksne Augšdaugava Balvi Bauska Cēsis Dobele Gulbene Jelgava Jēkabpils Ķekava Krāslava Kuldīga Limbaži Līvāni Ludza Madona Mārupe Ogre Olaine Preiļi Rēzekne Ropaži Salaspils Saldus Saulkrasti Sigulda Smiltene South Kurzeme Talsi Tukums Valka Valmiera Ventspils
State cities	Daugavpils Jelgava Jūrmala Liepāja Rēzekne Riga Ventspils
Jēkabpils, Ogre and Valmiera are also state cities. However, they are also part of municipalities and serve as second-level administrative divisions.

Authority control databases
International	VIAF GND
National	Latvia Israel