The Aizkraukle Lutheran Church

A bit less than one kilometre from the Aizkraukle castle hill, the church can be seen from the Rīga-Daugavpils highway (A6).  The church was built in 1688 on the steep banks of the Daugava River Valley, and old Daugavpils road can still be spotted.  Between 1896 and 1899 the church was rebuilt in Neo-Gothic forms.  Inside is an important altar painting by Augusts Annuss, “Lord Help Us, We are Sinking.” There are memorials to local people such as Col Jorģis Zemitāns and Archbishop Arnolds Lūsis.  A legend says that the steeple of the church is crooked because it was hit by a German military plane during World War II.