RogovkaLV

Rogovka (historically also Nautrēni) is a village in Latvia’s eastern Latgale region, an area with a distinct culture and language. The saying "Crazy or from Rogovka" is well-known throughout Latgale, emphasizing the village's local gravity.

very green, lush trees
View from the permaculture garden to the church towers

Despite its small population of around 240 residents, the village hosts several institutions including the parish administration, Nautrēni Secondary School, a kindergarten, a sports hall-culture house, a library, a local history museum, a youth center and the Nautrēni Roman Catholic Church. The secondary school also accommodates Children’s Art School and the Methodological Center of Latgale Cultural History and Latgalian Language. Next to a few agriculture businesses, notable spaces of private cultural and entrepreneurial activity are a permaculture gardening School and metal forger workshop.

Rogovka's inhabitants are the most proud of the disproportional number of poets, writers, artists, significant cultural workers, politicians and clergy members that have been born here or in the surrounding area. Though so small, Rogovka holds surprising place in political and cultural significance in Latgalian, Latvian, Eastern European and European anti-imperial histories. Particularly during the period when the Latgalian language was suppressed heavily and publications in the Latin script were banned. In response, a vibrant culture of hand-rewriting books emerged. While this history is remembered within the village, it has often gone untold or unheard.

portraits of 3 men paintend on the wall
A wall painting on the local shop: 2 cultural workers active during the printing ban: book transcriber Andrivs Jūrdžs and fighter for peasants' rights poet Pīters Miglinīks; the 3rd portrait depicts the more recent poet and painter Antons Kūkojs.

RegionLatgale
Local partners
  • Daina's Gardening School
  • Museum of Local History of Nautrēni
Population237
Common fruit, vegetables, animalsStorks
TraditionAnnual Latgalian poetry slam, Latgalian literature contest, Folk ensemble festival, permaculture festival
Scentwet soil after a thunderstorm
Distances from RogovkaDistances

In January returned again to the mysterious Latgalian village—one full of stories still waiting to be heard. We gathered with local friends for a thought exchange about the role of contemporary art in rural settings. How accessible is it? Does it matter to the villagers? Why should it matter? Why do cities overlook rural art and stories? We reflected on the unequal relationship between centers and peripheries, questioning how art can bridge these divides. Future plans began to take shape.

Gallery (13 images)

Before this trip, Indra had visited Rogovka several times and spent 2024 working on an ongoing personal project there. More details coming soon.


RegionLatgale
Local partners
  • Daina's Gardening School
  • Museum of Local History of Nautrēni
Population237
Common fruit, vegetables, animalsStorks
TraditionAnnual Latgalian poetry slam, Latgalian literature contest, Folk ensemble festival, permaculture festival
Scentwet soil after a thunderstorm
Distances from RogovkaDistances