Soon there will be another well-equipped recreational place in Rēzekne municipality
As the Luban Lake approached, it can be seen from a long distance that construction of a new building is taking place on the shore. In fact, the building had been there all the time, but it was not so noticeable because of the shabby appearance and shrubs – it was a pump station. There is a centre for the development of watercourses which is planned to be completed this year. This is a project for which the European Union funding of more than a million lats is realised.
The Latvian-Lithuanian cross-border cooperation programme 2007-2013 is implemented by the municipality of Rezekne. As part of this, the infrastructure will be organised at Luban, thus creating a favourable environment for people to recreational opportunities and entrepreneurs to offer new tourism services.
The largest funding is planned for the construction of the centre for the development of watercourses, where conferences and exhibition rooms, changing rooms, shower rooms, recreational space shall be installed. A water sports inventory warehouse will be located next to the centre building. In order for people to enjoy this place, the surroundings must be well-equipped and arranged. This is why the project promoters intend to create football and volleyball sites, to install recreational benches and garbage urns, to install parking space, stop and play area for children, reconstruct the nearby pond and install wooden kindles at the lake.
As a result of increasing human flows, entrepreneurs also have opportunities to create new services in the area of Luban, such as a watersport inventory leasing, a skating rack, ski trail etc. in winter.
“Luban is a place with unique natural resources. We are convinced that it would inevitably be one of the most popular places in Latgale in terms of tourist visits,” says Ineta Brina, the leader of this project.
The total project funding in Latvia is Lvl 708 546. Of these, 85 % is the co-financing of the European Regional Development Fund, 5% - Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government and 10 % Rēzekne municipality. In 2009, Eur 165 140 was already acquired.
The official name of this project is “sustainable tourism development in the vicinity of Kupišku lagoon (Lithuania) and Luban Lake (Latvia)”. Its number is LLI-010.