Kārsava (; German: Karsau, Russian: Корсовка, Korsovka, Yiddish: קאָרסאָװקע, Korsovke) is a town in Ludza Municipality in the Latgale region of Latvia, near the border of Russia.
Kārsava | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Cultural centre in Kārsava | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Kārsava Location in Latvia | |
| Coordinates: 56°47′N 27°40′E / 56.783°N 27.667°E | |
| Country |  Latvia |
| Municipality | Ludza Municipality |
| Town rights | 1928 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.07 km2 (1.57 sq mi) |
| • Land | 4.02 km2 (1.55 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.05 km2 (0.02 sq mi) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
| • Total | 1,843 |
| • Density | 450/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | LV-5717 |
| Calling code | +371 657 |
| Website | http://www.karsava.lv/ |
The ancient Baltic tribe Latgalians inhabited the territory of Kārsava since the 8th century. There are several hillforts near town.
In 1763 a Catholic church was built in Kārsava. The town was located near the Rēzekne-Ostrov postal road and it saw rapid development when the St. Petersburg-Vilnius railway line was constructed nearby and the town became a trading centre.
In 1935, on the eve of World War II, the population of Kārsava was 2,181, 37% of whom were Jewish.[3] The vast majority of them were murdered during the Holocaust.