Rezekne Council Rejects State Involvement in Gors Concert Hall Management
The Rezekne City Council on Friday rejected a proposal from the Latvian Ministry of Culture (KM) for state involvement in the management of the concert hall ‘Gors’ alongside the municipality. This decision casts further uncertainty over the future of the important cultural venue in Latgale.
Deputies voted down the KM’s proposal for the state to participate in the share capital of SIA “Austrumlatvijas koncertzāle,” which would have given the state a 75% stake and decisive influence over the company’s management. The council also declined a proposal to transfer ownership of the Latgale Embassy “Gors” building on Pils Street 4, Rezekne and its equipment to state property.
Simultaneously, the council called on the KM to evaluate a different cooperation model – the conclusion of a delegation agreement, which would allow the state to participate in ensuring the operation of the concert hall while maintaining a balanced and sustainable cooperation for the implementation of cultural policy goals.
Deputies also suggested that other municipalities in Latgale consider involvement in promoting the accessibility of professional art and the development of the region’s cultural environment, using the delegation agreement form.
Only opposition deputies supported the KM’s proposal during the council session.
Ināra Groce (LZP/LRA/JKP) stated that state participation in the management of “Gors” would ensure a more predictable repertoire planning process.
Meanwhile, representatives of the coalition, including Aleksandrs Bartaševičs (“Kopā Latvijai”/LPV), who has been suspended from his position as mayor, repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the KM representative’s absence from the session, viewing it as a lack of interest in Rezekne. Deputy Karīna Bartkeviča (“Kopā Latvijai”/LPV) emphasized that the council had been prepared for discussion.
Criticism was also directed at the explanations provided by Linda Vitkaus, a representative from the Ministry of Economy, and her competence. She participated in the session remotely.
Bartaševičs also claimed that “everything that is happening around Rezekne is connected to the death of democracy,” and therefore coalition politicians had arrived at the session wearing black clothes.
The Rezekne City Council had commissioned an audit from SIA “Audita Akadēmija,” but detailed information about its conclusions and proposed solutions has not been disclosed. The local government is currently considering changes to the concert hall’s management system, with one model being the transfer of the concert hall’s lease rights to a private entrepreneur, as reported in December 2025.
The situation at Gors follows the dismissal of the Latgale arts centre manager, who is still awaiting an explanation for her sacking. The local government provides Gors with a subsidy from the Rezekne budget annually, expecting high quality performances and efforts to increase revenue to reduce the subsidy amount. However, a recent audit identified several problems in the concert hall’s operations.
Prime Minister Evika Siliņa stated in January 2026 that the government is ready to participate in the management of Gors if necessary, but stressed that it must not allow the Rezekne local government to evade responsibility. She reminded that the government had already instructed the Ministry of Culture to assess and resolve the situation with the management of Gors, noting that the sudden change in leadership suggests that not everything is well with the concert hall’s management.
President Edgars Rinkēvičs has also weighed in, stating on social media that Gors is an important center of Latvian and Latgalian identity and should remain under public management. He has discussed the matter with Culture Minister Agnese Lace (Progressives).
