Rezekne is a city in the Rezekne River valley in Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called The Heart of Latgale (Latvian Latgales sirds, Latgalian Latgolys sirds). Built on seven hills, Rezekne is situated 242 kilometres (150 miles) east of Riga, and 63 kilometres (39 miles) west of the Latvian-Russian border, at the intersection of the Moscow - Ventspils and Warsaw - Saint Petersburg Railways. It has a population of 31,216 (2016) making it the 7th largest city in Latvia.

The Castle Ruins, situated on the hill by the river, are the remainders of the ancient fortified residence of ancient Latgalians which existed there from the 9th to 13th centuries. At the end of the 13th century the Livonian Order built a stone castle (Rozitten castle). It was situated in a strategically important place, so the Russians, Lithuanians and Poles were seeking to conquer it. The castle was completely destroyed during the Polish-Swedish war (1656-1660). A model of Rezekne castle by Edmunds Smans is located near the castle hill.

The Latgale Culture and History Museum (Latgales Kulturvestures muzejs) was opened in 1959. The museum offers exposition of the town history, art exhibitions, and pedagogical activities for children. The exposition of Latgale ceramics is the only permanent exposition in Latvia to reflect Latgalian ceramics in its history from the beginning of pottery in the Neolithic period until the achievements of present-day Latgalian ceramists and modern developments. At the moment the museum stock collection has about 65 thousand items.