Dīķis Aizkraukles pilsētas centrā

Aizkraukle is a new town - many people still remember the time when a new town - Aizkraukle (formerly known as Stučka) - was built on a completely empty site, along with the construction of the Pļaviņas HPP.

In 1960, the first builders of the hydroelectric power station arrived in the area and in 1961, a builders' village was established on the site of the present Aizkraukle Hospital, which was named after P. Stučka in August. Initially, the workers lived in army-type tents; a little later, the first barracks were built in the area that is today visible between the town pond and the bus station. In 1961, the first apartment building was put into use and on 1 September, the evening secondary school, which was located in a barrack by the artificial pond created during the construction works, on the site of the present music school, started work in the new village. In 1962, on the site of the present music school, the barracks housed the administration of the HPP construction, the construction directorate, the canteen and the kindergarten.

The noise of work in the construction pit of the HPP was matched by the clanking of the village's construction machinery. Not a day went by without work in the new buildings. Houses, a hospital, a cinema, a utility plant were being built. All this took place in the immediate vicinity of the town pond. In those days, this place was the centre of the village.

Today, the building near the pond, at 8 Skolas Street, is no longer a service centre. KWB Street food restaurant is open here and offers a delicious meal to residents and visitors.

In 1962, a laundry and later a sauna operated at 6 Skolas Street. The building at 5 Ziemeļu Street is no longer bustling with activity, but in 1986 the bakery-shop “Annele” started to operate here, where residents could buy freshly baked hot bread.

The town developed and grew rapidly. In 1985, the bus station on the north side of the town pond was put into operation. In 1993, the Peter Barisons Aizkraukle Music School moved to a newly built building by the pond and is still operating successfully today.

The town pond was once decorated with a fountain in the shape of a whale, which today is evidenced only by photographs in the Aizkraukle Museum of History and Art's exhibition “Soviet Years”. In the autumn of 2023, a new environmental object was created at the Aizkraukle pond - a flower boat with a boy fisherman. The idea was to create a beautiful object in a place where the Aizkraukle Peter Barisons School of Music could be seen in the background and where both the citizens of Aizkraukle and visitors to the town would like to take photos. The image of the boy fisherman was chosen for the environmental object because big and small fishermen are often seen at the town pond.

The area around the town pond has changed over the years. The inhabitants call the pond a haven of peace in the heart of the city, which is becoming more and more beautiful every year. Improvement works are planned for the Aizkraukle Town Pond area soon. A pedestrian promenade with a waterproof surface at least three metres wide is planned for the area around Aizkraukle Town Pond to make it easy for people with functional disabilities, senior citizens and people with pushchairs to get around. There are also plans to install benches and a semi-covered shelter for shelter in inclement weather. The area will be illuminated and CCTV will be installed. Fixed tables with chairs, play, recreation and exercise elements for different age groups, including seniors, at least one fitness equipment for people with functional disabilities, bicycle parking, a bicycle service station, stands with cultural and historical educational information are planned. To make the city more animal-friendly, an open-access drinking water tap with dog-watering facilities is planned.