1897Census of Preili

In 1897, Preili (Preiļi) was officially classified as a market town (mestechko) in Dvinsk Uyezd of the Vitebsk Governorate of the Russian Empire, within the Pale of Settlement. During the nineteenth century, the town's development was closely associated with the Borch family estate and its palace, reflecting the influence of the local landed nobility on the area's economy and administration. According to the 1897 Russian Empire Census, Preili had a substantial Jewish population engaged primarily in trade, crafts, and small-scale commerce, living alongside Latgalian Catholics, Russian Old Believers, and other local communities. As one of the officially enumerated settlements in the 1897 census, Preili's census records constitute an important source for genealogical and historical research in the Latgale region.