Management of 'Gors' in Question: Minister Demands Reports and Explanations 0 14

The minister demanded that the results of the audit of the 'Gors' concert hall, obtained from the local government on October 23, 2025, be sent to the ministry immediately — today — as well as the assessment and proposals of the working group established on December 1, 2025, regarding the functioning and improvement of 'Gors'.

By January 20, the Rezekne City Council must also provide an explanation regarding the management of 'Gors', including whether the local government ensured the preparation of quality and complete reports on achieving the financial and non-financial goals set in the strategies for financial efficiency and mid-term activities, how these documents were assessed in the local government, and whether feedback was provided to the enterprise, etc.

In turn, the Minister of Culture, Agnes Lace, stated this morning in an interview on the LTV program 'Morning Panorama' that the Ministry of Culture (MC) had also requested various information from the local government, which was received in a broader scope last night.

In response to a question about whether she would support transferring the concert hall to state management, the minister reiterated her previously stated position that the state has already invested funds both in the construction of 'Gors' and in its operational aspects, therefore the accusations from the Rezekne local government regarding insufficient state involvement are unfounded. If the goal of the uproar raised by the local government is to reduce its support for the concert hall, then this should be stated honestly.

Lace added that the MC is ready to listen to the local government — how it sees the necessary support and how it envisions the future work of the concert hall.

As previously reported, after a functional audit conducted by the 'Eastern Latvia Concert Hall', the Rezekne local government is considering the possibility of transforming the Latgale Embassy 'Gors' into an institution or choosing another form of management.

Rezekne Mayor Alexander Bartashevich had previously stated in the media that two possible scenarios are being considered — changes to the delegation agreement with the 'Eastern Latvia Concert Hall' or transforming the capital company into an institution. The option of leasing 'Gors' to a private operator is no longer being considered.

However, the local government is also ready to discuss with the MC the possibility of transferring 'Gors' to the state. According to Bartashevich, it would be appropriate to transfer the facility to state ownership. 'The city of Rezekne is ready to pay off the loans,' the mayor stated, without specifying the exact amount of remaining payments, but suggesting that it could be between three to four million euros.

"Our goal is not to transfer the facility to the state, but this is our proposal if the state believes that we as a local government cannot ensure proper maintenance or management," Bartashevich added.

On December 30, the local government also decided to dismiss the head of 'Gors', Diana Zirnina. The local government explains that both for the local government and for the enterprise itself, under the current financial conditions, achieving strategic goals requires leadership with a more pronounced focus on financial control, budget planning, risk management, and decision-making based on business analytics, thereby ensuring the long-term existence of 'Gors', high artistic quality of events, and accessibility of cultural services for residents and guests of Rezekne.

In turn, at the end of 2025, the government instructed the MC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Smart Management and Regional Development and the Ministry of Economics, to negotiate with the Rezekne City Council on options for managing the property located at 4 Pils Street, Rezekne, where the Latgale Embassy 'Gors' is situated, and on the possible involvement of the state in ensuring the accessibility of professional art.

The informational report from the MC, which was conceptually supported by the government, points to a potential threat to the further existence of the Latgale Embassy 'Gors'.

The ministry draws attention to the risk of reduced accessibility to professional art in the Latgale region and emphasizes that state, local government, and European Union funds were invested in the creation of 'Gors'. The report notes that ensuring the accessibility of professional culture in Latgale is a long-term investment in the sustainability of society.

The President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, expressed the opinion that this concert hall is an important center of Latvian and Latgale identity and should remain under public management.

According to data from 'Firmas.lv', the turnover of the 'Eastern Latvia Concert Hall' in 2024 was 891,763 euros, with losses of 19,002 euros. The owner of the concert hall is the Rezekne City Council.