In March 1972, the deepest ground frost in Latvia was registered in Dagda - 150 cm (59 in).

[3] Dagda as an ancestral estate was founded in the 17th century by Johann Franz von Gilsen, Chancellor of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.

The most notable of them, writer and publicist Kazimierz Bujnicki, made a significant contribution to the region's culture and was one of the initiators of the abolition of serfdom in Latgale.

[6] In the early 19th century, the Dagda estate became home to a unique library, an archive, and a collection of artworks and archaeological finds accumulated by the Gilsen and Bujnicki families.

[6] According to the 1897 census, the town of Dagda had a population of 1,516 people, including 1,026 of Jewish faith and 377 Roman Catholics.