Даугавский путь

Фабрика по переработке цикория и зерновых, расположенная в Селии. До Нереты – 20 км, до Виесите – 16 км, до Акнисте – 13 км. Готовит кофе по рецептам бабушки Алиды. Кофе «ПАУЛИНЕ» из обжаренного цикория (рожь, цикорий, морковь, дубовые желуди), кофе «СЕЛИЯ» из обжаренной ржи, цикория и конопли (рожь, цикорий, морковь, конопляные листья), кофе «ВИЕСИТЕ» из ржаного солода, цикория и хмеля (зерна ржаного солода, цикорий, хмель). Продукцию можно приобрести.

Первая большая гидроэлектростанция в Латвии, строительство которой было начато в 1936 году (архитектор Э. Лаубе). Первый гидроагрегат (мощностью 17 МВт - крупнейший в странах Балтии) начал действовать в 1939 году. В период с 1976 – 1979 годы было проведен второй этап строительства ГЭС, в результате которого на левом берегу Даугавы построили новое здание, установили три агрегата, увеличив таким образом мощность ГЭС до 260 МВт. Еще одна реконструкция ГЭС прошла на левом берегу Даугавы (ГЭС – 2) в период с 1998 - 2001 годы, где сейчас расположен музей Энергетики. Посещение объекта проходит по предварительной записи!
 

Наблюдаемый сегодня комплекс усадьбы «Стукмани» создавался во время перестройки в XVII и XVIII столетии, когда вместо строений крепостного типа был возведен замок господской усадьбы и остальные хозяйственные постройки. Центральную часть ансамбля господской усадьбы – двор прямоугольной формы - окружает здание дворца и построенные друг напротив друга, украшенные колоннами амбар, конюшня и каретная. Последние две постройки вместе с колокольней и проездными воротами визуально создают более внушительную часть зданий. С 1780 года в господской усадьбе хозяйничал род Карла Отто фон Левенштерна. Усадьбу можно осмотреть только снаружи. В окрестностях господской усадьбы «Стукмани» находится природная тропа. + 371 26449567 (гид по Плявиньскому краю).

Уникальный объект индустриального наследия – единственный открытый завод по производству амуниции в странах Балтии, на территории которого находится самая старая дроболитейная башня в Европе, которая до сих пор используется по назначению. Группы туристов по предварительной договоренности в сопровождении гида могут осмотреть производство, дроболитейную башню и музей. Сейчас на дроболитейном заводе производят пули девяти видов для гладкоствольного оружия, а также пули для пневматического оружия. Продукция экспортируется в соседние страны, Германию и другие страны.

Поля с лекарственными растениями сельского хозяйства «Курмиши» расположены в экологически чистом природном парке «Даугавас локи» и на территории охраняемой ландшафтной зоны «Аугшдаугава». Чтобы не уничтожить природные места произрастания лекарственных трав, уже с 1994 года на полях «Курмиши» выращиваются около 40 видов и сортов лекарственных растений. Энтузиастам выращивания лекарственных трав и туристам предлагается узнать секреты выращивания и приготовления лекарственных трав. После экскурсии имеется возможность попробовать и приобрести травяные чаи «Курмишу», которые наиболее вкусны с медом, собранных пчелами с растущих в хозяйстве лекарственных трав. Особую атмосферу создают свечи из пчелиного воска. В хозяйстве оборудованы места для отдыха, мастерская восковых свечей, можно приобрести сувениры из богатого предложения восковых поделок, посетить пчелиную пасеку. Хозяин предлагает также экскурсии по хозяйству в сопровождении гида.

The rock is along the main street of Krāslava and is found at Augusta Street 12.  After major reconstruction of the city’s infrastructure, the rock was successfully integrated into the surrounding landscape.  The rock is 2.8 m long, 2.2 m wide and 700 cm high.  It once served as a border stone for the village of Krāslava.  It was placed there in 1729 to commemorate the day when the noble Plater dynasty bought Krāslava.  The dynasty’s seal is engraved in the side of the rock along with the date when it was installed.  Legend has it that Polish King Augustus II dined at the rock after a hunt, and that is why it is known as Augustus’ Rock.

Established in 1900 at the place where the Pērse River flows into the Daugava (now the reservoir of the Pļaviņas hydroelectric power plant), the park offers a look at 17^th century Swedish cannons and monuments from Medieval graves.  Next to the high school in the park is a restored fountain, “Head of a Faun,” which was near the legendary Pērse waterfall during the 1930s.  The waterfall is now underwater, but its location is indicated by a stone sculpture, “Girl of Pērse,” which was created by the sculptor Juris Zihmanis.  A path leads to an 11 metre high wooden sculpture, “For Eternity,” by the sculptor Ģirts Burvis, and another sculpture, “Little Owl,” which is the work of the Rurāns brothers, both of whom are sculptors of wooden sculptures.

This is one of comparatively few castle hills along the banks of the Daugava River that is not overgrown with trees and bushes, which means that it has a classical castle hill form that is part of the local landscape.  The Dignāja castle hill was settled during several periods, particularly between the 5th and the 9th century AD, when it was an important centre.  Archaeologists have found that Lettigalian tribes lived here.  After the Holy Crusade invasion, the Livonian Order built a castle on the hill that has not survived.  It is said that there was once an underground passageway under the hill.  The hill itself offers a lovely view of the Daugava River valley.  World War I trenches have been preserved the area.  There was once a settlement at the foot of the hill.

A wooden church was built by local craftsmen here between 1655 and 1658.  Financed by the Plater aristocratic family, it was a miniature basilica, and this is seen as one of the oldest wooden churches in Latgale.  That makes it a unique cultural and historical monument.  The central altar has baroque wood carvings that were produced by masters from a local sculptural school.  The side altar includes a painting of Mary Magdalene from the mid-18th century.  The church was moved to its present location on the right bank of the Daugava in 1698.  It has been restored several times – in 1890 and 1918.  The stone wall that stretches around the church dates back to the late 17th century, and the freestanding bell tower was built in the mid-19th century.  It was restored in 2002.  According to various sources of information, the Indrica congregation is the oldest one in Latgale.

Materials of archaeological excavations show that the Ogre river banks were inhabited by the Livs. Ogre as a larger populated area and a major resort developed after the construction of Riga-Daugavpils railway in 1861. Until the World War I about 300 cottages offered their services in Ogre, most of them were destroyed during the war. The next "major" event took place 1965 when one of the largest knitwear plants in Europe was built in Ogre, which was staffed by guest workers from Vietnam and countries. Today, Ogre has still not recovered its glory of a resort, but has become a rather exclusive site of mostly low-rise residential buildings.

This is the only place in Latvia where you can tour a cellar in which the owner uses birch juice to prepare syrups, birch wine, sparkling wine (champagne), lemonade, and fermented birch juice. You can taste and buy the products.

This is the farm of a moderately wealthy Selonian farmer from the 19^th century. It features a residential building with a mantel chimney, two granaries, a threshing barn, a sauna, a windmill, a smithy, a steam locomotive and a threshing machine. Groups will enjoy thematic programmes such as “Crafts at the Selonian Farm,” “When Honey Melts on Your Tongue,” and “A Wedding at the Selonian Farm.”

The Eastern breakwater was installed in the mid-19th century to reduce silt in the river valley and to regulate the flow of water.  It is made of wooden pilings that are covered with rocks.  The breakwater is 2.2 km long and has been rejuvenated as a popular place for hiking, leisure and fishing throughout the year.  Birds can be watched from the breakwater, and sometimes people are lucky enough to spot a seal.  At the start of the breakwater are two rocks with engraved text to say that the site was visited by Russian Tsar Alexander II in 1856 and by his heir, Nikolai Alexandrovich, in 1860.  This points to the importance of the Rīga port in terms of Baltic Sea trade routes at that time.

Found at Rīgas Street 22A, this impressive building was suggested by Latvian President Kārlis Ulmanis and built in 1936 and 1937 after a design by the architect Verners Vitands.  It is seen as one of the most outstanding architectural monuments from the first period of Latvian independence, and it is said that it was once the most modern multifunctional building in all of Europe.  The building now houses the Daugavpils Theatre, the Latgale Central Library, the Latvian Cultural Centre, the Latvian House, the US Information Centre, the Daugavpils Tourism Information Centre and other institutions.  Unity Square is alongside the building, and beautiful compositions of flowers are nearby during the growing season.

Before its flooding, the canyon of the Daugava River between Pļaviņas and Koknese was one of the most outstanding and beautiful parts of the Baltic terrain, and Oliņkalns hill was one of the largest castle hills in Latvia.  The Andrejs cliff as up to 20 metres high, and it was part of the Daugava canyon.  Before the area was flooded because of the construction of the Pļaviņas hydroelectric power plant, there were rapids near the hill that made it hard for rafters to sail down the river.  Today it is a small island in the reservoir of the plant (it can be seen from the side of the Rīga-Daugavpils highway (A6) opposite Stukmaņi).  It is separated from the shore by 300 metres of river, under which the Dūņas valley is now resting.  A small part of the ramparts of the castle hill can still be seen on the island along with the ruins of an open-air stage and a few metres of the dolomite cliff that have remained above water.  It is thought that the Alene castle was on the hill in the 13th century.  Latvian mountain climbers installed a memorial stone in 1998 opposite Oliņkalns hill.

Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš (1877-1962) was a Latvian writer, painter and book illustrator, and he was one of Latvia’s first art critics.  The writer spent two years in Kaplava, where his experiences led to the novel “Highlanders.”  There is a memorial room in Kaplava, and alongside the building is a memorial stone.

This was an island after the Rīga hydroelectric power plant created a reservoir, and before that it was a peninsula on the Left Bank of the Daugava.  During World War I, there were massive battles between Latvian Riflemen and a much larger German army on Death Island.  On December 25, 1916, the Germans used poisonous gas against the Latvian troops.  In honour of this, the architect Eižens Laube designed a monument to fallen Latvian riflemen on the northern shore of Death Island.  It was unveiled in 1924.  Death Island can be reached by boat, and the trenches and graves there are of interest.  There is a pier for boats on the north-western shore of the island, and nearby is a location for leisure.  Some of the trenches and dugouts have recently been restored.  The battles were described by Aleksandrs Grīns in his masterpiece, “Snowstorm of Souls.”

The old wooden tower at this site was torn down and replaced with the one that is there now. The restored tower offers one of the loveliest views in Eastern Latvia – one of the eight curves of the Daugava. This is the Rozališki curve. Here you will get a whole new sense of the Daugava River and its mighty valley in a place where the waters of a hydroelectric plant bubble away in our present day and age. It is claimed that the scene that is seen on the 10 lats note is based on the view which can be seen to the West from the tower.

Nach Angaben befand sich die Kirche an dieser Stelle schon im 17. Jahrhundert. Die jetzige Kirche wurde von 1792 bis 1794 gebaut. Der Autor des Projektes eines kuppelförmigen Gebäudes war Christoph Haberland, der Hauptbaumeister von Riga. Eine Form der Kuppel sichert eine gute Akustik in den Innenräumen. Der Altar ist gegenüber der Eingangstür eingerichtet. Zwischen den Kolonnen des Gebäudes befindet sich ein Altarbild, das Christus und St. Peter in aufgewühltem Meer darstellt. Zu den bedeutenden Gegenständen der Innenausstattung gehören Weinbecher, Kerzenträger aus den 18 – 19 Jahrhunderten u.a. 2014 wurde das Gebäude restauriert. Südlich von der Kirche befindet sich der Friedhof von Katlakalns, auf dem ein berühmter deutsch-baltischer Publizist und Schriftsteller Garlieb Merkel (1769 – 1850) bestattet wurde, der eine große Rolle in der Aufhebung der Leibeigenschaft im Baltikum spielte.

Das beindruckende Denkmal des lettgalischen Barocks. Gebaut in der Periode von 1755 bis 1767 nach dem Projekt des italienischen Architekten A. Parako. Eine Kapelle mit der Reliquie vom St. Donatus, dem Beschützer von Krāslava.

In diese konnte man über eine Zugbrücke gelangen, in dem man die äußere und die innere Vorburg durchquerte. Bis in die Mitte des 16. Jh. diente die Burg als Residenz des Komturs von Dünaburg. 1577 wurde sie vom Heer Iwans des Schrecklichen zerstört.Nach diesem Ereignis verlor Dünaburg seine strategische Bedeutung und der Bau eines Festungsbaus wurde dort begonnen, wo sich heute Daugavpils befindet. Neben der Ruine der Ordensburg befindet sich ein verkleinertes Modell der Burg, damit man sich vorstellen kann, wie es hier vor vielen Jahrhunderten ausgesehen hat. Vom Parkplatz bis zum Burghügel gelangt man über einen bequemen Pfad.Vom Burgberg hat man einen der schönsten Ausblicke auf den Naturpark der Daugavabiegungen. 

Die Sammlung des Museums stellt die Daugava als bedeutenden historischen Wasserweg dar, hier sind auch Kleidungstücke und Gebrauchsgegenstände baltischer Stämme und der Liven zu sehen. 
Neben dem Museum steht eine Kanone aus dem Herzogtum Kurland (gefunden im Fluss Misa), die in der Eisenhütte Baldone (Baldones Dzelzāmurā) gegossen worden ist. Nicht weit davon sind vier Kanonen der russischen Zarenarmee zu sehen, die 2007 auf einer Baustelle in Salaspils gefunden worden sind. 

The central part of the town of Krāslava is an historical monument because its low-story and beautiful wooden buildings. The best views of the historical centre relate to the carp park near the Adamova trail, the Karņicskis hill, the bridge across the Daugava (Prospekta Street), and the Priedaine viewing tower on the left bank of the Daugava River.

Eine alte, von den Letgallen bewohnte Ortschaft. Im 10. Jh. gelang der Kreis von Krāslava in den Händen der Fürsten von Polock, aber im 13. Jh. – in den Händen des Livländischen Ordens. Bis zum Anfang des 18. Jhs. bestand Krāslava als das Zentrum des Landgutes. Im Jahr 1729 hat Johann Ludwig Plater Krāslava für 1400 Taler gekauft. Die Familie Plater hat in Krāslava zwei Jahrhunderte geherrscht. In der Mitte des 18. Jhs. hat die Familie mit dem Bau des Schlosses begonnen. Nach der ersten Polnischen Teilung im Jahr 1772 wurde die Region Latgale an Russland angeschlossen. Krāslava begann zu verkümmern. Nach dem Bau der Eisenbahn Riga – Daugavpils – Witebsk (1865) blühte das wirtschaftliche Leben der Stadt wieder auf. Krāslava wurde wenig von den Ereignissen des Zweiten Weltkriegs betroffen, darum hat sich die Holzbebauung der Stadt aus dem Anfang des 20. Jhs. fast unberührt erhalten.

Befindet sich in Skrīveri, Daugavas Straße 58. Das erste Haus des Schriftstellers (1877 – 1970) wurde 1908 gebaut, aber jetziges Haus – im Jahre 1921 auf der Grundlage des ersten Hauses. Im Gebäude ist ein Museum eingerichtet. Die Exposition des Museum veranschaulicht einen Lebens- und Schaffensweg des Schriftstellers, sowie wie der Roman “Grüne Erde” erschaffen wurde. Neben dem Haus ist ein Garten.1952 hat der Schriftsteller das Haus mit dem Garten der Staat geschenkt. Es werden Führungen und museumspädagogische Programme angeboten. 

Ein zeitgemäßes und modernes Zentrum  in einem historischen Scheunengebäude bildet einen einmaligen Komplex, in dem man eine Ausstellung über die Geschichte des Handwerks findet, das Glasmuseum,  einen weiteren Ausstellungssaal, den längsten Gürtel der lettischen Volkstracht, einen Konferenzsaal, eine Wassergalerie. In den Werkstätten kann man Handwerkern der Umgebung, Töpfern, Texilherstellern, Glasbläsern bei der Arbeit zusehen und auch selbst mitwirken.   

Die 860 m lange Westmole (gebaut 1885) regelt zusammen mit der Ostmole die Mündung des Flusses ins Meer und reduziert die Verschlammung. Eine Holzpfahlbauweise bildet die Gründung der Wasseranlage, die mit Steinen befestigt ist. Die Mole wurde mehrmals rekonstruiert und befestigt. Im 19. Jahrhundert befand sich auf der Mole ein Zuchthaus. Während des Wiederaufbaus der Mole wurde etwa eine Hälfte der Mole betoniert. Das andere Teil befindet sich zurzeit im recht schlechten Zustand! Schon 1528 hat der König von Polen Stephan Báthory einen Erlass über den Bau eines Leuchtturms an der Mündung des Flusses Daugava verabschieden. Die erste Karte, auf der der Leuchtturm dargestellt ist, stammt aus dem Jahr 1536. In der Leuchtturm-Abrechnung des Russischen Reiches im Jahre 1721 wurde angezeigt, dass sich hier eine Anhäufung der Steine befindet, auf der man Feuer anbrennt. Später wurden Türme aus Holz und Stein gebaut, die während der Kriegszeit vernichtet wurden. Der jetzige Leuchtturm von Daugavgrīva wurde 1957 gebaut und ist 35 m hoch. Ein Lichtblitz ist aus einer Entfernung von 18 Seemeilen sichtbar.

Found on the right bank of the Daugava where the little Karikste river flows into the Daugava, all that remains of the castle today is a set of ruined walls and foundations.  The castle was built by the Livonian Order in 1224, and it was inhabited until the mid-17^th century, when it was sacked during the Polish-Swedish war.  The ruins offer a good view of the local gravel road that goes along the right bank of the river valley.

Ein zeitgemäßes und modernes Zentrum  in einem historischen Scheunengebäude bildet einen einmaligen Komplex, in dem man eine Ausstellung über die Geschichte des Handwerks findet, das Glasmuseum,  einen weiteren Ausstellungssaal, den längsten Gürtel der lettischen Volkstracht, einen Konferenzsaal, eine Wassergalerie. In den Werkstätten kann man Handwerkern der Umgebung, Töpfern, Texilherstellern, Glasbläsern bei der Arbeit zusehen und auch selbst mitwirken.   

Found in the western part of Daugavpils and on the banks of the Daugava River, this is almost the only fortress in Northern Europe that has been preserved since the first half of the 19th century.  Work on the fortress began in 1810, though it suffered much damage during the war of 1812 and because of flooding in 1829.  The fortress was of strategic importance in terms of its location, not least in terms of the battle against Napoleon’s forces.  It was consecrated in 1833, though construction work ended nearly half a century later, in 1878.  The fort is divided up into squares, with the Parade Field in the centre of the whole fortress.  After it lost its strategic importance in 1897, a warehouse was installed there.  Prior to World War I, General Jānis Balodis, Colonel Frīdrihs Briedis and others served at the local garrison.  In 1912, in honour of the centenary of the aforementioned war, a monument was unveiled in the park of the fortress.  During the Soviet occupation, Red Army units took over the fortress, and a technical aviation school was established there.  Even today, the fortress is a “city in a city.”  It has a residential area, though the buildings are quite shabby.  Both inside and outside the fortress are many elements that relate to military issues.  Right now fundamental work is being done to reconstruct the buildings, water pipelines and streets of the fortress.  The fortifications of the fortress are home to one of the largest colonies of bats in all of Latvia, and it is strictly forbidden to disturb them when they are asleep.  Major restoration of the fortress has included the establishment of the Mark Rothko Art Centre.  The distinguished artist was born in Daugavpils in 1903, when Latvia was still part of the Russian Empire.

Established in 1957, this is the first company to have produced the popular milk candies “Gotiņa.”  The tasty candy can be bought, and tours are available.  The owner of the company is the main candy master, and he is happy to talk about the complicated method by which the candy is produced.

The Dole is the largest island in the Daugava River, surrounded to the Northeast by the rapid waters of the Daugava and to the Southwest by calm and gradually overgrown waters from Dry Daugava.  The island is a specially protected nature park, established in 1986 to protect the landscape and cultural and historical values of the island in the wake of the construction of the Rīga hydroelectric power plant, as well as rare and protected species of plants and animals.  The island is also meant to provide education and leisure for visitors.  Best known on the island is the Daugava Museum, which is in the mansion of the old Dole Estate.  The museum features some 13,000 exhibits that speak to the history of the island and the river – Baltic and Livonian apparel, tools and household objects.  The exhibition also presents the Daugava as an important waterway and the related history of forms of transport and rafters.  In the park is an open-air exhibition with reconstructed lamprey eel traps and a barrier to fish salmon, along with a set of fishing tools.  A dolomite cliff is alongside the museum on the steep shore of the Dry Daugava.  The ruins of the Vecdole castle can be found on the south-eastern end of the island, near Bēči.

Found on the right bank of the Daugava, approximately half a kilometre upriver from the Skrīveri Agricultural Institute, the hill is in a place where the bank of the Daugava River Valley is split by the deep Ašķere stream valley.  The castle hill was occupied beginning in the first millennium BC, with antiquities from the Lettigalian and Livonian tribes found there.  During the 13th century, a brick castle was built on the hill, but it was sacked during the 17th century.  Nothing remains of the castle.  The castle hill is also known as Raven Hills, and it offers one of the most beautiful views of the central part of the Daugava.  In the direction of Rīga, there is a field with a white cross that represents an ancient church.  There is a hiking trail along the Ašķere stream.  The area is well improved with four trails.  The longest is the Daugava trail (10 km).

To view the Daugava River from a different perspective, visit the Liepkalni bakery, which offers tours in a Viking longboat that is called “Lāčplēsis” and can carry up to 24 people.  The Daugava has always been an important transport corridor for many species and animals that arrived in Latvia because of that, as well as for people and tribes that lived along the banks of the Daugava River and the shores of the Baltic Sea.

The farm features twelve friendly horses from Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus, as well as three eager dogs of various species, along with rabbits, chickens, cows and cats. Here you will feel the true country spirit in four adjoining farms – Klajumi, Ganiņi, Ķemeri and Krasti. The location is near the “Rings of the Daugava” Nature Park, and you can go horseback riding along the border between Latvia and Belarus.

Latvian cuisine: Schnitzel of mushrooms, potato dumplings with dried mushrooms or meat, cream sauce and onions, baked chanterelles with new potatoes, sautéed vegetables and mushrooms, strawberries with ice cream, moonshine liquor.

Special foods: Cranberry fool a la Klajumi

The museum was established in 1973 and has been in the Kalna Ziedi homestead since 1989.  The permanent exhibition is in a building that was erected in 1989 on the foundations of the former home, while the warehouse (1990) was built on the foundations of a cattle shed.  The exhibition hall (2000) was built where a granary once stood.  The only part of the former farm that remains in place is the cellar, but the placement of the buildings is typical for the layout of a farm in Vidzeme.  The collection of the museum speaks to the history of the administrative district, beginning with information about the Stone Age.  The open-air exhibition features beehives with marks of belonging, as well as rare round crosses that are monuments to Medieval cemeteries.  100 metres to the Northeast from the museum is the Kalna Ziedi castle hill, while 200 metres to the south are the remains of a sacrificial oak stump that was destroyed in 1994.  The location is on the edge of the reservoir of the Pļaviņas hydroelectric power plant and offers a broad view of the plant’s dam and the town of Pļaviņas.

Located on the right bank of the Daugava, the church can be seen from various parts of Piedruja.  The first wooden church was built at the instruction of Prince Jan Stapekha in 1632, and it burned down in 1759.  The Baroque stone church that is there now was built in 1759 with its two towers, and it may have been designed by an Italian architect.  The towers stand 27 m high, and under the church is a cellar.  The towers have three bells – the largest one dates back to 1711, the middle-sized one was manufactured in 1896, and the smallest dates back to 1619.  The largest bell weighs nearly 0.4 tonnes.  Inside the church are many important cultural and historical monuments, including a central wooden altar with a painting of the assumption of Mary, three 18th century altars, a pulpit from the early 19th century, St Anton’s altar, a fresco of the Holy Trinity, church dishes from the 17th century, etc.  The building is surrounded by a large garden with a stone fence and stone repositories at the corners of the garden.  Two priests, Kazimirs Konvalevskis and Broņeslavs Stefanovičs are buried here.  Stefanovičs played a major role in the restoration of the church after World War I.  The Piedruja congregation first emerged during the first half of the 17th century.

In the southern part of Līvāni, where Zemgales Street ends at the Daugava River, there is a fairly unusual and exotic form of transportation – one of three river crossings in Latvia.  Unlike the one in Līgatne, this one is operated by a motor, not the flow of the river.  It involves a cable across the river, and it is based on Soviet military pontoons that were used to build pontoon bridges for tanks.  The crossing point was established by its owners.