Kuldiga is deservedly considered the most beautiful small town of medieval times in Latvia. Instead of it already in the 13th century the Bandava centre of the ancient Cours land was located. In 1242 construction of stone castle was begun at Venta Falls by the Livonian Order. Populated area formed beside the castle, which was the first to acquire the rights of a city in Kurzeme (in 1378). Significant was also its participation in the Hanza Union. From 1561 until 1795 Kuldīga was the capital city of Kurzeme Dukedom. Naturally, in the first half of the 17th century it experienced rapid economic growth, which was terminated by the beginning of the Northern War and plague epidemic. The pride of Kurzeme residents and the lack of larger industrial objects was the reason, why during the Soviet times larger masses of immigrants did not flood the city, therefore today Kuldiga is one of the most Latvian cities in Kurzeme. It is worth to visit Kuldiga and stay there for more than one day, because there is plenty to do here. Nature fans may observe the flying fish, but for researchers of cultural history a really vast field of work opens here.

This is Latvia’s largest lake island and is found in the middle of Lake Usma. The island is restricted to protect old stands of pine, as well as various plants and birds.

The largest Japanese garden in Europe (16 ha) was established in 2007 by Japanese designer Hajime Watanabe and Dr Šarunas Kasmauskas, merging religion, art and respect for nature. 

The craftsman typically produces objects that are of use on an everyday basis. They have laconic forms and reticent decorations. You can take a tour of the workshop and kiln, watch demonstrations, and work with the clay yourself. You can purchase finished products, look at the beekeeping operation, and taste and purchase honey.

Visiting a blacksmith has always been something special.  Does this job still exist, and is it still importance?  Some may wonder who is a blacksmith is in the first place.  The DUDU Nests open-air smithy will answer all of your questions.  The blacksmith will teach you all about his profession, talking about the tools and materials that are necessary, the relevant traditions and the everyday work of blacksmiths today.  You can forge your own nail to test the difficulty of the work.  The blacksmith will happily attend your event with his open-air forge.  This is perfect for students, smaller children, wedding guests or individual visitors.

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.

Uzpludinātās Zveņģupītes kreisajā krastā – neliela meža pudura malā (170 m no Rīgas – Daugavpils šosejas (A 6)) atrodas 1991. g. atklātais (autors: Juris Zihmanis) akmens – piemiņas vieta 17. gs. Lielvārdes meitenei Katrīnai, kura kā ragana sadedzināta sārtā.

The office of photographer Mārtiņš Buclers was recently found at the Sauka Unity House where the Sauka trade school was located. In 2010, the exhibition was moved to the Sauka Parish Council in Lone. Mārtiņš Buclers (1866-1944) was a founding father of photography in Latvia. He established the first company in the country which produced photo film and paper. The exhibits are of particular interest now that we are in the digital photo era. The Sauka Unity House is closed and can only be viewed from the outside, but alongside it is a memorial stone dedicated to Buclers, as well as a monument commemorating the 150^th anniversary of photography.