Day 1 Rīga – Iecava – Bauska – Brukna
Eduard’s Virza memorial house „Billītes” - Located in the Salgale Parish, about 6 km from Iecava, is the home of the father of Edvarts Virza (born Jēkabs Eduards Lieksna, 1883-194), “Billītes,” to which the family moved in 1901. Virza was a distinguished 20th century writer, poet, prose writer, publicist and translator. He wrote many poems at “Billītes,” and in 1933, he released his legendary novel “Straumēni” about the lives of Latvian farmers. A museum in honour of Virza is at the homestead today. The horse chestnut tree that is alongside the home is the largest one in Latvia (a diameter of 4.2 m and a height of 0.4 m). It is described in “Straumēni.”
The Mazmežotne estate stands on a hill by the Lielupe river. The place is surrounded by nature and offers rooms for guests, food service, rooms for celebrations and seminars. For active holidays, one can enjoy cycling, boating and walks on nature trails and paths in the surroundings. An old shed has been renovated for parties and concerts. A former creamery building has been converted into a sauna house with a tub, a resting room and a terrace.
The Rundāle Castle is known as Latvia’s true jewel of Baroque and Rococo architecture, and it is certainly the country’s most important historical monument in relation to those two styles. The castle was at first the summer residence of the duke of Courland, Ernst Johan Byron (1690-1772), and it was designed by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. There is a museum in the castle, and the restored Baroque French garden is the largest garden of its type in the Baltic States.
Bruknas manor house was built in the 18th century, but got ruined in the Soviet times. Currently it is being renovated, including the garden. Very interesting is the Renaissance-style root and herb garden, which is maintained by the manor's inhabitants. Plant species change in it every year. Only a small part of the area of 20 ha is occupied by a park (recently planted), but it is worth seeing, especially for rosaries and vines. There are also rare species like edible chestnuts and an old “Grušovka Moskovskaya” apple tree. The garden is decorated with many donated sculptures.
Day 2 Brukna - Nereta – Daugavpils
Blackberry garden "Bānīši" islands occupy more than 3ha, and the owner of this holding has for many years been practicing a popular method from abroad, when fruit and berry creators themselves arrive on the farm and collect the necessary amount of berries for their own needs.
Fine garden "Gundegas" - Beautiful, harmonious and, of course, incredible - in such a few words, the Gardens of Gardens of the Daugsees pag-gaut "Gundegu". Farmer Agrita Laizane devotes much of her day to her, and most of her concern is her springboard, when inspirational, sown, spiked, planted, and in autumn, sketching next year's work, collecting seeds, preparing a garden for winter.
Vārnavas Wine Hill "Rudzīši" - Evalds Pūpols has been engaged in grape growing and new breed breeding for over 40 years. In the hill covered place of the forest, an appropriate environment for the cultivation of warm-cutting grapes in the wild was created and developed, and today, almost 80 hectares of vineyards grow 80 different varieties of grapes. This garden is one of the largest and have most various of grapes in Latvia within the North-Atlantic area.
“Riekstiņi” is a farm 6 km from Nereta at which the outstanding Latvian writer and painter Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš (1877-1962) spent six years of his childhood. The people of the farm became prototypes for characters in his “White Book,” in which he called the farm “Mūsmājas.” A museum was opened at Riekstiņi in 1967, and it is in an authentic single-family Selonian farm with a specific spirit and scent.
Kaldabruņa is a unique place for art in Latvia - the Shed art gallery. The Siena Museum and the story of this all are also interesting.
At the house of the painter Paula Sukatnieka "Apsites", you are invited to get acquainted with the numerous collections and talents of P. Sukatnieks, to get acquainted with the secrets of growing grapes, to look at garden plants in the summer, to taste various varieties of grapes and to attend events.
Dvietes manor - The manor's residential building has not survived till nowadays. Today in the park of Dviete manor you can see the manor reeve house and three-stone farm buildings. 19th century a park with a boulder masonry bridge was created.
Accommodation in Daugavpils and surroundings:
Day 3 Daugavpils – Rokiškis – Anykščiai
Daugavpils city and fortress visit, Mark Rothko Art Centre - Daugavpils fortress is a unique cultural and historical architectural monument of national importance, where Mark Rothko Art Centre is located. In city is the largest Shmakovka Museum in Latvia. The museum invite to cognitive story about the oldest Latgalian alcoholic beverage – shmakovka that is the culinary heritage of region.
Rainis house in Berķenele - This is the homestead where the distinguished Latvian author and social activist Rainis (1865-1929) spent his childhood. He wrote about his childhood impressions in a compendium of poems, Five Sketch Notebooks from Dagda. The home offers tours, creative workshops, exhibitions, etc.
The Rokiškis Regional Museum and Manor is one of the most important cultural centres of the Aukštaitija region. The grandeur of the manor is highlighted by the park and the ponds. The orchard on the grounds was replanted after World War II. It is believed that the goal was to preserve the authenticity of the orchard that grew there previously. It features apple varieties that have long been grown in Lithuania: ‘Sierinka’, ‘Rudens dryžuotasis’ (‘Autumn Streaked’), ‘Antaninis’ (‘Antonovka’), ‘Popierinis’ (‘White Transparent’), ‘Lietuvos pepinas’ (‘Lithuanian Pippin’), ‘Raudonasis alyvinis’ (‘Red Astrachan’).
Liudvika and Stanislovas Didžiulis Homestead Museum was opened in 1968. The garden is an integral part of the homestead, maintained and cultivated by the museum staff. The garden was started by the very first employee around 1970. It features apple varieties that have long been grown in Lithuania: ‘Suislepp’, ‘Antaninis’ (‘Antonovka’), ‘Popierinis’ (‘White Transparent’). In addition, it has a fruit tree from the ‘Adersleber Calville’cultivar group whose apples takes on flavour after almost a year and are particularly suitable for drying. Traditional village flower gardens are cultivated at the homestead, and there is also a medicinal herb corner. Contemporary plants are not shunned here either, because according to the staff, the former owner loved flowers and was always introducing new ones. It is an authentic homestead with trees and shrubs from that era that have a history intertwined with objects of biological heritage.
The A. Baranauskas and A. Vienuolis-Žukauskas Memorial Museum preserves and popularises museum valuables which reflect the evolution of culture, literature, history, agrarian culture, and technical history in the Anykščiai region. Year round, visitors can explore the Writers’ Hill Memorial Park and discover the 12 most important places in it. New educational elements are also presented here: “herb lawns” – Lithuanian herbs that Antanas Baranauskas and pharmacist Antanas Vienuolis-Žukauskas knew and used.
The museum grounds are home to two apple trees that have a historic link with the celebrated writer, Antanas Vienuolis-Žukauskas. One of them is the very rare ‘Lietuvos cukrinis’ (‘Lithuanian Sugar’), which can only be found in old gardens. Next to the museum building there is an authentic flower garden from the writer’s time, as well as a medicinal plant exhibit.
At the Bronė Buivydaitė Memorial Museum, the setting of the last years of the writer’s life has been preserved in the old part of the house. The museum was founded around 1990. The orchard, which has a history linked to the writer Bronė Buivydaitė, was planted in 1935. The writer’s beloved flowers bloom in the museum garden, and the orchard features a few surviving heritage apple varieties – ‘Lietuvos pepinas’ (‘Lithuanian Pippin’), ‘Popierinis’ (‘White Transparent’) and cherry varieties- ‘Žemaičių rūgščioji’ (‘Local Sour’), ‘Žagarvyšnė’. The flower garden is notable for its huge variety of ornamental plant species. It is filled primarily with cultivated perennials and popular plants found in nature, such as lily of the valley, ostrich fern, sweet violet and liverleaf.
Anykščiai tour - Visit the Treetop Walkway and Labyrinth Park (during the warm season), and take a train ride on Aukštaitija’s narrow-gauge railway.
For meals we recommend:
- Cafe „Senas grafas”, Rokiškis District
- Restaurant „Nykščio namai”, Anykščiai
- GRADIALI ANYKŠČIAI, Anykščiai District
Accommodations:
- Homestead “Ravilių sodyba”, Anykščiai District
- GRADIALI „Saulės vila (Sun Villa) ir „Vėjo vila „Wind Villa), Anykščiai District
- GRADIALI „Ežero vila (Lake Villa) ir „Vėjo vila „Wind Villa), Anykščiai District
Day 4 Anykščiai – Traupis – Taujėnai – Ukmergė – Jonava – Kaunas
- Traupis Botanical Garden is the only school botanical garden in Lithuania. All of the plant collections (the Traupis Botanical Garden already has more than 8,000 species, forms and varieties of plants in total) were collected by one person: Sigutis Obelevičius. You will find everything from perennial flower collections and rock garden to a flower clock and decorative pool with aquatic plants. The botanical garden also has large collections of protected plants, herbs, outdoor and garden plants, and medicinal plants. Tours are often given by the founder and cultivator of the garden, Sigutis Obelevičius.
Taujėnai Manor has long been known for its opulence and splendour. The interior of the manor house was decorated extensively with the Radziwiłł family’s portraits, sculptures, hunting trophies, and antique weapons. The highest place was selected for the manor house, with the picturesque ponds spread out below in the west. Taujėnai Manor has an English landscape park, where the old oak trees are of the greatest value. The park covers an area of about 25 hectares, and the cascade ponds have been restored.
Take a walk around the Ukmergė Old Town, and climb to the top of the hill fort located at the confluence of the Šventoji River and the Ukmergėlė Stream, in the very centre of town. The Ukmergė Local Lore Museum allows you to climb up the old fire tower, which is sure to leave good impressions. This is a late-19th century structure that is 18 metres high. At the top of the tower, there is an observation deck which provides a beautiful panorama of the town. The Church of the Holy Trinity and the Church of St Peter and St Paul the Apostles embellish the town centre.
Experience nature with all five of your senses on the barefoot path at the Survilai Homestead located in Jonava District’s Šveicarija Village! The surface varies incredibly – pine cones, swamps, peat, clay, gravel, polished glass, pine needles, straw, an obstacle course, and much, much more. The path is more than a kilometre long, so you will experience a full range of unexpected sensations and a burst of positive emotions and energy.
Take a stroll around the Vytautas Magnus University Kaunas Botanical Garden to see the unique plants growing there. The garden covers an area of over 60 hectares, with about 30 hectares of exhibits that are open to the public. This garden has the largest conservatory in Lithuania, and hosts various exhibitions and meetings, celebrates the weeks of blossoming and arranges educational events. Heritage Lithuanian flower garden plants are displayed in different plant communities according to their botanical classification. More than 20 species of traditional heritage vegetables varieties are grown in the educational garden. In the Lithuanian heritage apple orchards, visitors can see the rare purple-leaf apple tree.
Tadas Ivanauskas Homestead park "Obelynė" - This is where you can see a collection of 300 species and forms of plants, including some of the oldest trees on the planet – the ginkgo biloba and the dawn redwood. The orchard growing at the homestead of the famous naturalist, Professor Tadas Ivanauskas, is one of the richest sources of heritage apple genetic resources. The garden is home to the ‘Vytis’ apple variety that was created by Professor Ivanauskas himself. Obelynė Park covers an area of about 6.5 hectares. This is also home to the huge Beržininkai Pineapple apple tree – also known as the Garden Mother, it is 11 metres tall and its crown is 12 metres wide.
Continue driving from Obelynė for another 15 minutes or so and visit the Oldest Apple Tree in Lithuania, which is almost 360 years old and still yields fruit. Even though the apple tree grows on a private plot, it is marked with an informational stand. The wild apple tree is 8 metres tall, with a girth of 285 centimetres at a height of 1.3 metres. Only a few branches of the apple tree are still alive, but they are covered with lush foliage and yield fruit which, though rather acidic, is extremely fragrant.
Kaunas is Lithuania's second city and was the capital of the country from 1920 until 1939. The Old Town, Town Hall, the Cathedral Basilica of St Peter and St Paul the Apostles, and the House of Perkūnas are all worth visiting; also take a stroll down Laisvės Alėja, and stop by the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art and the Devil Museum.
For meals we recommend:
- Taujėnai Manor‘s Restaurant „Roko virtuvė“, Ukmergė District
- „Big Stone“, Ukmergė District
- Restaurant „Arma“, Jonava District
- Restaurant “Višta puode”, Kaunas District
