The Daugava River is known as our river of destiny, the Daugava of our hearts, or our beloved mommy.  It is a large and full-blooded artery of water that has flowed through our land and our history.  The Vikings were aware of the river during the 5th century AD.  Krāslava is the site of an ancient castle hill, and the fearless sailors were well aware of it in that downriver from it, the ships could sail with raised sails.  It is known in Viking sagas as Dynasaiforgarðr.

Goods from the East sail down the river to Rīga, where it is reloaded into seafaring ships for delivery to Europe.  That has been the case for many centuries.  Many powers wanted to control and govern the process, as is seen in the large number of castle hills, castles and populated areas around the river’s banks.  The majestic ruins of the Koknese Castle, Krustpils, the grassy and mighty castle hill at Aizkraukle, another one at Daugmale.  The unique fortresses at Daugavgrīva and Daugavpils are like large keys that lock or unlock this mighty and ancient trade route.  Under the water in the Daugava are the ruins of the ancient Ikšķile Castle that was built by St Maynard himself.  It is seen as the first brick building in the Baltic States.  Nearby is Death Island, where Latvian riflemen fought for the future of their country and their land, defending each square metre of land.  The Daugava proved insurmountable for Bermont’s troops, and the riflemen defended Rīga successfully.

The curves of Daugava are unique.  The village of Slutišķi is particularly known because the Daugava there is just like it has been in the past.  The high dolomite shorelines and canyons that once made the Daugava unique in all of Northern Europe have now been lost in the reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants, as has the eternally weeping cliff of Staburags, the Liepavotu stream and the Pērse waterfall.  The age of national renaissance in Latvia importantly began with a battle against the construction of another power plant on the Daugava, which would have fully destroyed the beauty of the noble river.  We managed to protect it, if only a small part of it, but we succeeded.  We must not stop!

The venue features tools, farm machines, mechanisms and everyday objects that are typical of Latvia’s countryside. These are both in the yard and in the buildings of the enterprise. You can help to bake bacon rolls and loaves of bread in areal country oven. The owners will be happy to provide you with an informative tour.

Water mill that is used for grinding grains: coarse milling, pearling, and making groats. At the annual Sowing Festival and Harvest Festival, the exhibited steam-powered machine and threshing machine can also be seen in action. During festivals, countryside markets and tastings also take place.

One of the most beautiful areas along the Venta River and its tributary, the Šķērvelis River. The river valleys and gullies along them are quite deep, and dolomite and sandstone cliffs can be spotted here and there. There are also rapids on the river. The largest cliffs in Kurzeme – the Ātraiskalns and Gobdziņi cliffs – can be seen on the banks of the Venta. The Lēni Catholic Church is near the restricted area. There are no tourist elements in the restricted territory at this time. The Venta is a popular destination for water tourists, however, from Nīgrande to Kuldīga.

Tagadējais dievnams (iepriekšējie celti 1652. un 1776. g.) būvēts laikā no 1839. - 1842. g. Vidzemē pazīstamā lībiešu būvmeistara Mārča Sāruma (1799. –1859.) vadībā. Par prototipu tam izmantoja Pievolgas vācu koloniju baznīcu veidolu. Dievnama altārī atrodas Pītera Paula Rubensa gleznas “Kristus pie krusta” kopija (oriģināls – Minhenē), ko 1887. g. baznīcai uzdāvināja Nēķena muižas īpašniece. Baznīcas remonta laikā (1928. g.) atklāja piemiņas plāksnes 1. pasaules karā un Latvijas Brīvības cīņās kritušajiem. Blakus baznīcas atrodas viduslaiku kapsēta. Celtnes autors un būvdarbu virsuzraugs - H. fon Hagemeistars esot teicis, ka šis dievnams esot „vienīgā baznīca visā Vidzemē un varbūt arī pasaulē, kas uzcelta bez apreibināšanās”.

Organic farm "Mežvijas" is engaged in vegetable growing, fruit growing and beekeeping and their processing - dried vegetables, berries, fruits, spice mixtures, candies, juices, syrups.

Farm Maizes māja near Cēsis, where you can gain joy, strength and vitality! This tourism farm offers cognitive and educational programmes for adults and children, introducing them to the traditional Latvian lifestyle and intangible cultural heritage. At Maizes Māja, groups of students, families, friends, and tourists become members of the family and have a lot of work to do, for example, bringing firewood and firing the oven, before baking rye bread or sweet and sour bread from Kaupo rye flour in a proper bread oven. When the work is done, a nice meal is enjoyed together.