Duke Jacob of the Duchy of Kurzeme and Zemgale was on the throne from 1642 until 1862, and during that time the duchy rapidly expanded ship building operations, opened the first factories and improved agricultural output.  Jacob's ships plied the seas to export goods, to establish colonies in Tobago and Gambia, and to bring sugar, coffee and spices back to Europe.  This was the age when potatoes first appeared in Latvia, though it took a couple of centuries for them become beloved.
A great delicacy in Kurzeme is lamprey from the Usma River.  It is served in soups, baked or smoked.  During the season, there will be dishes of garfish, smelt or Baltic herring, while sprats, herring and salmon are available year-round.  Rye is used for rye bread, sourdough bread or carrot buns, and barley is used for various porridges.  Local ladies will be happy to teach you how to prepare local dishes.
During the Summer Solstice, a special cheese is almost universal, while on a daily basis, there are other tasty cheeses from cow and goat milk.  Local meat and fowl dishes are popular, sometimes potted in clay pots together with vegetables.  Side dishes include pumpkin, vegetables, root vegetables, mushrooms, beans or grits with sinfully tasty sauces. Taverns will offer wild game during the hunting season, including venison, beaver and rabbit.
Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy pie, honey cakes and poppy seed pastries that are still prepared according to a Medieval recipe.  For dessert, have some blackberry dumplings or a dessert made of rye bread, honey, lingonberries or cranberries, and sweet cream.  Slake your thirst with aromatic herbal teas with honey.  Enjoy homemade wine, tasty beer or a glass of something stronger.

Found along Liepājas Street, which is the old road from Livonia to Prussia, the ruins are a symbol of Aizpute and are depicted on its herald and its flag.  Work on the castle began around 1248 and was done during the role of Dietrich von Grenningen, master of the Livonian Order.  It was a castella-type stone castle with a tower at one corner and wooden buildings in the courtyard.  The bishopric of Kurzeme was in Aizpute during the Middle Ages.  The castle was abandoned after the Livonian War in the latter half of the 16^th century, but it was restored in the early 17^th century, with annexes being added to it.  Part of the castle had residential flats until the 1970s.  The ruins have been preserved to a certain extent, but it is dangerous to clamber upon them, so that is forbidden.  Aizpute is one of the oldest towns in Latvia, with written information about it dating back to 1378.  100 m to the East of the ruins is a stone bridge, which is one of the newest bridges in Latvia.  The stone railings were presented by Baron Karl von Manteufel, and the bridge was installed in 1907.  The granite plaque on the railing on the north end of the bridge has the herald of the Manteufel dynasty, though it is hard to see.

The company produces butter, cream, cottage cheese, cottage cheese products, yoghurt and desserts, using high-quality milk that comes from more than 100 local farms and three co-operatives.  Technological processes are observed and improved during the manufacturing process so that the product retains its value in terms of taste and nutrition.  Tourists are welcome, and tastings are available.  This is one of five companies in Latvia that can produce “Summer Solstice” cheese as an EU guaranteed traditional product.  The company’s products also have the “Green Teaspoon” quality mark.

The guesthouse is on the shore of Lake Ciritis with a view of lake islands.  Guests are offered Lettigalian dishes, including ones made from lake fish.
Latvian cuisine: Fish soup, smoked eel and pike-perch, stuffed chicken, potato pancakes with cottage cheese and dill, bread soup with whipped cream or ice cream, whipped cranberry dessert, fried ice cream, freshly squeezed apple juice.
Special foods: Lake fish a la Latgale.

This venue offers tastings of honey beer and honey.  You can buy all kinds of beekeeping products, natural wax candles and various types of honey beer.

This tour offers a panorama of three Baltic countries - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia visiting the most important cities and towns. Explore the capitals and smaller towns at your own pace, travelling by train and bus. Enjoy the capitals with their vibrant rhythm, medieval Old Towns in the middle of modern cities, romantic seaside resorts and charming small towns with attractive architecture.

The tour starts in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Kaunas and Klaipėda are popular tourist attraction towns. The Curonian Spit is a scenic 98 km long sand-dune, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Latvia you’ll visit Riga, the capital, several cities with ambient historical old towns Liepāja, Ventspils, Tukums, Jūrmala, and Kuldīga Old Town that is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List of Latvia. In Estonia visit Pärnu and Haapsalu resort towns, and Tallinn, the capital. As an option you can take extra few days to visit Kuressaare which is the capital of Saaremaa island.

Tourist information centres in cities and towns will help you with maps, information on sights, attractions and guided tours, food, shopping and public transport.

This museum is along the road from Jaunpiebalga and Vecpiebalga and was opened in 1969.  It focuses on the life and work of two distinguished Latvians – the composer Emīls Dārziņš (1875-1910) and the poet and writer Jānis Sudrabkalns (1894-1975).  It features items related to the lives of the two men.  Music by Dārziņš can be heard in the museum, tours are offered to individual visitors and groups, and thematic and musical events are held at the museum.

Iespēja patīkamā atmosfērā baudīt ļoti gardu ēdienu. . Starp tiem arī Lietuviešu tradicionālo ēdienu. Ir dienas un vakara īpašie piedāvājumi.