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The Ungurmuiža park is well known for its outstanding and huge oak trees. Some of them are rotting or dead, and they are home to a great many species, including many that are found nowhere else in Europe. A pathway leads through these noble trees – 1.3km in length, with visitors spending as much as an hour there. The park also contains the only wooden castle from the early 18th century that has been preserved to the present day. There are other cultural and historical treasures, as well.
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Found in the Alsunga Museum, the workshop has been open since 2009, showing people how various ceramics can be made from clay. Visitors can try their hand at the task or just watch as the clay is shaped, spun and, finally, glazed. |
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The most spectacular autumn events are the Crane shows which can be observed at the bogs and fields. The tour will pass several of these places. We have included different biotops in the tour- seacost, different forests, bogs and fish ponds- in order to see various bird species. |
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This landscape park has survived to the present day and was installed between 1850 and 1860. On one side the territory has a boundary that is the dammed Kruoja River, and on the other side there is a fence made of fieldstones. The English park principles at that time meant that advantage was given to a natural landscape with imitations of nature. There are some 26 types of trees in the park, and some of them were introduced from various parts of the world a few centuries ago. |
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Kandava is first mentioned in the articles in 1230. In 1253 the Livonian Order built a stone castle at the upper part of Abava valley shore, at the foot which of an urban area formed. In the 17th century Kandava became an important trading centre. The plague epidemic and developments of World War I hit the town and its people hard. Kandava got the town rights in 1917. During soviet Soviet times, Sports Complex of Jaunkandavas agricultural Technical School became a popular training venue. |
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This nature park covers an area of the Baltic Sea coast and part of newly established sea protected area "Nida - Pērkone" with sand dunes which once used to move around but have now settled. These are the highest dunes in Latvia. Visitors will enjoy the coastal landscape, sandy beaches and small fishing villages of the area. A nature trail has been established on Pūsēni Hill (one of the highest dunes in Latvia) for those who wish to tour the nature park. |
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The German order built a stone castle here in 1242, and only a few fragments of it remain along with a vaulted cellar in which local wines can be tasted if you register in advance. The castle of the Duke of Courland was here later, but it was destroyed during the Great Northern War in 1701. Reconstruction of the park involved wooden pathways and bridges, information stands, a pergola and a fountain. There are 22 sculptures in the park that are the work of Līvija Razevska. |
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The café is in the centre of Ludza, offering a large menu and complex lunches. A speciality of the house is freshwater fish from lakes in Latgale. Latvian cuisine: Pike, tench, carp and pike-perch dishes, with blood sausage, other sausages and pig’s snout prepared on order for the Winter Solstice. Special foods: Cold appetizer of ground fish with ingredients |
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The craftsman produces pottery typical of Vidzeme, but with the range of colours that is typical of Latgale. These products fit in very nicely with the lovely landscape of Racupkalns. You can take a tour, watch the master at work, and work with clay yourself. You can also watch as he opens a Lettigalian ditch kiln. You can commission and purchase the products, as well. |
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Jānis Čakste (1859-1927) was Latvia’s first president (1922-1927), and he began to build a house for himself in 1924. In 1999, in honour of the 140th anniversary of the president’s birth, an exhibition was unveiled about his life, work and family. Čakste’s office can be toured, and artists from Jelgava exhibit their works at the museum, as well. |
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The Jaunpils Dairy was opened more than 100 years ago, in 1912, and it produces semi-hard and soft cheeses, cottage cheese, cream, desserts and other dairy products. Only milk from Latvian farmers is used, and the products are exported to more than 17 countries in the world. Products are also sold at the store that is adjacent to the company. |
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This is the widest water fall in Latvia – 249 metres wide and up to 1.75 metres high. This is an interesting natural, cultural and historical object in that it is linked to various events and legends. Duke Jacob of Courland invented equipment to catch fish. It was fastened to the cliffs of the waterfall, and this created the tale of a city where salmon and other fish who were leaping across the waterfall fell into the nets and were thus caught in the air. During Jacob’s rule, there was talk about digging a canal around the waterfall to ensure shipping, and work began on the project. During the early 18th century there was the idea that the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea could be connected via the Venta, Nemuna and Dnieper rivers. Turkish prisoners of war continued to dig the canal, but the local dolomite cliffs were a problem. Attempts to blow up the cliffs led to damage to nearby buildings, so the work ended. The impressive ditch can still be seen today. In 2012, a wooden pathway was installed on the right bank of the Venta to offer a good look at the waterfall. It is worth visiting here during various seasons of the year, when different types of fish migrate. |
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From Riga the tour goes along the right bank of the river Daugava and crosses it over at Plavinas HES to Salaspils. Visit National Botanic Garden then continue along the left bank of Daugava. On the route there is a model of ancient wooden castle where you can walk about. . Then visit the Kingdom of Rabbits where their homes are made like a little castles too. Time to taste some wonderful home-made ice-cream at Skriveri and visit legendary Koknese castle ruins park. Next day visit ethnographic working farmstead where you can see wild horses and cows as well as various waterbirds in the pond. Then the route goes to private mini zoo "Ezerlejas" with some exotic animals, visit ceramics factory where you can see how the hand-made clay products are made from the beginning to the end, walk around Rauna medieval castles ruins. Cesis town with mighty medieval castle and pretty old town is the next on the route. At Ligatne walk nature trails where you can see local wild animals. At Sigulda kids would love to visit "Tarzans" adventure centre. There is also Olympic bobsled centre and two medieval castles located. From Sigulda the route goes towards the coast with a stop at elegant Birini Manor with large park where you can try horse ridding. Then you are at the sandy beach of Saulkrasti. Before returning to Riga you can visit a farm with goats and ponies to taste goats products and cuddle animals. |
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The history of Cēsis begins at the Riekstu hill, which is 18 m high and the surrounding area. There was a wooden castle built by the Vendian tribe that stood there from the 11th to the 13th century. The hill is in the central part of the castle’s park, and it offers a fine view of the park, a pond and the ruins of the Cēsis Castle. A long staircase leads to the hill. The Cēsis Castle was built in the early 13th century as the residence of masters of the Livonian Order, and it was one of the most fortified forts in the Baltic region. Alongside is the New Cēsis Castle, which was built in 1777 in a place where gate fortifications had been before. The building houses the Cēsis Museum of History and Art, and an annex contains the Castle Visitor Centre and the Cēsis Tourism Information Centre. From the tower of the castle, we get a good view of the castle ruins, St John’s Lutheran Church and the northern stretches of the city. Opposite the new castle is the stable of the Cēsis Castle Estate and a wheelhouse (both from the first half of the 19th century). Today these house the Cēsis Exhibition Hall. Other buildings include a granary, a hut for coachmen and an old brewery. On the other side of the street is the romantic May park, which was installed during the 1830s. Streets in Cēsis include Lielā Katrīna, Mazā Katrīna, Mazā Kalēju, Kalēju and Lielā Līvu streets and Līvu square with wooden buildings from the late 18th and early 19th century. Torņa Street stretches along the walls of the Medieval castle. Outside the church is a sculpture, “As the Centuries Pass By,” and legend has it that anyone who rubs the lantern of the Old Time Man can see the future. One of the most impressive buildings in Cēsis is St John’s Lutheran Church, which was built in the late 13th century by the Livonian Order. The Roman-style three-segment basilica has elements of Gothic design and a 65 m steeple that was installed in 1853. The building was reconstructed several times during the 20th century and contains grave plaques relates to masters of the Livonian Order and local bishops. The pulpit dates back to 1748, the oak altar was manufactured in 1858, and the altar painting “Crucified One” was painted in 1862. The windows of the altar part of the church contain artistically valuable stained glass. The organ was manufactured in 1907 by the E.F. Walker firm, and it is one of the best concert organs in Latvia. The solar clock with the number 1744 is in the south-wester corner of the church. It is worth scaling the viewing tower of the church. At its foot is Rose Square, which was a market square from the mid-13th century until 1927 and was restored in 2008. This is the central square in the city. During the Middle Ages, a punishment pole and the city well were here. Rīgas Street has been the main street in the old part of the city from the very start, and here we find most of the architecturally distinguished buildings from the 18th and 19th century – the former city hall, the Fābers house and the Princess house. At one end of the street is Liv Square, where there a church, cemetery and the Rīga gate in the city’s walls existed in the 13th century. Today the square is decorated by a lighted fountain at a place where a well was found in the 13th century. On the other end of the street we find a reconstruction of the foundations of the Rauna gate from the 14th and 15th century, offering a good look at Medieval walls and the size and strength of the gates. It is commonly claimed that the national flag of Latvia was born in Cēsis, but it must be emphasised that the flag that is mentioned in chronicles was designed in Cēsis in 1279 as the ideological prototype of the current Latvian flag, while the story of the first national flag actually comes from Valmiera, where it was sewn in 1916. |
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On the right bank of the River Pēterupe is one of the historical areas of Saulkrasti – Pēterupe Village. It is believed that the village began to form around a chapel during the so-called Swedish or Catholic times. The chapel was named after the Apostle St. Peter, and therefore the river and the village also carries his name. Pēterupe Village can be considered the oldest village in the Saulkrasti region. The oldest witnesses of the origin of Pēterupe Village are: Rectory, Pēterupe Evangelical Lutheran Church, Outpatient Clinic and the wooden buildings in the old village centre. |
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“Kalna Kaibēni” is on Kaibēni Hill (226 m above sea level) and 7 km to the West of Ineši. Nominated as Latvia’s oldest memorial museum (1929), this is a place with buildings from the 18th and 19th century. Inside you will see exhibits which speak to the lives and contributions of the schoolteachers and authors Reinis (1839-1920) and Matīss (1848-1926) Kaudzīte. The authentic farm includes a garden which the two brothers planted themselves, and the wooden sculptures which were produced by Krišjānis Kugra present characters from the brothers’ famous novel “Age of the Surveyors”. |
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Takas sākums atrodas Vidagā, vietā, kur uz Vizlas celts vēsturiskais akmens arkas tilts. 1,2 km garā taka bez marķējuma ved gar pašu upes krastu līdz pat ietekai Gaujā. Redzami skaisti dolomīta atsegumi, nelieli krāčveidīgi ūdenskritumi un iespaidīgais Žākļu dižakmens. |
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A Nazi concentration camp was at this location during World War II, and there is information to suggest that more than 50,000 residents of occupied Europe were murdered here. This is one of the largest ensembles of its type, taking up 25 hectares of land. It was opened in 1967 and has large groups of sculptures, including “Mother,” “Solidarity,” “Unbroken One” and “The Path of Suffering.” The wall of the entrance gates has a thematic exhibitions. |
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Eine der größten befestigten Siedlungen im Bezirk Harju, befindert sich auf einer Erhebung des natürlichen Kliffs Nordestlands. |
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This is an enormously important territory for migrating birds. The most commonly spotted protected species of birds are the velvet scoter, the black scoter, the long-tailed duck, the little gull, the red-throated and black-throated loon, and the black guillemot. The territory is opposite the Dundaga and Ventspils administrative districts, and it covers 172,412 hectares.
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