A unique farmyard that includes a full set of buildings typical of this area. The farmstead buildings reflect at least 300-400 years of Latvian nation-building development.

In the area it is possible to stay in a dwelling house (2 rooms, two people each) and in the tents. Picnic places available. It is also possible to organize different events and activities.

The “Banquet With Fishermen” event in Roja allows guests to examine the work of fishermen and to enjoy the seafood which they produce. Guests will ride out into the sea in fishing boats and then dine together with the fishermen (fish soup cooked on a campfire, rye bread, butter, smoked fish, beer or kvass, and pastries). The fishermen will teach guests local songs and dances, as well as games related to strength and cleverness. The “Otra Puse” restaurant offers meals.

Latvian cuisine: Fresh fish (“The Morning Catch”), Latvian onion soup, porridge, grit sausage, smoked fish, potato pancakes, rye bread dessert, beer, the “Dzimtenīte” beverage, herbal tea, birch juice, apple cider. 

Special foods: “Made in Roja” – fish from the region, “mackerel in in grass,” “cottage cheese tower with fresh strawberry sauce”.

The farm has a herd of horses and buys horses which confirm to historical demands related to breeds of animals. You can learn to ride a horse in the company of an instructor and in a limited area. During the summer, there are cart rides, while in the winter there are sleigh rides. The horses are also used for weddings and other ceremonies.

Sweet and sour rye bread is baked here on the hearth of a wood-fired oven, following an old family recipe and using home-grown, historical varieties of rye flour. The dough consists of rye or barley flour, salt, sugar, caraway seas and natural yeast. You can help to bake the bread, taste and buy it, and tour the farm’s museum. The farm grows its own grain in an environmentally friendly way. 

Available for purchase: sweet and sour rye bread, sweet and sour rye bread with peas, garlic, seeds, hemp, or without sugar.

They work together since 1996. The members are knitting woollen socks, mittens, scarfs, sweaters, embroider sofa cushions, blankets, table cloths, paint on scarfs and ties, weaves blankets, towels, carpets, bookmarks, crochet toys, clothing, blankets as well as creates wickerwork and wooden ware, they demonstrate the baking process of traditional Latvian sklandrauši and tea making. The knitters from the organisation created the traditional mittens for the NATO summit guests in Riga. The visitors can view the different products, learn different crafts, bake sklandrauši and make different tea mixes themselves. They also offer excursions in the renovated Ance’s manor castle.

The village of Kaldabruņa in the Jēkabspils Adminitsration District has a former elementary school that is currently managed by the Ūdenszīmes organisation.  The meadow museum exhibition is compared to a human life cycle, and visitors will see a Smilga exhibition, a childhood lighting objects, the Kadabruņa Māra belt in a hole in an oak tree, the Vārdnieki crown, the Pūra crown, and exhibitions of endangered and rare plants.  The Kaldabruņa or Krievāni Māra belt is one of the greatest cultural and historical treasures in the administrative district because it is a unique ethnographic material.  The belt is made of 52 ornaments, including 36 modified fire cross ornaments.  Nothing of the sort can be seen in Latvian ethnography.  The Stāmeriena wrap has 19 modifications of the fire cross, while the belt has blue and yellow ornaments, with red and green colours on its edges.  At the end of the belt is a complicated weave of little pearls and fringes.  Authentic copies of the belt have not been presented in public, and this unique material has also not been seen in the digital environment.  The original belt was received by ethnographers in the late 19th century from Māra Krievāne from the Mačulāni homestead in Kaldabruņa.  It is housed at the Latvian Museum of History, which also has the only known copy of the belt.  Decoding of the ornaments can be found in a book about Latvian ornaments.  The building that is managed by Ūdenszīmes also contains an unprecedented art venue -- the Šķūņa Art Gallery.  Also of interest is a hay museum and the stories about the locations. 

True Latgalian Apple Cider from Malnava Manor

Our Story
The cider is produced in the historic distillery of Malnava Manor, dating back to 1827. In manor times, this distillery produced the traditional Latgalian strong drink, šmakovka.

Apples
The apples for the cider are harvested in the manor’s old orchard.

Cider
They produce both dry and semi-sweet cider under the name “Malnovys Uobuļu Sidrs,” as well as apple brandy (calvados), and the traditional šmakovka.

For Visitors
Guided tours are available, where visitors can discover how true, traditional Latgalian šmakovka is crafted, along with cider made from local apples. The tours include tastings with snacks. Malnava Manor is notable for having served as the headquarters for the Wehrmacht’s Army Group North during World War II, visited by Adolf Hitler on 21 July 1941. Two reinforced concrete bunkers in the manor park mark the location of this historic meeting.

Where to Buy
The drinks can be purchased on-site.

The “Gulbji” Selonian homestead is one of the very few places in Latvia where you can see a farm typical of the historical region of Selonia with its typical buildings. “Gulbji” is comparatively far from major roads and populated areas. It is on the so-called Dronku Island, not far from the beginning of the ancient Dviete River valley. The owners of “Gulbji” have collected a wealth of ancient household objects. Visitors can study the farm, examine a collection of medicinal plants, enjoy Selonian foods, or take a “black sauna.” It could be said that people at “Gulbji” have a natural farm which nurtures and maintains the traditions of the historical region.

Latvian cuisine: Crepes, grit soup, cream of potato soup, beans sautéed in a special sauce, fruit dessert, bread soup with whipped cream, tortes, herbal teas.

Special foods: Zeppelins.

Spieķu darbnīca Siguldā aicina izdzīvot spieķa izgatavošanas procesu, kam ir vairāk kā 200 gadu sena vēsture. Darbnīcā ir iespējams pašiem apgleznot savu spieķīti, vai iededzināt rakstu zīmes un vārdus. Spieķīši ir atpazīstamākais un senākais Siguldas simbols, kas attīstījies līdz ar kņaza Kropotkina ierīkotajām senlejas takām, kļūstot par gājēja neatņemamu ceļabiedru. 

This is a modern and contemporary centre, including an old and restored granary. It offers an exhibition hall, an historical exhibition, a shop where you can purchase crafts, and a conference hall. Craftspeople from the region work here, and you watch them at work or try your own hand at what they are doing.