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.

The Velēna Lutheran Church is at the crossing of the Smiltene-Gulbene-Lizums roads. It is said that the roof of the first wooden church at this location had a peat moss roof. The organ from the Sauer company still works, and it is one of the best organs in Latvia. The organist offers guided tours of the church.

Žagare has long since been known for a special type of cherries.  There are various varieties which only differ in terms of when they are ripe and productive.  There are different types of trees.  The cherries grow at nearly home, and that is an exclusive symbol of Žagare. 

All that remains today is the governor’s house in which the Latvian author Rūdolfs Blaumanis (1863-1908) lived from 1885 until 1887, and a stable built of fieldstones.  The Central Daugava Forestry Centre of the Latvian State Forests company is located in the building.  The stone gates of the Koknese High School where once the gates of the estate.  The buildings can mostly be viewed from the outside.

Die älteste (16 Jh.) der drei Burge am Fluss Nemunas. Renoviert nach dem 2. Weltkrieg. Heutzutage – eine Schule. Ein Park. Blick vom Burgturm.

The island of 7.5 km2 in Lake Peipsi is largely inhabited by Russian-speaking Old Believers who have broadly retained their old traditions through time. Traditional trades are fishing and growing vegetables, mainly onion.
The entire island is a landscape protection area with a high number of protected bird and amphibian species and several rare plants.

Contact her in advance, and the landlady here will bake various cakes, pastries, carrot buns and pierogi with various fillings.  You can also order smoked fish.

The Rožlejas farm is in the Džūkste Parish of the Tukums Administrative District, where the Eastern Courlandian highlands interact with the Heath lowlands.  The parents of the current owner, Jānis Ukše, began work there in 1989, establishing a natural farm to grow sugar beets and then also wheat.  Thanks to thoughtful farming, Rožlejas has, over the past quarter-century, turned into one of the largest grain farms in Western Latvia.  The owners have taken active part in EU projects to purchase modern equipment and to build hangars for the storage of grain and equipment.  The farm specialises in winter barley and winter wheat, using ~1,200 ha of land for that purpose.

Uzcelts Kaņiera pilskalnā un ir Kaņiera pilskalna takas sastāvdaļa. No torņa paveras izcila Kaņiera ezera dienvidrietumu daļas ainava ar niedru saliņām un nelieliem atklāta ūdens laukumiem. Laba putnu vērošanas vieta.

This is a traditional crafts centre that maintains ceramicist traditions, organises annual creative camps for children, offers exhibitions of ceramics and organises educational programmes about traditional festivals.