The mansion of the Gārsene Estate is built in the Neo-Gothic style, and its design was based on a villa in Germany. The building was erected between 1856 and 1860, and from then until 1920, the baronial dynasty of the Budbergs and Beningshausens owned it. The castle was expanded with another wing in 1885. Between 1939 and 1940, the building was rebuilt to become a school, and President Kārlis Ulmanis attended its opening on June 2, 1940, when he was taking his last official trip as the country’s president. There are other buildings and a park on the estate. The mansion today is home to the Gārsene Elementary School, but there is also an exhibition featuring the baronial dynasty, the history of the school, and the town itself. Just wait until you see the pot-bellied stoves! Outside the mansion are the Gārsene nature trails – the cultural and historical trail, the baronial strolling trail, etc. Before setting off, buy a ticket at the mansion. In front of the mansion is a memorial stone to Professor Pēteris Kulitāns (1878-1951), who was an agro-chemist.

Latvian blackhead sheep are in a clean environment at the Ances farm, which is in the Northern Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve near the border with Estonia.  It is in the Naukšēni Parish, where chemical plant protection substances and mineral fertilisers have never been used intensively.  The sheep roam freely during the winter and summer, with fencing to protect them against wolves and wild boar.  The farm only uses female sheep born as twins or triplets, including animals for genetic resources.  All of the sheep come from German blackhead sheep and are only mated with high-quality LT rams in January, February, August and September.

The farm borders the city of Zilupe. Melons, watermelons, and pumpkins are grown here in an open field. The host is one of the few Latvian birch bark craft masters, the hostess comes from an old family of gardeners and is a certified floral designer, and their son is a potter. All of them offer demonstrations, creative workshops, and accept orders.

A place fraught with many legends and ghost stories about the old burial mound at the church of Mazirbe, an ancient tomb covered by stones– the only known grave of warewolves in Latvia.

Ein zweistöckiges Holzhaus auf dem Uošvės-Hügel mit wunderschönem Blick aufs Haff. Hier hat drei Sommer der Träger des Nobelpreises, deutscher Schriftsteller Thomas Mann (1875 – 1955) verbracht.

This professional tour will look at fruit farms that selection, breed and grow breeds that are appropriate for Latvia’s weather conditions.  During the introductory day, participants will tour Rīga, which is part of the UNESCO List of World Heritage, and also visit a health food store.  On the second day, it is off to Kurzeme, where we will visit a farm that has developed a special technology for the processing of sea buckthorn in a way that preserves all of the vitamins and minerals that are in the berries.  We will visit Wine Hill in Sabile, where grapes have been grown since the 16th or 17th century.  Some 15 types of grapes that have been adapted to Latvia’s climate are grown here now.  Next we will visit the Kukši Estate, which offers a look at the cultural environment of baronial estates in the 18th and 19th century.  We will return to Rīga via the Jūrmala spa and have dinner at a Latvian saloon.  The next morning we will travel to Vidzeme to look at a former peat swamp where large cranberries are grown now.  The farm has its own processing technologies to manufacture candies, syrups, juices and teas.  Next we will visit Latvia’s first blueberry farm for a tour and tastings.  At the end of the day, we will visit a farm that grows cranberries and blackberries, emphasising successful and healthy food products and their marketing.  On the morning of the fourth day, we will visit the Medieval Cēsis castle, which was the residence of the masters of the Livonian Order and one of the most fortified fortresses in the territory of the Baltic States.  We will visit an agricultural technical school in Priekuļi to meet with faculty members.  At the conclusion of the day, we will go to Ungurmuiža Estate, which is one of the most outstanding examples of 18th century Baroque wood construction in Latvia.  The mansion (1732) is the only early 18th century wooden building of this type that has been preserved to this very day.