Dabiskā zemesragā starp Lielo un Mazo Ludzas ezeru 14. gs. beigās slejās seno latgaļu koka pils, kuras vietā Livonijas ordenis uzcēla Latgales varenāko mūra pili. Tā bija iespaidīga trīsstāvu celtne kvadrāta formā ar sešiem torņiem, trīs vārtiem un divām priekšpilīm. Pēc krievu iebrukuma Latgalē 1481. g., Ludzas pili atjaunoja 1525. g. 1654. g. to atkal izposta Krievijas cara Alekseja Mihailoviča karaspēks. Jau 18. gs. no pils bija palikušas tikai drupas, kas arī mūsdienās ir ļoti iespaidīgas un ainaviskas (ar skatu uz Lielo Ludzas ezeru un baznīcu torņiem).

Muiža sāka veidoties 16. gs. beigās (īpašnieki - Tīzenhauzeni, vēlāk Bēri), bet no 1753. g. tā kļūst par Mēdemu dzimtas īpašumu. Tagad redzamo muižas pili (mūsdienās tikai atliekas) cēla 1806. - 1810. g. klasicisma stilā (Johana Georga Ādama Berlica projekts) pēc itāļu izcelsmes Pēterburgas galma arhitekta Džakomo Kvarengi meta. Muižas īpašnieks tajā laikā bija Johana Frīdriha Mēdema dēls - Kristofs Johans Frīdrihs (saukts par Žanno). Elejas pilī bija savākti daudzi nozīmīgi Eiropas mākslinieku darbi, kā arī iekārtots izcils interjers. 18 muižas kompleksa ēkas nodedzināja Pirmā pasaules kara laikā (1915. g.) un līdz mūsdienām ir saglabājušies tikai nelieli pils pirmā stāva drupu fragmenti ar kaltiem portika kolonu kapiteļiem, pārvaldnieka māja (apskatāma no ārpuses), atsevišķas saimniecības ēkas un parks. No pils drupām pa aleju var aiziet līdz Tējas namiņam (bēdīgā stāvoklī). 0,5 km ziemeļos no pils drupām atrodas 1912. g. izveidotā Mēdemu dzimtas kapsēta. Elejas pils mūra žoga arkādē iemūrēts dobumakmens.

The Rudbārži Estate was built at the request of Baroness Thea von Firks from the aristocratic dynasty.  After a reconstruction in 1883, the building became an ornate example of Mannerism and Renaissance architecture, with decorative finishing and a larger size.  On December 15, 1905, the building was torched by revolutionaries.  The restoration began three years later under the leadership of architect L. Reinier.  The castle has a holiday hall with two marble fireplaces, the parquet in some of the rooms dates back to the early 20th century, and the outdoor doors have metal engravings.  The castle was reconstructed in 1938.  It housed a German field hospital during World War II, while after the war it housed a school for forestry workers.  In 1962, the Rudbārži school moved into the building, which is now named after Oskars Kalpaks.  A commemorative plaque outside the building is devoted to the Kalpaks battalion.  During Latvia’s liberation battles, on January 22, 1919, the Bolsheviks occupied Skrunda, and seven days later, Kalpaks’ battalion attacked from the direction of the Rudbārži Estate.  After a three-hour battle, the victory was won, with the battalion taking over a strategic line near the banks of the Venta River.   This was the first victory for Kalpaks’ men after many retreats, and that inspired the rest of the liberation battles.

The oldest elements of the Oleri Estate date back to the 17th century.  Initially there was a wooden mansion with an ancillary building.  The new centre was built in the late 18th century in the style of Early Classicism.  After agrarian reforms, the mansion housed an elementary school, and during the Soviet occupation and until the 1970s it was a school for children with mental disorders.  The mansion suffered in a fire in 2000, after which it was restored.  A local organisation was of great importance in this regard.  The mansion is known for its Classicist paintings, with a unique “Painting Gallery.”  The mansion is surrounded by a lovely park.  The Oleri Estate is known for hosting chamber music concerts.  The local Oleri swamp has a wooden pathway and a little viewing tower.

The Buse (Matkule) castle hill is next to the Imula River.  The hill and the opposite bank of the river offer one of the loveliest views of small rivers in Kurzeme.  They are best seen during the season when trees are bare so that leaves do not cover up the landscapes.  There are trails for pedestrians in the area.

The estate in Milzkalne that is along the banks of the Slocene River dates back to the 15th century, when it was built as a closed complex for the Livonian Order.  It is the only fortified estate of its type to have survived to the present day, and it was once used as a hiding place for aristocrats during an attack.  The gate towers with their ornate weather vanes were built in the late 17th century, and the ancillary buildings date back to the 18th and 19th century.  A brick wall with firing apertures survives.  The Latvian Road Museum is in one of the wings of the complex, while the former mansion offers accommodations, tours and tastings of local goodies.

The Varakļāni Estate has a mansion which is known as one of the most outstanding monuments to Classicism in Latgale. It was built between 1783 and 1789 and designed by the Italian architect Vincento Macotti, and it was owned by Earl Michael Johan Borch. Late in the 18^th century, the same architect designed the estate’s lovely and romantic landscape park, which was one of the first parks of its kind in Latvia. The Varakļāni Administrative District Museum is housed in the mansion today.

The Baisogalo Estate is one of the oldest ones in Lithuania and is known as a royal castle because it once belonged to the local lord.  The ornate late-Classicism buildings were built in the mid-19th century and have survived.  The 12 ha landscape park dates back to the early part of the 19th century, with an alley of chestnut trees leading to the estate from the local village.  The central alley that starts at the gate weaves through two curvy bodies of water with a bridge and statues of lions.  Various trees behind the estate are alongside curvy and narrow pathways.  On both sides of the alleys are bodies of water, and deep in the park is a pond with an island.

The Eversmuiža Estate is in the centre of Cibla and is dominated by a 1680 mansion that was built in the style of Classicism and was rebuilt several times later.  There is a home for servants, a gatehouse and ancillary buildings that are in poor shape.  A stone wall surrounds the park of the estate.  Since the 17th century and for nearly two centuries, the estate belonged to an aristocratic Polish family, after it was owned by various others.  Today the mansion houses a boarding school and the Cibla Regional Research Museum, which offers tours.  A cultural and historical trail runs along the banks of the Ilža River.