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The museum is dedicated to the writer Ernests Birznieks-Upītis (1871–1960), whose nickname as a child used to be Pastariņš. The historic buildings have been restored according to the situation in the mid-20th century. Rye bread, Sun bread, and Shepherd's bread are baked in the museum’s farm. Each spring visitors can take part in building wattle and other types of fences, to bake bread and rolls and to taste the results. In December – baking sklandrauši (a carrot-based pastry). There are weaving demonstrations, butter churning demonstrations and opportunities to try one’s hand at other old-time farm work. |
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This venue is a lovely and calm place by a pond that will delight all fishermen with a massive number of fish. Guests will sleep in a granary that is 120 years old and has bedrooms, a kitchen and a sauna. |
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This venue produces homemade fruit, berry and dandelion wine from local products and with no preservatives, as well as interesting products such as spicy plum sauce and fruit and berry conserves. Groups of tourists can go on a tour and taste and purchase the products. |
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Mooste Manor is located on the Mooste lakeshore. The attractive mansion is complemented by a large number of outbuildings in Historicist style, and a landscaped park in English style. The mansion houses the local school, the woodwork shop has become a guesthouse, the stable of workhorses is home to restorers, the manager´s house is the Centre for Art and Social Practice while the cattle shed is a concert hall today. |
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Known as Alšvanga in the past, this place was mentioned for the first time in 1231 in an agreement that was signed between the deputy legate of the pope in Rome and the Courlandian tribes of the region. The Livonian Order ruled the territory until 1561, and from 1573 until 1738 the order’s castle belonged to the von Schwerin dynasty from Pomerania. It during the rule of this aristocratic family that a stone church was built in honour of Archangel Michael, and local residents began to convert to Catholicism. Alsunga became the Catholic centre for all of Kurzeme, and local residents became known as the Suiti (from the Schwerin suite). For nearly 400 years, Alsunga has been the historical centre of the Suiti territory. This is Latvia’s most conservative region and is widely known with unusual songs, colourful folk costumes and various folk traditions and beliefs. The Suiti have their own dialect, foods and many other things that have been long since abandoned or forgotten elsewhere in Latvia. The religious has commingled with the folk here in one unique whole. The Alsunga District covers 191 km2 and has some 1,500 residents. |
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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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Lõosilma farm is only 10 km away from Pärnu; it is engaged in the cultivation and processing of agricultural products. Delicious canned food is prepared from the vegetables in the farmhouse kitchen, and many of the products have gained national taste titles. The farm has camper parking powered by solar energy. |
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Plašajā piedzīvojumu un atpūtas parkā ir iespējams piedalīties elpu aizraujošās aktivitātēs. Piedzīvojumu parkā "Supervāvere" visiem aktīvās atpūtas cienītājiem ir iespēja izmēģināt vairāk kā 60 atrakcijas: augstu un zemu kokos izvietoti dažādi virvju ceļi, pārejas un šķēršļi, kā arī ierīkoti nobraucieni pa trosēm. Laižoties pa garākajiem šāda veida nobraucieniem Latvijā gar ausīm svilpo vejš un acīm paveras lielisks skats uz Gaujas senlejas koku galotnēm. Tāpat ir iespējams doties Gaujas upē - ar plostiem, raftiem, kanoe vai piepūšamajām laivām. Gaujas krastā atrodas arī Ozolkalna kempings ar 6 mājīgiem mazajiem namiņiem. Katrā ir divas istabas ar kopīgu sanitāro mezglu. Namiņos iespējams izguldīt 4 – 5 personas. Tie ir apsildāmi, visas gultas ir saklātas, katram viesim ir dvieļu komplekts, iespēja uzvārīt tēju namiņā, pieejams grils, koplietošanas virtuve, bezmaksas WiFi. Ozolkalns arī piedāvā vietu pasākumiem kempinga teritorijā un kopā ar sadarbības partneriem palīdzēs noorganizēt uzņēmuma āra pasākumus.
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This lovely territory includes the hillocks of Embūte, which are in the ancient Embūte valley. The aim of establishing the park was to protect the landscape, biotopes and species of the region. An ecological tourism trail has been established in the valley, as has a forest trail through the nature park (accessibly only in the company of a guide). Visitors will learn about the hillocks and ravines left behind by the Ice Age. The ravines and the forests along their sides are protected biotopes. There are also important natural and cultural monuments, including the Embūte castle hill and the ruins of a baronial estate, castle and church. Other points of interest include the death place of the Courlandian warrior Indulis, the Joda dam, meadows, a viewing tower, etc. Three unmarked bicycle trails are in the area. |
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This is a very interesting monument to the history of fishing in the region. These areas had docks and areas where fishermen built huts to store their nets and other inventory. The areas also had a social role – men came together to discuss work that had to be done, while women and children wove nets. The huts at Bigauņciems were eventually washed into the sea, and the areas at Ragaciems have been partly destroyed. The ones at Lapmežciems are the ones which are best preserved. One of the net huts has been restored, but the others are in very poor condition, indeed. That may be why you should focus on these huts as you walk along the beach. Make sure that you take some pictures of this historic location. |
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This route section takes you to the Dzūkija National Park – it is among Lithuania’s most forested and desolate nature areas –, and to the town of Druskininkai – a popular SPA and mineral water health resort on the banks of the river Nemunas. When in Druskininkai, we recommend dipping yourself in mineral water baths, enjoying the trip with the cable car over the river Nemunas, visiting the musical fountain, and walking along the river promenade. The starting point of the hiking route is the village of Didžiasalis, which is reached by bus from Druskininkai. From there, the route will take you through vast coniferous forests, rich in berries and mushrooms, and small villages. As you get to Druskininkai, the Forest Trail will meander along the small streets and parks of the historic resort of Druskininkai, crossing the river Ratnyčia and the forest park on the right bank of the Nemunas valley. Leaving the resort town behind, the Forest Trail runs on the side of the village revealing you the beautiful landscapes and the view of the Liškiava monastery on the other bank of the river Nemunas. Up to the village of Žiogeliai, the route goes along forest roads and continues along the banks of the Nemunas valley, surrounded by the vast Dzūkija forests. Towards the end of the route, climb up the Merkinė Mound and it will surprise you with breathtaking views of southern Lithuania. |
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The trail reveals one of the rare bluffs of the Gulf of Riga – the Ēvaži Bluff (up to 15m high, a beautiful scenery opens from its watching platform) and the seashore forests. The trail starts from the main road and crosses a biotope “Wooded dunes of the coast” (according to Habitats Directive, Annex II), which is frequently observed by the sea. One can climb down the stairs to an extraordinary beach with narrow seashore and Black Alders growing almost in the sea. There are occasional puddles which make shelter for Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita), a protected amphibian. Deeper pools are inhabited by three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), they are food for fish-eating birds. In the second half of the summer, Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) can be observed in the sea. About two kilometres to the South, there is Melnsils, one of the Liv fishing villages, famous for the stories about a channel which was once dug to drain coastal lakes into the sea, as well as about Trommel, the chief of robbers. The trail is in the Slītere National Park. |
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Nordeķu - Kalnciema kāpu grēdas daļa Kleistu meža austrumdaļā pie Dzirciema ielas. Padomju laikā šeit darbojās divi (vēlāk viens) P - 35 radars, kas griezās ap savu asi. Vietējie iedzīvotāji tolaik šo vietu bija iesaukuši par "Lokatoru kalniņu". Ziemeļos no tā atradās padomju armijas cūku ferma. |
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The ship and coast guard missile repair workshops in the forests around Bārta in the Liepāja District are very impressive in visual terms. The facility is owned by the regional local government and is being dismantled to obtain building materials.
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The Dole is the largest island in the Daugava River, surrounded to the Northeast by the rapid waters of the Daugava and to the Southwest by calm and gradually overgrown waters from Dry Daugava. The island is a specially protected nature park, established in 1986 to protect the landscape and cultural and historical values of the island in the wake of the construction of the Rīga hydroelectric power plant, as well as rare and protected species of plants and animals. The island is also meant to provide education and leisure for visitors. Best known on the island is the Daugava Museum, which is in the mansion of the old Dole Estate. The museum features some 13,000 exhibits that speak to the history of the island and the river – Baltic and Livonian apparel, tools and household objects. The exhibition also presents the Daugava as an important waterway and the related history of forms of transport and rafters. In the park is an open-air exhibition with reconstructed lamprey eel traps and a barrier to fish salmon, along with a set of fishing tools. A dolomite cliff is alongside the museum on the steep shore of the Dry Daugava. The ruins of the Vecdole castle can be found on the south-eastern end of the island, near Bēči. |
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In Pärnu Farmers’ market you can buy produce of Pärnumaa and other small manufacturers of the region, as well as freshly baked bread and confectionary. |
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The nature park in the Daugava River valley is the only place between the cascades of the Daugava hydroelectric power plants there is still a chance to see the Daugava River valley and the ravines of its tributaries as they appeared before the area was flooded so that the power plants could be constructed. Particularly lovely views are found on the right bank of the river near the Aizkraukle church and castle hill. Forests, meadows, origins of streams and small dolomite cliffs in this area are all protected biotopes. Leisure facilities have been installed on the Aizkraukle castle hill, and the Aizkraukle castle ruins are not far away. |
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This is a mostly forested territory which is home to one of the largest areas of the white mistletoe, which is a semi-parasitic plant. It is best to observe this unique plant when it has no leaves. Latvia is the northern limit to the white mistletoe, which is why it is not all that common. It is interesting that even more of this rare specie can be seen outside of the nature restricted area. |
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Near the place where the Kilmiņupe River flows into the sea is the legendary Trommel castle hill, which was a Medieval fortification. It is some 100 m from the Kraujas homestead. An archaeological dig in 1977 found fragments of bricks and pot-bellied stoves, which suggests that the fortifications date back to the Middle Ages. The location also is linked to stories about a pirate, Trommel, who buried his loot here. The holes in the area have been left behind by treasure hunters. Trommel supposedly robbed ships in the Bay of Rīga from the shores of Kurzeme to Roņu Island. Many ships docked here in ancient times, waiting for better winds so that they could pass by Cape Kolka. The pirate made use of this fact, also pillaging property from sunken ships. It is said that Trommel lived in a stone castle. (Source: Roja TIC) |
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The Dobele Crafts House is to the East of Market Square at Baznīcas Street 8 in Dobele. Enthusiasts use it to preserve ancient traditions from the Zemgale region. Workshops to teach crafts are organised here five days a week. |
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