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Old Town Square is the city’s historic centre. It was here, on February 12, 1670, that Duke Jacob of the Duchy of Courland proclaimed the establishment of a town. During the early 20th century, the square was covered in paving stones, and the city market was held there. On the sites of the square are the People’s Centre, the Unitarian Church and a tourism information centre. In the square are a water pump, an enormous scale, and a sculpture of a cougar, which is the symbol of Jēkabpils. From here you can tour the historical centre of Jēkabpils with its narrow streets and low-story buildings.

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The historical centre of Talsi, which is known as the town of nine hillocks. The historical construction around Baznīckalns hill, Lake Talsi and Lake Vilkmuiža mostly dates back to the 19th century. Lielā Street is particularly beautiful with its low-rise buildings (two or three floors and ridged roofs). There are beautiful views from the area around Lake Talsi and Ķēniņkalns hill.

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Formed on the left side of river Emajõgi, in the valley of Doma Hill. The centre of The Old Town of Tartu is Town Hall Square with Town Hall and the fountain "The Kiss of the Students" (symbol of the city).

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The second biggest city in Lithuania and from 1920 – 1939 - a temporary capital. The Old Town, The Town Hall (16th century), St. Peter and Pavil cathedral - basilica (15th century), Thunder building (15th century), Laisves alley, Ciurlionis Art and Devil Museum.

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Smarde is an ancient place, mentioned in the 13th century documents. Today it is a small village with railway station and shops. Northeast of Smārde - former peat extraction places are located in Smārde marsh. During World War I the front line was near Smārde, the vicinity of which is witnessed by the memorial sites.

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Ģipka is a village that once was the site of the first maritime school in Kurzeme.  It was opened in 1869, just a few years after a similar school in Ainaži.  This was a Category 2 maritime school, which trained helmsmen for long-distance trips and captains for short-distance trips.  The school was moved to Mazirbe in 1894.  Before the maritime school, the building housed a different kind of school, and a second floor was added in 1867 specifically for the maritime school.  Today this is a residential building.  During 28 years, the school trained more than 200 professional sailors, and it was of great importance in facilitating ship building in shoreline Liv villages. (Source: Roja TIC)

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Madona is probably the only town in Latvia, in whose area a lake settlement was located around the 9th century. Its residues are preserved in the northern part of Salas Lake (Baznicezers) under water. Until the end of 19th century, a small estate with the same name (Madona) was located in place, where present town is located, Latvians called the place Bizi. In 1898 construction of narrow gauge railway between Stukmani (Plavinas) and Valka was started. The development of railway helped the development of the town. Today Madona is well maintained Vidzeme town with its own charm typical for small town. Interestingly that it can also be considered as one of the most highly placed towns in relief of Latvia.

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The history of Cēsis begins at the Riekstu hill, which is 18 m high and the surrounding area.  There was a wooden castle built by the Vendian tribe that stood there from the 11th to the 13th century.  The hill is in the central part of the castle’s park, and it offers a fine view of the park, a pond and the ruins of the Cēsis Castle.  A long staircase leads to the hill.  The Cēsis Castle was built in the early 13th century as the residence of masters of the Livonian Order, and it was one of the most fortified forts in the Baltic region.  Alongside is the New Cēsis Castle, which was built in 1777 in a place where gate fortifications had been before.  The building houses the Cēsis Museum of History and Art, and an annex contains the Castle Visitor Centre and the Cēsis Tourism Information Centre.  From the tower of the castle, we get a good view of the castle ruins, St John’s Lutheran Church and the northern stretches of the city.  Opposite the new castle is the stable of the Cēsis Castle Estate and a wheelhouse (both from the first half of the 19th century).  Today these house the Cēsis Exhibition Hall.  Other buildings include a granary, a hut for coachmen and an old brewery.  On the other side of the street is the romantic May park, which was installed during the 1830s.  Streets in Cēsis include Lielā Katrīna, Mazā Katrīna, Mazā Kalēju, Kalēju and Lielā Līvu streets and Līvu square with wooden buildings from the late 18th and early 19th century.  Torņa Street stretches along the walls of the Medieval castle.  Outside the church is a sculpture, “As the Centuries Pass By,” and legend has it that anyone who rubs the lantern of the Old Time Man can see the future.  One of the most impressive buildings in Cēsis is St John’s Lutheran Church, which was built in the late 13th century by the Livonian Order.  The Roman-style three-segment basilica has elements of Gothic design and a 65 m steeple that was installed in 1853.  The building was reconstructed several times during the 20th century and contains grave plaques relates to masters of the Livonian Order and local bishops.  The pulpit dates back to 1748, the oak altar was manufactured in 1858, and the altar painting “Crucified One” was painted in 1862.  The windows of the altar part of the church contain artistically valuable stained glass.  The organ was manufactured in 1907 by the E.F. Walker firm, and it is one of the best concert organs in Latvia.  The solar clock with the number 1744 is in the south-wester corner of the church.  It is worth scaling the viewing tower of the church.  At its foot is Rose Square, which was a market square from the mid-13th century until 1927 and was restored in 2008.  This is the central square in the city.  During the Middle Ages, a punishment pole and the city well were here.  Rīgas Street has been the main street in the old part of the city from the very start, and here we find most of the architecturally distinguished buildings from the 18th and 19th century – the former city hall, the Fābers house and the Princess house.  At one end of the street is Liv Square, where there a church, cemetery and the Rīga gate in the city’s walls existed in the 13th century.  Today the square is decorated by a lighted fountain at a place where a well was found in the 13th century.  On the other end of the street we find a reconstruction of the foundations of the Rauna gate from the 14th and 15th century, offering a good look at Medieval walls and the size and strength of the gates.  It is commonly claimed that the national flag of Latvia was born in Cēsis, but it must be emphasised that the flag that is mentioned in chronicles was designed in Cēsis in 1279 as the ideological prototype of the current Latvian flag, while the story of the first national flag actually comes from Valmiera, where it was sewn in 1916.

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One of the oldest towns in Latvia, about which data can be found already beginning from 1378. As a populated area it formed at the banks of the Tebra River (the side of Riga-Prussia road), where once the fortified wooden castle Beida of the Cours Land Bandava was located. In the medieval times Aizpute was the centre of Kurzeme bishopric. After joining Kurzeme to Russia in 1795, Jews settled for living in Aizpute. Today travellers in Aizpute are most attracted by the ancient city environment that is still alive here, as well as by the historical centre of the city and the castle ruins.

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Kretoņu (Kretuonas) ezera dienvidu krastā (ezeru gan neredz aizauguma dēļ) meklējams Kretoņu ciems. Šķiet, ka šī vieta ir „aizķērusies" pagātnē. Cauri ciemam iet viena iela, kurai abās pusēs izvietojušās 19. – 20. gs. mijā (dažas pat mazliet agrāk – 19. gs. vidū) celtās saimniecības. Te redzamas gan dzīvojamās, gan saimniecības ēkas, kuras rada etnogrāfiska brīvdabas muzeja sajūtu. Dažas no tām gan ir „padevušās" laika zobam. Lai vai kā, šis ir viens no neparastākajiem nacionālā parka etnogrāfiskajiem ciemiem, kuru pa „galveno ielu" vērts izstaigāt visā garumā. Šim, tāpat kā pārējiem etnogrāfiskajiem ciemiem ir piešķirts kultūras mantojuma objekta statuss.

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Together with Valga on Estonian side - a peculiar frontier twin town.

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A small settlement on the banks of the River Daugava, between Aizkraukle and Jaunjelgava. Skriveru region is associated with the life and work of popular Latvian author A. Upitis. Near Skriveri lies the oldest arboretum in Latvia. Its establishment in 1891 was started by the owner of Skriveru manor Maximilian von Siverss. In the park there are about 400 plant species, varieties and forms. One of the finest views of the Daugava will open from the so-called Krauklu Mountains – steep upper part of the right riverbank, which is an ancient hill fort.

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is seen as the newest village along the Livonian coastline.  It was established during the 17th century.  Košrags had 78 residents in 1826.  The first reading school for Livonian children in the Dundaga seashore villages was opened at the Žoki homestead in 1832.  One of the teachers was Nika Polmanis, who was the first Livonian to have completed a professional education.  He also translated the Gospel of Matthew into the Eastern Livonian dialect.  Košrags had a windmill, water mill and boat building facility.  During the spring, job seekers from Saaremaa stopped here.  A port was installed in 1932, and a breakwater to collect sea fertiliser followed in 1938.  During the 1930s, Košrags was regularly visited by Finnish and Estonian linguists to study the folklore of the Livonians.  The Norpiedagi homestead was built by Livonian activist Didriķis Volganskis (1884-1968).  His son, Livonian cultural worker and pastor (in Finland) Edgars Vālgamā (Volganskis, 1912-2003) was born there.  He translated the Andrejs Pumpurs epic "Lāčplēsis" into Finnish.  Košrags today is a cultural monument of national importance.

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Ein ehemaliges Fischerdorf am Ufer des Kurischen Haffs. Hierher sind die Bewohner der Dörfern umgezogen, deren Dörfe unter dem Sand der Wanderdünen begraben wurden. Holzbebauung des 19 – 20 Jh.

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was first recorded in documents in 1582.  The shallow water around the village contains many sunken ships.  In 1826, Pitrags had 11 farms and 190 residents.  A saloon was opened in the mid-19th century.  In 1937, the village had 12 old farms and 38 fishing operations (mostly new farms).  There were several fish processing plants in the village.  One of the local residents was the distinguished Livonian language storyteller Marija Šaltjāre (Bertholde, 1860-1930).  She shared more than 200 fairy tales and legends, more than 90 songs and games, etc.  The Pitrags Baptist Prayer House was built in 1902.  It was burned down during World War I, rebuilt in 1925, and renovated in the late 20th century.  The Krogi homestead in the centre of Pitrags has a collection of 27 old types of Livonian coastline fencing.  The owner also offers a chance to help with the smoking of fish and then to taste the resulting product.

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Already in the 10th century, an ancient village was located at the Sabile hill fort. After the division of Course land, Sabile was won by the Livonian Order, which built a stone castle (not preserved) here. Sabile is first time mentioned in written sources in 1253. During the 15th century an urban area started to develop at the castle. Town right was awarded to Sabile in 1917. Today Sabile is a small town, surrounded by many notable monuments. Roma culture is an integral part of Sabile and therefore, Sabile is also known as the Latvian capital city of Roma. Sabile has long been known for its wine-growing and oenological traditions, which have been reborn and enjoyable during the Sabile wine festival.

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Construction of the Sigulda castle was begun by the Order of Brethren of Swords in 1207, but in 1236 it was rebuilt for the needs of the Livonian Order.  The building suffered much damage during wars in the latter half of the 16th century and the early part of the 17th century.  It was burned down during the Great Northern War and was not restored.  Visible today is the south-western wing of the castle’s convent building and the main gate tower, behind which is the internal forecastle with an open-air stage that offers an impressive view of the ancient Gauja River valley.  The new Sigulda castle was built between 1878 and 1881, and it was owned by Count Kropotkin.  From 1923 until 1940, the castle housed a centre for writers, and during the Soviet Union it was a hospital for cardiology patients.  Since 2003, the Sigulda Administrative District Council has been located here.  The buildings that have been preserved include a wooden home (mid-19th century), where the Kropotkin family used to live, a granary (late 18th or early 19th century), the home of the gardener (19th century) and a brick wall (19th century).  If we go to the north-eastern direction, we will find the Vējupīte valley less than two kilometres away.  It includes the shallow (3.6 m) but high (6.1 m) Pēteris cave and the deep Pūču valley with the little Kraukļupīte River.  At the place where the two valleys come together we find the Satezele castle hill (its flat surface is 90 x 75 m), where, in the early 13th century, the oak castle of the ruler of Livonian lands, Dabrelis, was once found.  Nearby is the Kraukļu valley, with 11 m sandstone walls and a cave that is 5.2 m deep.  Nearby is the Paradise (Painter) hill, which offers a lovely landscape that has been painted and photographed since ancient times.  There is a Ferris wheel in the western part of Sigulda that is open during the summer, as well as an aerial tram that is the only transport vehicle of its type in the Baltic States and was installed in 1969.  The cable that carries the tram is 1,060 metres long and links the shores of the ancient Gauja River valley between Sigulda and Krimulda.  The cable is approximately 40 metres above the Gauja.  The south-western part of Sigulda features the mighty Beite cliff which is split by a deep stream valley.  To the west of the cliff is the Emperor’s View viewing area that is 67 m above the Gauja and offers a good view of Krimulda and the Turaida Castle.  A viewing area was established here in 1862, when Tsar Alexander II of Russia visited Sigulda.  The wooden Emperor’s chair is to the east of the viewing area.  The Turaida Museum Reserve is in the place where the shore is split by deep valleys carved out by streams.  It features several outstanding monuments that are as much as 1,000 years old.  Of note are the Turaida Estate (21 buildings), the grave of the Rose of Turaida, the Turaida Lutheran Church (1750), which is one of the oldest wooden churches in Latvia) and the Turaida Castle.  Folksong hill, which is nearby, is used for various thematic events.

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Third biggest island in Estonia. Full of beautiful grown junipers, little dolomite outcrop on the coast of the sea and fishermen villages on the coastline.

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This village appears in historical documents from 1310.  A census in 1582 and 1583 recorded eight farms in the village, while a 1731 census conducted by the Dundaga Estate found only three.  In 1826, each farm had 16 or 17 people, with some 60 in total.  A census in 1935 showed that all 49 Livonians in Saunags spoke the Lithuanian language, but only 11 of them spoke the language at home.  There was a store that was owned by Kārlis Tilmanis, who also owned a factory where sprats were salted.  Also born in Saunags was the seafaring captain Arvīds Ludeviks (1912-1996).  In May 1945, he captained a tugboat, the Rota, in an attempt to bring Latvian refugees to Sweden.  The ship was detained, and the captain was sent to Siberia.  Another seafaring captain from Saunags was Visvaldis Feldmanis (1938-2017).

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Cēsis is in the centre of the Gauja National Park, but it is not part of the park as such. There are many interesting places in Cēsis to visit and examine. The oldest part of the town is of key interest. The origins of Cēsis can be found at Riekstu hill, which is 18 metres high. Between the 11th and 13th century, there was a wooden castle here built by the Vendians. The hill is in the central part of the castle park, and it offers a good view of the park, pond and the ruins of the Cēsis castle, which can be accessed via a long cascade of stairs. The Cēsis castle (see below) was built in the early 13th century as a residence for masters of the Livonian Order, and it was one of the strongest fortresses in the Baltic territories. Alongside it is the New Cēsis castle, which was built in 1777 where the gate fortifications once stood. The Cēsis Museum of History and Art is in the building, alongside which is a visitors centre and the Cēsis Tourism Information Centre. From the tower of the castle, there is a fine view of the castle ruins, St John's Lutheran church and the northern part of the town. Opposite the New Cēsis castle are stables and a wheelhouse (both from the first half of the 19th century). The Cēsis Exhibition Hall is there today. You can look at the exteriors of the granary, the hut for coachmen, and the old brewery. On the other side of the street is the romantic Maija park, which was installed in the 1830s. The park is popular among parents with children, because there is a playground there. From this area, you can walk down some of the old streets of the town – Lielās Katrīnas, Mazās Katrīnas, Mazā Kalēju, Kalēju and Lielā Līvu streets, plus Līvu Square. The wooden buildings along the streets date back to the late 18th and early 19th century. Torņa Street, which weaves its way along the defensive walls of the Medieval castle, offers a look outside the church of a sculpture by Matiass Jansons, "As the Centuries Pass". Legend says that if you rub the lantern carred by the Old Man of Time, you can see the future. One of the most impressive buildings in Cēsis is St John's Lutheran Church, which was built in the late 13th century for the Livonian Order. It is a basilica built in the Roman style and with Gothic elements. The tower, which is 65 m high, was built in 1853. The building was reconstructed several times during the 20th century. Inside the building are grave epitaphs for masters of the Livonian Order and for bishops. The pulpit was installed in 1748, the oak altar followed in 1858, and the altar painting "The Crucified One" dates back to 1862. The stained glass windows around the altar are of great artistic value. The organ was built in 1907 by the E.F. Walker Company, and the instrument is one of the best concert organs in Latvia. A sun clock featuring the year 1744 is at the south-western corner of the church. It is worth climbing the church's tower. At the foot of the building is Rose Square, which began as a market square in the mid-19th century, remained in place until 1927, and was restored in 2008. This is the central square in the town today. During the Medieval Era, there were stockades here, along with the city's well. Rīgas Street has been the main street of the old town from the very beginning, and it is here that you will find the most architecturally outstanding buildings in town from the 18th and 19th centuries. They include the former Cēsis City Hall, the Fābers building, and the Princess building. At one end of the street is Līvu Square, where, during the 13th century, there was a church, a cemetery and a gate in the town walls. Today the square features a lighted fountain which is on the site of a 13th century well known as Lejas Šķimbēgs. At the other end of the street is a reconstruction of the foundations and surface elements of the Rauna gate that was a part of the town walls in the 14th and 15th centuries. The site offers a good idea about Medieval fortifications and the size and mightiness of gates therein.