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.

Located at the Rūjiena High School, this Kārlis Zemdega sculpture was installed in 1936 in honour of a local teacher, Jūlija Skuiņa, who drowned in 1936 at the age of 24.  There are various legends about her death, one of which talks about a tragic love story involving the Rev Roberts Slokenbergs.

The Museum is situated in the place, where during the times of World War II the battles between the soldiers of Latvian and Soviet armies took place.The main subject of the museum is the history of Latvians during World War II and the battle of More.

On the second floor of the museum the guide will tell you about the history of crafts and will show you the exhibition of household objects. Every year there are new exhibitions of the local craftsmen’s products . The visitors can buy souvenirs, jewellery and other crafts and goods.

The windmill was built between 1867 and 1869 after a design first produced in the Netherlands.  Its name is that of its first owner – Riba.  The windmill is one of the best preserved architectural monuments of its type in Latvia, and it offers an educational exhibition, “The Path of the Grain.”  It talks about the development of agriculture in Zemgale and about grain farming and the baking of bread.  Guided tours are available.  The windmill is part of the Rožmalas leisure complex, which features a hotel and a restaurant.

Work on the Valmiera Castle began in 1283.  The castle was burned down in 1702 during the Great Northern War, and the city’s walls were torn down in the late 17th century.  Ruins of the castle and remnants of other Medieval fortifications have been preserved.

The craftsman manufactures barrels, hot tubs, furniture, stairs, doors and other useful objects. You can take a tour, learn about the relevant skills and experience, and help in manufacturing something that will be of use in the household. You can watch how barrels are made from start to finish, and also try your own hand at the craftsmanship.

Jānis Čakste (1859-1927) was Latvia’s first president (1922-1927), and he began to build a house for himself in 1924.  In 1999, in honour of the 140th anniversary of the president’s birth, an exhibition was unveiled about his life, work and family.  Čakste’s office can be toured, and artists from Jelgava exhibit their works at the museum, as well.

In 1615, Courlandian Duke Friedrich Kettler (1569-1642) allowed Bauska to build a new city hall.  At the beginning of the 17th century, Market Square in Bauska featured the largest city hall in the entire duchy.  A lack of money led to the dismantling of the hall’s tower in 1852 and its second floor in 1871.  A new city hall was built in 2011, and now Bauska can be proud of a new and outstanding tourist destination that can also be entered.  The restored city hall offers a chance for people to weigh themselves and measure their height with old-time measurements.  Each person who does so receives a certificate to attest to his or her height and weight.

Another monument designed by Kārlis Zemdega, this one was installed in 1937 and was initially known as a monument to soldiers who liberated and fell in Rūjiena.  The monument survived the Soviet era only because a statue of Lenin that was across the street was on a high pedestal and thus overshadowed the monument to the trumpeter of Talava.

The watermill processes wool with equipment that is 100 years old and is used to produce handmade blankets and pillows that are stuffed with sheep wool, as well as souvenirs that can be commissioned and purchased.  The watermill offers tours and fresh-baked bread.  A wool pulling and wrapping machine that dates back to the 19th century and was manufactured at the Šūberts Rudītis & Co company in the 19th century is still used, as are a unique weaving apparatus from Germany and a grain mill.

Latvian cuisine: Marinated herring with vegetables, porridge, mashed potatoes a la Vidzeme (with fried onions), pancakes with jam made of Latvian berries and honey, homemade bread.

Special foods: Water pretzels and local soup with six types of fish.

Šis ir viens no retajiem ceļiem, kurš saglabājies kā notikumu liecinieks. Ceļš ved no Krimuldas uz Siguldu. Jau vācbaltu apgaismotāja novadpētnieka – mākslinieka Johana Kristofa Broces 1794. gada zīmējumā "Siguldas un Krimuldas pilsdrupas" redzams lauku ceļš gar Krimuldas pili, pa kuru iet zemnieks un darba ratus velk zirgs. Lai braukšana pa Gaujas senlejas nogāzi ar zirga pajūgu būtu droša, ceļu izveidoja līkloča formā, tā uzbrauktuvi padarot daudz lēzenāku. Domājams, ka ceļš atjaunots 19 gs., kad Krievijas cars Aleksandrs otrais un viņa sieva ieradušies uz vizīti siguldā. Pāri ceļam bijuši vairāki mazi tiltiņi, ko iedzīvotāji dēvējuši par velna tiltiem. Tagad serpentīna ceļš kļuvis par romantisku pastaigu vietu.

The Vienkoči Park features one-log objects manufactured by its originator.  You can examine mock-ups of the Nurmiži Castle and other buildings including the Sand House, and you can also take part in thematic events.  Men can produce equipment to drain birch juice from trees, wile women can try their hand at jewellery making from natural materials.  People manufactured one-log objects during the Mesolithic Era, and one-log boats have been used since the 9th century (several of them can be seen at the park).

Gaujas tilts Siguldā ir vienīgais tilts Latvijā ar šādu unikālu tehnisko risinājumu. Pirmo reizi tilts uzcelts 1937. gadā, taču kara laikā tas tika sagrauts. 1950. gadā to atjaunoja. 2017. gada vasaras beigās noslēgsies tā rekonstrukcijas darbi. 

This is a sandstone cliff with several arches, pillars and niches.  The set of caves (Little Hell, Devil’s Kiln, Devil’s Cave, Liepmuiža Cave and Liepa Cave) are a bit more than 20 m, with a ceiling height of 3.5 m and a width of 5 m.  A powerful stream flows from the cave, which is thought to have been formed around 7,000 years ago.  The cave is much damaged, because white sand was dug from it in the early 20th century.  Great Ellīte is an ancient cult site.  Today the site has been much improved.

The Lejenieki homestead is 1.1 km north of Bangas.  Vilis Plūdons (1874-1940) was an outstanding Latvian poet, a representative of the style of National Romanticism, and a schoolteacher.  His real name was Vilis Lejnieks, and he was born in at the Lejenieki homestead in the Bauska region.  His father was Jānis Lejnieks.  As a boy, Vilis was enchanted by fairy tales told by his granny and by folk songs that she sang.  Plūdons is buried nearby in the family cemetery.  Lejenieki offers an exhibition about the poet’s life and work.  The local sauna features sculptures of rabbits, thus recalling Plūdons’ poem, “Rabbit Sauna.”

Approximately 6 km to the south-west of Iecava is the home of the father of author Edvarts Virza (born Jēkabs Eduards Liekna, 1883-1940), Billītes.  The author and his wife, Elza Stērste, moved to the house in 1901.  Virza was one of Latvia's most outstanding 20th century authors, poets and prose writers, as well as publicist and translator.  He wrote many poems at Billītes, and in 1933 he produced his masterpiece, "Straumēni," which depicts the life of a Latvian farmer.  A museum dedicated to Virza is at the house today.  It was opened by his children and grandchildren.  Contact the museum in advance for a tour.

Sauna Museum is a private open-air museum founded in 2008. It is located 40 km from Riga by the Murjāņi - Saulkrasti road. The exhibition consists of six historic and one newly built sauna. They all work, but the hosts recommend to enjoy the black sauna.

The memorial to the day when people in the Baltic States joined hands in an unbroken chain stretching from Tallinn through Rīga and on to Vilnius on August 23, 1989, is at the 25th kilometre of the Rīga-Bauska highway, near the little Ķekaviņa River.

The café is at the “Miķelis” leisure venue on the banks of the Mūsa River. Visitors can tour a typical farm from the 19th and 20th century, as well as the Machinery Museum. 

Latvian cuisine: Cold soup, Valmiera salad, roast Baltic plaice, potato pancakes, stawberry soup with ice cream.

Special foods: "Special Bauska foods," "Miķelis" pork chop.

Tourists can learn about the history of the estate and the brewing of beer, beginning with raw materials and ending with finished products. The visit is enriched by tastings of live beer and stories about Latvia’s traditional holiday beverage. Alongside the brewery is a store which sells live beer, homemade goodies and selected souvenirs.

The “Valmiermuižas alus virtuve” saloon popularises Latvian beers and uses beer in various dishes. A modern approach to homemade products is used to prepare foods and beer-based snacks. There is a beer garden during the summer, and the saloon merges traditional things with modern ones.

Latvian cuisine: Smoked pork, filet of pike from Lake Burtnieks, green pea mash, with loganberries, quince, pumpkin birch juice and mushroom sauce as accompaniments.

Special foods: Slice of pork marinated in unfiltered winter beer.

The Lake Castle of Āraiši is of pan-European importance. It is a reconstructed Lettigalian lake castle from the 9^th or 10^th century, and it is the only place in the Baltic States at which visitors can learn about how people lived more than 1,000 years ago. The castle offers various thematic events.

Academy of joviality „Liela muiza” which deals with making barrels, hot barrels, furniture, stairs, doors, and other household goods, in the summer season offers possibilities of lodging  in the guest house. On the first floor there is a hall for celebrations for 30-35 people, a firewood oven and well-equipped kitchen (rooms for rent and bath-house are offered all year round). Lodging is located on the second floor – 1 room for eight people and 5 double rooms.
Guests can watch the process of barrel making from the beginning till the finished product, as well as take part in barrel making process themselves.
 

The workshop offers a look at lanterns, candelabras, hinges, fireplace tools, stair railings and gates that have been manufactured there, as well as several exhibits from the 18^th century. You can produce your own nail, and the blacksmith will also “test” young couples. He also accepts orders for products.

One of the most important military and political elements of the Livonian Order, the Bauska Castle was built between 1443 and 1456 at the place where the Mūsa and Mēmele rivers flow together.  The castle had five towers and walls that were up to three metres thick.  Between 1580 and 1596, the forecastle was replaced with a residence for the duke of Courland, and its walls were finished with the sgrafito technique.  The castle suffered damage during wars in the 16th and 17th century, but it was always restored until 1706, when the Russian military blew it up during the Great Northern War.  Today the castle houses a museum, with a viewing platform in its south-eastern tower.

The Great and Small Baltezers lakes, which are in a forested and sandy area, feature a unique system in Latvia – a water delivery zone with artesian wells and water filtration layers.  The system was in place in 1904, when the Baltezers pump station was opened.  In 1998, the Rīga Water Delivery Museum was opened in the station, providing information about the 400 years of water delivery in Latvia, including various mechanisms, ancient wooden pipelines, etc.  Around the museum is a boiler house, along with a machinery house, accommodations for workers, and mechanical workshops.

The Turaida Museum Reserve is found at the place where the deep gullies of a number of small streams split up the right bank of the ancient Gauja River valley. The Turaida Museum Reserve features monuments of Baltic importance, and their history dates back more than 1,000 years. Among the treasures are the Turaida Estate (21 buildings), the grave of the Rose of Turaida, the Turaida Lutheran Church (one of the oldest wooden churches in Latvia, 1750), and the Turaida Castle. Nearby is Folk Song Hill, where various thematic events are organised.

On the left bank of the ancient Gauja River valley, between the Paparžu ravine and the ravine along which the Sigulda-Turaida road passes through the valley there are the ruins of a castle built by the Order of the Brethren of the Sword.  Construction on the castle began in 1207, and three decades later, in 1236, the castle was rebuilt for the needs of the Livonian Order.  The Sigulda Castle suffered much damage during wars in the late 16th and early 17th century.  During the Great Northern War, it was burned down and never restored.  What is there today is the south-western segment of the castle's convent building, as well as the tower of the main gate.  Beyond that is the internal forecastle, where there is an open-air stage for the annual Sigulda Opera Music Festival and other public events.  There are also impressive views of the ancient Gauja River valley, Krimulda and Turaida.  Reconstruction of the ruins is currently ongoing, and after the work is completed a second tower on the left side of the stage will be available to visitors.  The plan is to install crossings around the walls of the convent building.  Presently the ruins are available on a 24/7 basis and free of charge, but after the restorations are completed in 2012, admission will be charged.

The farm produces hemp from which it produces hemp butter, roughly ground seeds, as well as hemp oil. The granary, which is 101 years old, features antique instruments once used to process hemp fibres. Visitors can taste and purchase delicious products and take an exciting tour which speaks to the history of hemp farming.

Latvian cuisine: Rough and fine hemp spread, hemp sandwiches, pressed and toasted hemp crumbs, hemp oil.

This beautiful castle (1797-1802) is seen as the most brilliant example of Classicism in Latvian architecture.  It, like the Eleja Castle, was designed by the architect of the royal court in Russia, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Quarenghi and the architect Johann Georg Adam Berlitz.  The ornate interior was unique for Kurzeme at the time when the castle was built.  Empress Catherine II gifted the castle to Charlotte von Lieven (1742-1828) after Charlotte served as governess for the empress’ grandchildren.  An agricultural school operated in the building from 1921 until 1941, and it was very much damaged and pillaged during World War II.  Restoration began later, when the Mežotne experimental selection station was housed in it.  The lovely building houses a hotel and can be toured.  Around the castle, which is on the banks of the Lielupe River, there is one of the most beautiful English-type gardens in Latvia – perfect for a stroll.

The Lielstraupe Castle is the only building in Latvia which contains a Medieval castle and a church.  Work on the castle began in 1263.  The building suffered great damage during the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as during the riots of 1905.  The complex was restored in 1909 by the architect Wilhelm Bockslaff.  There are several artistic monuments in the church – the organ loft from the 17th century and the pulpit paintings of the 18th century.  In 1944, two stained glass windows produced by the artist Sigismunds Vidbergs were installed at the church – Golgotha and Birth of Christ.  The tower contains a clock produced by a local clockmaker, and there is a sun dial on the wall of the church.  Visitors to the park of the castle will see the wooden bell tower which dates back to 1744.  A memorial plaque to men who fell during World War I and Latvia's liberation battles was installed in the church in 1938.  A drugs treatment hospital was installed in the castle in 1963.  The church is open during worship services, and the rest of the complex can only be viewed from the outside.

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.

This market sells produces from local farmers and home manufacturers who offer traditional and seasonal food which they grow and prepare themselves. You can purchase vegetables, fruit, fresh and smoked meat, cheese, bread, country tortes, homemade wine and various household and gardening objects.

This is one of the few workshops in Latvia where things are woven with birch bark. You can look at the objects and discuss the experience of the craftspeople. They will help you to produce simple objects out of birch bark, and those will be excellent souvenirs.

This is a unique exhibition of woven chairs, chair-making instruments, photographs, and other objects related to chair-making traditions from the late 18^th to the mid-20^th century. Ceramicist Īrisa Vainovska will talk about the pottery arts, offering decorative plates, interesting wind pipes and souvenirs.

The monument is in the Bērtuļi cemetery and has a brass plaque that reads “With deep thanks to fallen heroes of the Latvian people.  The 10th Rūjiena Vanagi district.”  On the other side of the monument, the words “God, Fatherland, Nation” are engraved.  The monument was restored in 1989.

Exploring of Sigulda can be started with a visit to Sigulda castle ruins. The construction of the castle was begun by the Knights of the Sword Order in 1207, but in 1236 it was rebuilt for the needs of the Livonian Order. Sigulda castle suffered much from the wars in the second half of the 16th century and in the beginning of 17th century. During the Northern War, it is burned down and is no more restored. Today south-western building of the convent and the tower of the main gate, behind which is the inner forefront of the castle with open air stage, which offers impressive views over the Gauja valley. Currently the reconstruction of castle ruins is in progress. Construction of New castle (owner - Prince Kropotkin) in the South of the Sigulda took place from the 1878 until 1881. From 1923 - 1940 the building was the Palace of Writers, but during the Soviet years - Cardiology sanatorium. Since 2003 Sigulda district council is located there. The manor complex includes wooden house (middle of 19th century), which was Kropotkin's family home, barn (turn of the 18th - 19th century), gardener's house (19th century) and a stone fencing (19th century.) If we make our way from New Castle in a north-eastern direction, after almost 2 km we will reach Vejupite ravine. There you can see the shallow (3.6 m) but high (6.1 m) in Peter's Cave and deep Pucu ravine with Krauklupite. At the conjunction of ravines of both streams rises a Satezele hill fort (plateau 90 x 75 m), where in the beginning of 13th century was the oak castle of Liv land chief (eldest) - Dabrelis. Near can be found Krauklu gorge - ravine of Vejupite left bank, with 11 m high sandstone walls and 5.2 m deep Krauklu cave. At the conjunction of Vejupite ravine and Gauja valley columns Paradise (Gleznotaju) Hill - a very picturesque place, painted and photographed since old times! The Paradise Hill can be reached with a electric vehicle. In the west part of Sigulda is located Ferris wheel (works during the summer) and Air cableway (streetcar) - the only this type of vehicle in Baltics (built in the 1969). Its self-supporting cable extends in 1060 m length and without any support joins the Gauja River valley banks between Sigulda and Krimulda ~ 40 m above Gauja River. Here you can enjoy excellent views! In the south-western part of Sigulda one can walk to mighty Beites precipice, which is split by the deep ravine of stream. On the west side of the ravine lies Keizarskats, which is located ~ 67 m above the Gauja level and offers good views of Krimulda and Turaida castle. Sight place was arranged here already in the 1862 when Russian Tsar Alexander II visited Sigulda. In the eastern part of the ravine wooden Keizarkrēsls (Emperor Stool) is located.