LATVIA Latvia 171 © LonelyPlanetPublications expecting littleandleaveexpecting overwhelmed, they’ve uncovered certain long-buriedtreasure. ingly unpretentious, manages totantaliseeven Latvia themostjadedtraveller. Manyarrive Soviet oftodayisvibrant,enigmaticandaltogethermesmerising. image,theLatvia Refresh- A-liststar.continent’s next old- Acountryintransition,hellbentonsheddingitsstalwart Still undiscovered bythetourismmasses,thissizzlingBalticsexpotispoisedtobecome If you’re yearningtohitEurope’s (Latvija). untroddenjackpot,cashin yourchipsinLatvia Latvia hasaserenityLatvia andcharmrarely found elsewhere inEurope. decades agobecause,despite yearsofintense suffering underSoviet andNazioccupations, up ineven the smallestvillagesandrevellers slugpintswellintothenight. possible andthewholecountryexudesafrenetic, turbocharged energy. Beergardenspop light again.After long,darkwinters, seemdetermined Latvians to soakupasmuchlight away. Summerisanespeciallymagical time–twilightcomesnearmidnightandby4amit’s BalticSea,it’sveryforests easytojustget ontheedgeofice-blue toalluringresorts an intrepid adventurer exploringvirgin terrain. Fromcrumbling castlesinpine-scented isstilloneofthoseplaceswhereLatvia youcanembracetheunbeaten pathandbecome slows. villages,milesfromanywhere, Historic sitfrozen intime. Despite growingpopularity, architecture isoneofEastern Europe’s mostfuncities. Awayfromthecapital,pace „ „ „ „ FAST FACTS „ „ „ „ „ Bustling R This moment.Visit isLatvia’s before everyone elsedoes. It’s hardtobelieve thistiny,vivaciousnationshedits Russianstrangleholdlessthantwo

UK New Zealand andJapan. See p391 fordetails. citizens oftheEU, US, Canada, Australia, Visa Population Money Song Contest Famous for Departure tax Country code Capital camera, theVEFMinox of Birthplace Area  1 =1.02Ls;US$10.58Ls notrequired forvisitsofupto 90daysfor 64,600 sqkm(twicethesize ofBelgium) Latvian lats Latvian R ī ī ga, withitspumpingnightlife, cobbledstreets Art-Nouveau andmarvellous ga 2.4million winningthe2002Eurovision theworld’sfirstminiature

% none 371  euro currency converter 1 =0.70Ls;  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt ITINERARIES „ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS www.lonelyplanet.com moved quickly toembrace the free market. has membership is optimistic and Latvia the general moodinthe countrytowards voted against joining theEUin 2004,today one-thirdof today. Although Latvians Latvia economic policies, there’s alotgoingonin From politicalshake-ups to‘get now’ tough CURRENT EVENTS „ „ „

Cape Kolka Cape Two weeks Tukums. andnearbyKuld Art Museum R narrow-gauge railway. include theGauja Valley andAl – exploringeastern Latvia spend aweek in twoand tivity. Orsplitthefortnight bird-watchingsome boating, or otherac- ture trailsinthenationalparksandenjoy vistas inthisboisterousvistas resort area. ley, J day tripstoSiguldaandtheGaujaVal- scale Sl more leisurely pace,allowingtimeto J landscape. orskiingamidthisexquisitesleighing line rushingbybungee jumping,bob- Valley Gauja spires andturrets. overand watch thesunrise askylineof streets, slidepastArt-Nouveau flourishes R Ventspils alongtheway. happening Liep and itsLivonianvillages. Dipsouthto nose-dive intotheSl Kolka,then atCape meet Sea the Baltic whereRoja. the Gulf of See R and someof thefishingvillages around One week days Three coastal roadstoppinginJ coastal destinations, thentake theR Baltic hotspot. Baltic gressive tobecomeamajor citypoised rock’n’rollsceneinthispro- of Latvia’s Liep Kolka. the solitudeof wild andwindsweptCape gulp mouthfulsof crispairandsavour ū ī ū ga rmala ndale Palace, thePedv ā ( p187 ) Wandercobbled medieval ja ū ( p261 ) Discover theheartandsoul rmala, the ( p220 Sea ) SoakupsunandBaltic ī tere followafew na- Lighthouse, DoR VisitR Explore western Latvia ata Explore western Latvia ( p253 ) Feast onfresh fish, ( p227 youradrena-) Get ā ī ga andsomeday-trip ja, stoppinginwealthy Ķ ī ga, withachoice of emeri NationalPark, euro currency converter ī tere NationalPark ū rmala, ā le Open-Air ī ga–Kolka ī Ķ ū ga and ī ksne’s ga or emeri  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt ment projects. funds are benefitingkey economicdevelop- 2004and 2006,andthe the countrybetween The EU invested more than€1billionin hopes toadopttheeurowithinafew years. formal linkswiththecommoncurrency and growth, andthecountryisnowestablishing ures tocurbinflationwhilestillboosting the government meas- tough hasimposed making theeurocountry’scurrency), but the latstoeuro(thefirst step towards inflationhashindered topeg High efforts political stability. political stability. toworktowards prime minister promised approved inDecember2004andthenew pieces. Kalvitis’ four-party coalitionwas Party, wasgiven of thetask pickingupthe gars Kalvitis, of thecentre-right People’s government lasted months. onlyeight Ai- first Green premier. Hisminoritycoalition Greens andFarmers union,wasEurope’s reject the2005draftbudget. Emsis, of the resigned vote followingaparliamentary to 2004, whenPrimeMinister IndulisEmsis country’s latest politicalshake-up camein governments, allleaning centre-right. The held fourelectionsandhada string of couraged anyone living inR Bush’sarrival, thelocalmedia en- Before of atour commemorating theendof WWII. George W Bushvisited thecountry aspart 2005. InMay of USPresident that year side during the visit,or better yet, sojourn has Since independence in1991Latvia Latvia madelotsof worldheadlines in Latvia „ „ „ „ „ LONELY INDEX PLANET „ „ „ „ „ MUCH? HOW

Street snack Souvenir T-shirt 50cl bottleofbeer Litre ofbottledwater Litre ofpetrol Sauna perhour Bicycle hire (daily) Public ticket transport Taxi fare perkilometre Cup ofcoffee 1.50Ls LATVIA •• Highlights LATVIA ••Highlights from0.50Ls 0.54Ls 10Ls 5Ls 4.50Ls 0.40Ls 0.50Ls 0.2Ls 45Ls to65Ls ī ga to stay in- ga to stay

172 LATVIA LATVIA 173 0 80 km LATVIA 0 50 miles LATVIA To Tartu ESTONIA To Pärnu (30km); Haademeeste Talli Moisakula Karksi-Nula Räpina Joarjo Otepää Sääre Tallinn (180km) Põlva E67 Tõrva Värska

Pujiena Sangaste Ainazi Võru Ruhnu Mazsalace Pechory Pskov Sl‹tere Kolka Staicele Valga Antsla Salacgriva Aloja National Park Mazirbe Valka ESTONIA Rõuge Matisi E77 Ovisi Mikeltornis Strenci Gulf of R‹ga Moniste Rogosi Latvia euro currency converter Dundaga RUSSIA Kaltene Tuja Trikata B A L T I C Ventspils Limbazi Valmiera Ape S E A E67 Valdemarpils E77 Varve Smiltene Al©ksne Ugale M‡rsrags Igate Skulte Mazstraupe Ilzene Rauna Talsi Saulkrasti C‡sis Gauja Vidzeme Kurzeme Teranda Stende E77 Vilaka Murjani Ve²aki Sigulda Plienciems Gulbene Sabile Kandava Druviena Balvi Alsvanga Nitaure Skujene Velki Kuld‹ga Tukums P„vilosta Kabile J©rmala RŒGA Malpils Rugaji

 E262 Cesvaine 1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt Zemite Kalnciems Salaspils Ozoli Ergli Madona Lubana Mengele Aizpute Dzukste Ogre E77 Ruskalava K„rsava Baldone Liebarde Saikava Skrunda Saldus Zemgale Laudona Stiglava E67 E22 Koknese Dobele Jelgava Lecava Vecmuiza Jaunjelgava Liep„ja Aizkraukle Gostini Varaklani Priekule E22 Auce Ludza Klampji Kiburi Kalnamuiza Dzisji Vilani Pirunsd„le Atasiene R‡zekne Eleja Bauska J‡kabpils Krumini Alsiai Skaistkaine Skuodas Ma¢eikiai Zabare R„zna Zilupe Viesite Livani Lake E77 Malta Kaunata Preili E262 Seda Joniškis Zeimelis Medininkai Salociai E22 Papile Latgale Birzai Nereta www.lonelyplanet.com Gruzdziai Andrupene Rukmuiza Darbenai Tryskiai Akniste Aglona Suvainiskis Daugava Kuršenai Linkuva Palanga Pasvalys Auleja Dagda Subata Telšiai E67 Pandelys Kretinga Plung› Šiauliai Vabalninkas Rokiškis Ilukste Pampenai BELARUS Zarenai LITHUANIA Klaip›da Radvilskis Kupiškis Daugavpils Kraslava E22 Garg¢dai Rietavas Varniai Smilgiai E262 E77 E271 Seduva Dusetos Zarasai Panev›Åys Laukuva Kelme Svedasai To Vilnius (110km); Juodkrantë Sveksna E272 Uzpaliai Kaunas (130km) www.lonelyplanet.com the march, wentahead and drew theevent prime minister publicly condemned Latvian activists. Evenfor gay rights the though march inR get thenegative gist…). ‘peace duke’ soundslike intheirlanguage to (you’ll have toaskaRussian speaker what tured sloganssuch as‘WelcomePeace Duke’ bars posters aroundtown.Thebright fea- anti-Bush posters poppedupincafésand on whichthem.Priorto the visit, tosleep solved theconundrumbyhiring alarge ship governmentcommodate them.TheLatvian big there were hotel notenough bedstoac- more complicated, Bush’sentourage wasso possible sniperbullets!Tomake matters they were toldthiswasaprecaution against windows whenBushwasinthevicinity – to make anysudden movements neartheir to thecountryside. Residentswere asked not fascist protestors inR SSbrigadeandclasheswithanti- of Latvia’s versy –with demonstrationsbyveterans and herdecision created quite acontro- toattend end oftation WWIIcelebrations, leader toacceptMoscow’sinvi- only Baltic first –a gaypride event The Baltics’ President Vaira V ( P way tolearnmore, experience. itisalsoafabulousday-in-the-life Togetthescoop,visit of theirlivingfromsellingit.Followingtheprofessionals onanamberhuntisnotonlyagreat spring andautumnstorms. aportion Amberfishersscourthecoastforsubstanceandmake makes a wonderful photo. The awonderful beadsaremakes displayedatthe ‘amber clock’onthepromenadealongtown’sTirdzeniecibas canal–onabrightdayit beaded ropes,therest astunning4m-high usedtoconstruct to thecity.The piecescame in allshapesandsizes –thebiggestwere threaded into123m celebrationin2003,residents andvisitorsdonated750th birthday more than50litres ofamber of Nida also boastsafineamberexhibit. include amberbeads,broochesand ing backtothe4thmillenniumBChave been uncovered andtraditionalfolkcostumes inLatvia, dzintars Although theprecious fossilisedresin asitisinLithuania, isnotfoundasprolificallyinLatvia THE LATVIAN AMBER ROAD tranquil P fine samples. SouthofVentspils, stoponthecountry’s80kmamberdiscovery thenext route is many finepieceshave washedashore. CheckouttheLivonianOrderCastle ( p256 ) toseesome the staffhowtosetupatrip.The museum also housesanextensive ambercollection. % ā vilosta EthnographyMuseum If youhaven’tasidetriptotheLithuanian-border town amber,take hadyourfillofLatvian The region’s ‘Amber Road’ starts in the northwestern Latvian port townofVentspils,The port Latvian region’s where inthenorthwestern ‘AmberRoad’starts The large, vibrantcityofLiep 342 3286;Barinuiela33;

(amber)isaubiquitousshopstaplethroughoutthecountry.Amberanimalfigurines dat- ( p357). ī ga inJuly 2005–wasamilestone ā vilosta. Large quantitiesofamberoften washashore here, especiallyduringstrong īķ ī euro currency converter ga. e-Freiberga wasthe h ā ja has two not-to-be-missed amberattractions. DuringLiep ja hastwonot-to-be-missed 9am-5pm Mon-Fri).The Liep ( % kniepkeni 379 8276;Dzintaraiela1;  (fastening forwomen’sblouses). 1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt the proposed the proposed EU constitution. formally delineatingtheborder. border, asRussiahasyettosign atreaty Russia regarding issuesover theirmutual and andtensions Latvia between in Latvian, lessons schools in state mustbeconducted 2004stipulatingthat60%ofin September all include acontroversial language lawpassed marriage isillegalundercivillaw. marriage partof theconstitution.Same-sex first step towardsmakingabanonsame-sex ever. 2005parliamenttookthe InSeptember the government’s how- ongayrights, stance large hadlittleimpacton crowds.Theevent surviving peoples of branch of the Balt the surviving andLithuanians are thetwo The Latvians Early History rebellion.downright troubled whirlwind of and fiercestruggle is best describedasa The historyof Latvia HISTORY taken itsplaceontheworldplayers’ map. has Summit, justfurther proof that Latvia R parliamentratified In June2005Latvia’s Other still-to-be-resolved issuesinLatvia ī ga ishostingtheNovember 2006NATO Liep ā ja History & Art Museum( &Art ja History p263 ) sundial h ā ja craftsmen 9am-5pm Mon-Fri)andask . Youcancheckoutthe LATVIA •• History LATVIA ••History ’ s association ā ja’s

174

LATVIA LATVIA R of Bremen, andfounded conquered Latvia crusaders, ledbyBishopvon Buxhoevden Christianity. wouldsubmitandthenrenounce Latvians more missionaries wouldarrive, and more years theirbaptism.Insubsequent wash off the newconverts jumpedinto theriver to hill battle:assoonthemissionaries left, pagan populationtoconvert. Itwasanup- in1190andtriedtopersuade the in Latvia identity. Latvian, ties andbecamemerged or inone Lettish, identi- losttheirseparate gions of Latvia) re-Livs whoinhabited thenortherncoastal tribes (andtoalarge extent theFinno-Ugric centuriesofsucceeding foreign rule,these gava River andnorthernLithuania. During andKurzeme. Zemgale regions: Latgale, their namestoLatvian andCours gave Semigallians The Latgals, andtheCours. theSemigallians Selonians, the (orLatgals), such astheLetts Latvia, intheterritory oftribes whosettled modern divided intoanumberof tribalkingdoms. tives). were Bythe13thcenturyBalts (who are nearest ethnicallytheBalts’ rela- orRussian Slavsmuch later, byBelarusian behindwerepeople whostayed assimilated, inthe19thcentury.) Those was first used which wasderived Sea, Balt, fromtheBaltic neighbouring parts of Russia. (Theterm and from theregion thatisnowBelarus areasoutheastern Baltic around2000BC are tohaveBalts thought spread intothe Indo-European ethnolinguisticgroup.The 175 1252, became theleader of thechurch in R 1253and 1420. country’s historybetween andcityauthorities dominated the knights R sold westwardfrom Russia through honey andwaxwere amongtheproducts merchant guild)in1282. Furs,eval hides, and joiningtheHanseatic (a medi- League Russia andtheWest from tradebetween thriving major Baltic, cityintheGerman first periodof rule,R German followed,andduringthe northern Germany forsubjugatingLivonia. Colonistsfrom base Knights ofKnights theSword,whomadeR ī ī ga. Von Buxhoevden also foundedthe ga. Von Buxhoevden ga’s bishop, elevated toarchbishopga’s bishop, elevated in In 1201,atthebehestof thepope,German The first Christianmissionariesarrived theDau- between settled The Selonians are descendedfromthose The Latvians Power struggles between the church, between Power struggles LATVIA ••History euro currency converter ī ga becamethe ī ga their ī ga.  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt the people stayed calm,the violence drewthe people stayed theparliament inR ever, five peopleandinjuring hundreds. How- Interior Ministry buildingin R 20 January 1991.Soviet troopsstormed the 1990 elections,but Russia barged backinon the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. to Tallinn, tomarkthe50thanniversary of human chain R fromVilnius,through Lithuanians andEstonians formeda650km 23 August1989, twomillionLatvians, thantwomonthsof Less later, on Latvia. the groupcalledforfullindependence grass-roots supportandon31May 1989 cial andpoliticalgroups,garnered much resenting theinterests so- of manyLatvian politicalscene.of ThePLF,rep- theLatvian totheforefront (PLF)quickly rose of Latvia in thesummerof 1988.ThePopularFront tions. Newpoliticalorganisations emerged to commemorate the1941Siberiadeporta- people ralliedatR cupation wason14June1987,when 5000 The first public protest againstSoviet oc- Road toIndependence 40 years. andoccupiedthecountryforanother Latvia 1 July1941. capturedthis period.TheGermans R Jewish populationsuffered greatly during were killedordeported. 75,000 Latvians The many from1941to1945,whenanestimated tions, 5000of whomwere Jews, toSiberia. mass killingsandabout 35,000deporta- Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, nationalisation, Russia. (1700–21), after which itbecamepartof the countryuntilGreat Northern War in1629andoccupied Latvia den colonised wasfirmlyrooted. Swe- and Catholicism independence from1253to1420. ties thatmanaged adegree tomaintain of merchant-dominatedGerman cityauthori- remainder of Livonia and Estonia,with whocontrolled mostofwith knights, the his bishops.Thechurch clashedconstantly of LivoniaandEstoniaindirectly through slice of Livoniadirectly andfurtherareas conqueredthe German lands,rulingagood The PLFwonabig majority in theMarch At theendof WWIItheSoviets reclaimed wasthenoccupiedbyNaziGer-Latvia Soviet occupationbeganin1939 withthe wasconquered byPolandin1561 Latvia ī ga’s Freedom Monument www.lonelyplanet.com ī ga was barricaded, ī ga, killing ī ga on ga on ī ga, hungry for economic stability, Latvia became became Latvia hungry foreconomic stability, northeastern border. wide, 85km-long sliver of territory down its Abrene (Russian: Pytalovo) region –a15km- change reluctantly cedingthe forLatvia independence was achieved in 1996ex- ing asprimeminister. headlines. silentlydisappeared fromtheworld’s Latvia but withtheexceptionof milestones, these 1993, countriesinSeptember three Baltic since before WWII.Thepopevisited all in theOlympicGamesforfirst time competed independentlyIn 1992Latvia andcurrencies.their ownpostage stamps their newfoundnationhood,such asissuing steps toconsolidateUN andbegantaking with EstoniaandLithuania,joinedthe on 21August1991. declared fullindependence omy andLatvia ical strangleholdagainstfull-fledged auton- thepolit- inMoscow loosened Gorbachev ence movements. lukewarm independ- support to theBaltic ing toweaken further,gave Gorbachev only theWest,notwant- However, the USSR. voted infavour ofin Latvia from secession in February andMarch 1991,bigmajorities immediate threat subsided.Inreferendums Western condemnationof Moscowandthe www.lonelyplanet.com Elections that year saw AndrisS Elections thatyear saw bankingsystem had disappeared. Latvia’s time theblood-letting wasover, 40% of life savings –thecrisisspread, andbythe deprived of ofand thousands Latvians their 204millionlati inliabilities –staggering biggest commercialbank wentbust.Witha crashin1995,whenLatvia’s Bank the Baltija game of prime-minister roulette followed ment lurched fromcrisistocrisis,anda he heldfortwoterms. Savieniba waselected president –anoffice ter. Zemnieku GuntisUlmanisof Latvijas try’s first postindependenceprimeminis- Ce moderateright nationalistparty, Latvijas elections. Valdis Birkavs, of the centre- first democratic Latvia’s June 1993saw Towards Europe evu o Rsin ar-atig and sabre-rattling Russian of Nervous Formal Russian recognition of Latvian along 1991Latvia, On 17September A 19August1991coupattempt against The country’spostindependencegovern- ļ š (LC; Latvian Way)becamethecoun- š (LC; Latvian euro currency converter ķē le emerg-  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt events, and wasthe languageevents, forallpublicly was also made obligatory atmajor public atpublicfunctions. Latvian Latvian to use peoplehad and self-employed enterprises law’s requirements, of employees private made international headlines. Amongthe law thatinvited criticism fromtheEUand ment approved acontroversial language parlia- dom. Three days later theLatvian Party, theLC and ForFatherland andFree- thanalifelong resident.Latvia to claimshe wasless‘in tune’withthereal year before herelection,promptingcritics citizenship the hand, sheonlytookLatvian petty politicalconnections.Onthe other unburdened by andassumedoffice Latvia experience inamultiethnicdemocracy to resident,Canadian V election allthemore unusual.Along-time in thefirst roundof voting–madeherfinal the five presidential candidates –allvoted out government formedbyS ment asPMatthe headof aconservative signed, promptingAndrisS 1999 PrimeMinister VilisKristopansre- during herfirst daysinoffice. On5July including NATO. integration intoWestern Baltic institutions, Partnership, inwhich itgave itssupportto Charternations, bysigningtheUS-Baltic of aswelltheothertwoBaltic port forLatvia, ously, andtheUSApubliclypledged itssup- to eastwardexpansionbyNATO, thanprevi- noying Russia,which wasfiercelyopposed lessconcernedaboutan- the Westseemed desperate tojoinNATO andtheEU. By1998 Soviet inJanuary partisan 2000. imprisonmentof aformerWWII Latvia’s pendence wasspurnedbyYeltsin following secure itsinde- his roleinhelpingLatvia former Russian president BorisYeltsin for tothe Europe. AmedalawardedbyLatvia gion’s future unityandintegration with warning itwasposingadanger tothere- political andeconomicpressure onLatvia, topubliclycondemnRussia’s dent of Latvia and Lithuaniajoinedforceswiththepresi- May 1998,whenthepresidents of Estonia The factthatV woman president of anex-USSRcountry. current presidentLatvia’s andthefirst Ulmanis defeated byVaira V V Latvia made worldheadlinesagainin Latvia Presidential Guntis electionsin1999saw īķ e-Freiberga challenge facedatough īķ e-Freiberga wasnotamong LATVIA •• History LATVIA ••History īķ e Freiberga brought ķē ķē īķ le’s People’s le’s appoint- e-Freiberga,

176 LATVIA LATVIA pupils were inwasLatvian. beingtaught By 2004theprimarylanguage that school alonetodecideitsstate language.Latvia that itwasupto port fromtheEUsaying working language, andastatementof sup- tobeitsonly parliament declaringLatvian mediate amendmenttotheconstitutionby Theresponse wasanim- alongside Latvian. language state Russian bemadeanofficial R Co-operation inEurope(OSCE)official and after anOrganizationloose forSecurity of months previously allhellhadbroken NATO, decreeing thattheydon’t.Acouple theadviceof2002 withparliament,heeding official state language, climaxinginmid- forpoliticaloffice should speakthe standing out 2001debate raged astowhetherthose Through- of level speak acertain Latvian. professions hadto intheprivate sector ers, telephone operators andahostof other late 2000stipulated thatlawyers, driv- taxi other amendmenttothelanguage lawin withtheEU. accessiontalks start wasinvited to yearLatvia 1999, thesame ment. ThelawwasamendedinDecember itbacktoparlia- thebillandsent vetoed sive international pressure, V displayed signsandnotices.Heeding mas- 177 nians. Atfirst glance folks appear abit flamboyant Lithuanians and calmEsto- temperament fromtheirneighbours, the are inhabitants very differentLatvia’s in NationalPsyche The THE CULTURE cil raised oldR cil raised thecitycoun- birthday. Toheraldtheevent, celebrated in 2001asthecapital its 800th Russia andbetter times to come. huge of expectations asecure border with amid to 10newmembers, includingLatvia, was awardedin1997). capital Latvia’s struck offtheWorldHeritage List(astatus that itwasnotunheardof forcitiestobe prompted asubtlewarningfrom Unesco enveloping mercial development the oldcity, This, coupledwiththeheadyrash of com- plete fabricationonthepartof architects. city’s originaltownhallbutinfact acom- onthe new townhalltoo–allegedly based a fromtheashesandbuiltitself Blackheads ī ga hadsuggested toV Merriment spilledacrossR But the language issueremained hot.An- On 1May 2004,the EU openeditsdoors LATVIA ••TheCulture ī ga’s 14th-century House of ga’s 14th-centuryHouse euro currency converter īķ e-Freiberga that īķ ī e-Freiberga ga’s streets  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt the fourth-slowest-growing country inthe 1999 and 2000and made Latvia between clining population, which dropped 13.8% are Russianand 41.2%Latvian. Ventspils R andthe capital, in each of theirmain cities. are stillaminoritygroup fact thatLatvians country’s historyof oppression –andthe consideringthe hardly surprising,however, hail or3mof snow.Thisguardednature is each day,comerain, tosunset from sunrise in Daugavpils, J make uplessthan50%of thepopulation out therest of thedemographics. Latvians and asmallJewish community (0.4%)round sians (4%),Ukrainians (2.6%),Poles(2.5%) (compared to32.8%in 1995)andBelaru- count for29.1%of population thetotal Russiansac- 58.3% are ethnicallyLatvian. Of population of 2.33million,just Latvia’s Population found inR prising, predominately Russianpopulation bytheenterfollowing theexampleset - of countries,perhaps allthreesense Baltic entrepreneurialperhaps thebest-developed have InadditionLatvians less commentary. provokemight butharm- somemildlysexist the West,sofemale drivers, forinstance, women are lessemancipated than in atad occasions. Latvian funerals andothersad of flowers! Even numbers for are reserved bouquet –butmake sure it’sanoddnumber it’snicetobringa some otherspecialevent, like flowers; ifyougotoabirthdaypartyor ous grasssnake) livinginthehome. Latvians as luckytohave agreen snake (nonvenom- it’scounted past. Inmanyruralhouseholds itions andcustomsreach backtotheirpagan generally adoreLatvians nature –theirtrad- Lifestyle stone infrontof R armed Guardsof rigidas Honourstanding stoicism canbegleanedbywatching the their stoicfaçade. Aprimeexampleof this discover asteely strength hiddenbeneath you’ll into friendship, butifyousucceed withdrawn peoplewhohave tobecoaxed are a enthusiasm asyou’dexpect.Latvians owners maynotgreet youwithasmuch from strangers onthestreets, shop andeven Youwon’thearmanyhellosstandoffish. Of particular concernisthe country’sde- ī ga. ga. ū rmala, Liep ī ga’s freedom monument www.lonelyplanet.com ī ga, where 43.7% ā ja, R ē zekne, (mainly Russians)–automaticallybecame including about300,000nonethnicLatvians Republicandtheirdescendants– Latvian proclaimed thatresidents of thepre-1940 Upon gainingindependence,thenewstate contentious –andcomplicated –issues. most oneofCitizenship hasbeen Latvia’s Multiculturalism Britain. and Germany lowed byAustralia,Canada, and after WWII.Mostlive intheUSA, fol- the turnof the20thcentury,andduring countries asaresult of emigrationaround children are bornintoone-parent families. marriages endindivorceandalmost40%of inEurope:morethe highest than60%of per 1000inhabitants. world’s lowestcrudebirthrate: ninebirths isreckoned32.2 deaths), tohave Latvia the at 20.3births per1000people (compared to main factorisanextremely lowbirth-rate – of ethnicRussiansbacktoRussia, butthe world. Someof thisisduetothemigration www.lonelyplanet.com Up to 200,000 Latvians live inWestern Up to200,000Latvians remains The divorcerate among inLatvia about animalswith human attributes are common. home. Trees, flowers andanimals are alsofeatured folklore, prominentlyin Latvian andstories rainy day. Storksare anothersymbolof luck,especiallyifthe birddecidesto nest nearaLatvian havechildren better born undersunnyskies luckthanthose whoenter theworldonagrey or asymbolofthedisappearance oftheirsoul.Itisalsobelieved thatdies, thestarfallsto earth, born anewstarappears andstaysboundtothechildthroughout theirlife. Whentheperson a lifetime ofhappiness! mythical fern flower, whichsupposedlyonlybloomsonthis night–findingtheflowerensures sung, dancesdanced andthosespecialcheeses,beers piesconsumed.Lovers seek outthe giant Tohelp people stayawake bonfireswith ayearofbad luck. are lit,traditionalfolksongs heads. Legend hasitthatifyousleepbefore thesunhassunkandrisenagainyou’llberiddled Men adornthemselves withoak-leaf crowns,whilewomenwearwreathes offlowersontheir familiessafeherbs, meanttobringgoodluckandkeep fromevilspirits,are hungaroundhomes. andpineforests. amidlakes party Specialbeers,cheeseandpiesare prepared, andflowers biggest celebration,withfestivities beginning on23June. People flocktothecountryside andwild,bewitchingflowers andferns,ran naked peopleandanimals. TodayJ summer’s Day,orJ the mournerhomeunlessalllivingfootprints were erased. footprints. This stems practice fromtheancientbeliefthatspirit ofthedeadcouldfollow and you’llnoticethesandypathsaround thegravestones are voidofany meticulouslyraked, pagan times,playintegral life rolesintraditionalLatvian tothisday.Step cemetery intoaLatvian as welcomegifts, culture Latvian isrichinfolklore. Customs andrituals,manydatingback to From themyth of LATVIAN FOLKLORE Latvian folkloreLatvian hasstrongtiestothenaturalworld. Manylocalsbelieve that whenachildis Another ancient tradition, still embraced wholeheartedly today,isthecelebrationof Another ancienttradition,stillembraced wholeheartedly Mid- L āč āņ pl i. Inpagantimes,thiswasanightof magic andsorcerywhen witches euro currency converter ē sis (the BearSlayer)tothecustomofonly giving oddnumbersof flowers  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt service employees. service citizenship, aswere formerSoviet secret- wereisation, understandably barred from after demobil- inLatvia soldiers, settled citizens of FormerSoviet modernLatvia. citizens. This was widely seen asunjust. citizens. Thiswaswidelyseen they werein the1993electionsbecause not Russian speakers –were notallowedtovote population andthevastmajority of native- community inLatvia. pro vok ing an outcryfromthelarge Russian aged upto25in1997,andsoon), those aged from16to20couldapplyin1996, residents times(onlyLatvian-born certain of agesonly those certain couldapplyat tion, andtake aloyaltyoath.Additionally, language, historyandconstitu- on Latvia’s for atleastfive years, mustpassatestLatvia that would-be citizensmust have lived in ship through naturalisation –aprocess naturalisation ship through irrespective of age, couldapplyforcitizen- who couldapply,meaningallnoncitizens, repealed theharsh ‘windows’restriction on But otherresidents 35%of –roughly the Citizenship rules passed in 1994 stated in1994stated Citizenship rulespassed Finally, in 1998 the Latvian parliament Finally, in1998theLatvian LATVIA ••TheCulture āņ i isLatvia’s

178 LATVIA LATVIA ence, the 12,500-seat Arenaence, the12,500-seat R projects sinceindepend- launched inLatvia the-art arena. Oneof thelargest construction thecountryconstructedevent, astate-of- Championships in 2006.Toprepare forthe rawenthusiasm! some seriously andcheer theirhometeam onwith cut loose bunch, butafter afewa reserved pintsthey’ll maybe and jointhechaotic party:Latvians nationalteam is playing when theLatvian ested inthesport,stopbyapubonnight broadcastingthematch. Ifyou’re inter-TVs pubs, theireyeslocked onthegiant-screen fanspackR devoted game nights Championships, are followed.Onbig closely cially duringtheIIHFWorldIce Hockey games,espe- national team, andtelevised are totheir fiercelydevoted fans, Latvians country drawonlyafew hundred hard-core the leaguegamesthroughout Although sportingforte remainsLatvia’s ice hockey. the USA-based NationalHockey League, to ithasexported its toptalent Though SPORT language andhistory. Latvian or failed,therequired test naturalisation in theyhavecitizens’, because eitherrefused, the population)are stillclassifiedas‘non- and native-Russian speakers (about25%of andtodaymoreever, than450,000Russians ratified byparliamentinJanuary 1999. around 1000amonth.Thelawwasfinally applicationstripledtodum waspassed, waiting forcitizenship.After thereferen- breathed of asigh relief. Sotoodidthose groups peal, andEuropeanhuman-rights voters narrowlyapprovedLatvian there- elections. to betwinnedwithparliamentary publicsupport forareferendumsufficient citizens. parents after 1991whose wereLatvia non- automatic citizenshiptochildren bornin history.Thelawalsogranted about Latvian requiring andanexam atest inLatvian 179 a half! 2005 andsold outwithin thefirst hour and championships in September went onsale figure: 17,000 ticket packages forthe 2006 checkto thesport onanationallevel outthis are To get Latvians anideajust howdevoted forbothconcerts andsportingevents. used Latvia hosted theIIHFWorldIceHockey Latvia The problemisfarfromresolved, how- Fierce oppositiontothechanges raised LATVIA ••Sport euro currency converter ī ga isbeing ī ga’s sports  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt in Olympichistory. female shewasthetallest player 2.1m tall, aninternational game. lose team never At 1980) inan18-yearcareer her thatsaw Olympic goldsfortheUSSRin1976and and wonover 45medals(includingtwo monova wasborninDaugavpils in1952 players of alltime. OfRussian origin,Se- ranksamongthebestfemaleSemonova basketballLithuania. playerUljana Latvian its followingisnotquite aslarge asin competitions. Europe’s longest, playshosttointernational sport andSigulda’sbobsled track,oneof (100,000) and Old Believers (70,000). (100,000) and OldBelievers by Lutheran (300,000), Russian Orthodox 500,000 adherents,with roughly followed Church hasthelargestCatholic following their power. today,theRoman In Latvia platform, andchurches began toreassert religious freedom as a core of itspolitical toa revival. ThePLFincludedthe right 1980s, faith-based practicesexperienced intheviet stranglehold beganto loosen concert hallsand cinemas.WhentheSo- buildings such asmuseums,into secular clergy andconverting places of worship by killingordeportingmanypriests and regime attempted tosuppress thefaithful practice of anykindwascondemned.The asathreat,church andreligious wasseen ing theSoviet occupation,the powerof the inthetownofhim stands Al toErnest Glück,andamemorialmuseum in 1689.ItstranslatorwastheReverend Lutheran. whileotherareasRoman Catholic, are was underthePolishempire, tends tobe whichhistorical pattern: eastern Latvia, todaylargelyanity practised followsa dominant religion. Thetypeof Christi- lowing centuryfirmlyentrenched itasthe of12th century,andthecrusades thefol- cient traditions. an- these 1920s triedtorevive andpreserve amovementliving things,though inthe lief innaturaldeitiesandthedivinityof all ancient religion, onabe- which wasbased Christianity longagosuperseded Latvia’s RELIGION Basketball alsodrawscrowds, though Bobsledding isanotherpopularwinter The first Latvian BiblewaspublishedThe first Latvian intheChristianity first cametoLatvia www.lonelyplanet.com ū ksne. Dur- festival. Pakalnina’s film 1998film attheCannes selection an official film Pakalnina,include Laila 1998feature whose Festival in1994.Otherfilmmakers of note ond prizeattheChicagoInternational Film in animation;itsfilm independence. film studiosthathave stepped upsince today, inpartduetothedozenorsoother films duringSoviet times,islesssuccessful .rigafilmstudios.com) tion. Thestate-owned off, withoccasionalinternational recogni- filmmakinghastaken out in1940,Latvian Zvejnieka d first full-lengthsoundfilm, Since Latvia’s Cinema country’s artandmusicscene. folklore playsanintegralLatvian roleinthe ARTS www.lonelyplanet.com Production studio Dauka is Latvia’s leader leader Production studioDaukaisLatvia’s age within Europe). copiesofthefilms, someofwhichhavemake English subtitles,for €17to€20(plus €30post- carries on underhisname,however, andcontinuesto produce documentaries. The studiocan that inmanywayspredicted thecollapseofSoviet monolith. and early‘90s,Podniekshisfilmcrew tirelessly worked toproduceriveting documentaries had thatrare gift therighttime. ofbeingattherightplaceexactly During the1970s,‘80s filmdirectorLatvian JurisPodnieks,arguably intheformerUSSR, themostinfluentialfilmmaker JURIS PODNIEKS diving accident. The opened on7February. vandalising atrainafter arockconcert. cinematictriumphwas managingtroubled youth.His togetfootageofsomeyouthfulLatvians records –andwooedan international the Soviet crowdof28million–bydepicting Union’s 1975. Hebeganfirstasacameraman and rosequickly,becomingadirector in1979. in thecrossfire. Endowedwithnewand sombre meaning Interior. TwoofPodnieks’crew heard theconfrontationandranouttofilm it. Bothwere killed the workers’ strike inaYaroslavl strike the workers’ factory. oftheSoviet Union,fromtheBalticpolicetobroadcast intheUSA,painted agloomyportrait and slippedbackto R tower.of theVilnius TV Heandhis assistant,thoughcaughtinthecrossfire, escaped unharmed in Vilnius on 11January1991topresent turbulent events ofJanuary1991,however, clearlyrequired anaddendum. WhenPodniekswas the early1990s. The film The Shoe, Born inR Podnieks diedjust a littlemore thanayearlater, on23June1992,inamidsummerscuba- Another Podnieks landmark was the five-part 1989series Another Podniekslandmarkwasthe five-part Podnieks’ breakthrough film was1986’s Nine dayslater ashoot-out tookplace inR Even were more important ē ls ī (TheFisherman’sSon),came ga in 1950, Podnieks worked inaR ga in1950,Podnieksworked about occupied Latvia, was was aboutoccupiedLatvia, , prominentforitsfeature The Cat’s Mill Juris Podnieksstudio ī euro currency converter ga withtheirfootage. R ī Homeland ga Film Studio The Mail Homeland wascompleted andduetobereleased inFebruary 1991.The wonsec- shows

and (www Homeland Is ItEasy toBeYoung? HomelandPostscript ( %  ī ga as Soviet troops stormed the Ministry ofthega asSoviet troopsstormed theMinistry 1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt ī 721 6967; [email protected]; Citadelesiela2,LV-1010 R ga studioafter graduatingfromfilm schoolin Latvian bandBrainstorm,Renars Kaupers.Latvian ing summersolstice,stars theleadsinger of haunt theirkiller. dur- Thefilm,partlyset the victimsof outto aformerKGBagent set Nazi andSoviet occupiers during WWII,as the pricklyissue of localcollaboration with of the OldParish Church festivals andmore. films,directors,of informationonLatvian 1994. Strei an AcademyAwardforbestforeign filmin at SanRemoin1992andwasnominated for Soviet-occupied wontheGrandPrix Latvia, about aboygrowingupandfallinginlove in their blendof irony andcomedy.Thelatter, The Child of Man Colour of SummerSolstice Night turbulentpast. to Latvia’s has producedanumberof filmspertinent lonely delivery of themorningmail. bythe assymbolised the isolationof Latvia, , hewasonthescenetofilmstorming The website www.latfilma.lv hasawealth Latvian director J Latvian , Homeland č Hello DoYouHear Us? s’ more recent film, , which broke Soviet, whichbroke box-office , whichcaptured theevents of (1991)remain popularfor and ā nis Strei Homeland Postscript LATVIA •• Arts LATVIA ••Arts (2000),addresses Limousine inthe The series, The Mystery (1981) and (1981)and č s (1936–) ī ga)

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LATVIA LATVIA loguing folktunes,somedatingback 1000 century. In1869J form didnotcomeabout untilthemid-19th recognition of art musicasanestablished culture, the integral although roleinLatvian Traditional folksongshave alwaysplayedan &Dance Music nationalepic– Latvia’s Literature 181 another major writer of fairytales. rural life. K dramasandwell-lovedfairy-tale of tales Anna Brigadere (1861–1933)wrote many mostpopularplays. is stilloneof Latvia’s Days inSilma comic andtragicplays;amongthem, psychologically penetratingnovelettes and Bear Slayer ment of triumph.Theanticipated rebirth of drown intheDaugava River atthemo- onlyto BlackKnight, enemy, aGerman againsthis folk stories.Theherostruggles ontraditionalLatvian century –isbased ten by Andr morous portrayal of Latvian characters.morous portrayalof Latvian Kaudz and 1870sbythebrothers ReinisandMatiss of the LandSurveyors novel,freedom. Thefirst Latvian R and even Portuguese! Frenchbelting out lyricsinEnglish,Latvian, a few well-known covers, andhasMarie N My Own endeavour, released in2004andtitled managed torecord afew albums. Herlatest Europe, theUSA andCanada andeven tion of young singer. Shestarred inaR their share ofmomentousmomentsforthe and Brazil.The lastfew years have brought as farawaySaudiArabia,SouthAfrica single following thecontest whenherwinning N) hittheworldmusicsceneinabig way Naumova (whogoesbythenameMarie priortoherwin,unknown outsideLatvia vision SongContest inTallinn. Relatively 25 May2002,thedayshewonEuro- Marija Naumova’s life changedforever on LIFE AFTEREUROVISION 2002 LATVIA ••Arts ū dolfs Blaumanis(1863–1908)wrote ī te, hasbecomeaclassicforitshu- I Wanna… The SoundofMusic , features original songs,along with , however, leaves, however, hopefornew ā ē rlis Skalbe(1879–1945)was js Pumpurs inthemid-19th č i (SkroderdienasSilma wasreleased incountries ā nis Cimzestarted cata- , written inthe1860s euro currency converter Bear , playedclubsin

ī Slayer ga produc- The Time Tailor’s , writ- On č os)  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt and operas. His son,Mart Kristi from filmscoreseverything tosymphonies Kal State Conservatory, in themid-’70s. Agraduate of theLatvian of thecountry’sfirst rockband, Menuets, Imants Kallectic composer really couldsing. that Latvia Brainstorm’s third placewasnotafluke and to tell theworldthat Song Contest served Naumova (Marie N)inthe2002Eurovision first albuminEnglish breaking intotheEuropeanmarket withits is thebest-knownbandoutside Latvia, mix of rhythmandblues. withher ist tolisten outforisLindaLeen lead singer of the‘art rock’ band Autobuss surprise winof Russian-R surprise sexy in abriefbutsuccessfulfilmcareer. The has alsoindulged known hitsongs,‘MyStar’, Kaupers, whowrote oneof the band’s best- singer Renars the Cranberriesin2002.Lead Contest in2000,andgoingontourwith 1999, finishingthirdintheEurovision Song R Bite contribute anewwave soundtothe 1994, whiletheeccentricKarl andCuckoo- represented byHotAcoustic,formedin Sarovaja Molnija sings inEnglishandRussianonitsalbum bands tomake itbiginrock.Rebelnotably since thelate 1980s)were amongthefirst onthescene Dr Blues,abandthathadbeen mainstream rockers Rebel(formedoutof thequalityof(although musicisvaried). the smallestpubsofteneven hostlive acts perform initslively bars and clubs, Artists comefromacrossthecountryto rock’n’rollscene.heart andsoulof Latvia’s third-largest city,Liep many bigannualfestivals ( p266 ). Latvia’s forindependence. tofight Latvians and becamepartof thebattlecrythatrallied of nationalidentityandpride, strong sense the songfestivals were inforging pivotal a folk music.DuringtheSoviet occupation gether inhuge choirs tocelebrate traditional tival, where of thousands singers joinedto- first songfes-became thebasisforLatvia’s lected workswere sunginschool choirs and melodies quicklygainedpopularity.Hiscol- years, andhiscollectionof about20,000 ī ga clubscene. Amore recent female vocal- The godfather of Latvian rockistheec- The godfatherof Latvian Patra Vetra, calledBrainstorm, otherwise Perkons (Thunder)andaward-winning Today musicisvery popularand there are (1999).Acousticbluesis ā (Among the Suns) www.lonelyplanet.com ja, isconsidered the ņ ins has written ņ ins, founder ā ī gan Marija ns Kal ņ ins, in in Gypsy legends. and forhisstrikingpaintingsinspired by known forhistranslationsof Romapoetry to becomeminister of culture (1988–93). Philharmonic inthelate 1960s.He later rose State orchestra conductorfortheLatvian Pauls, music music sceneisRaimonds light music. Anothermajor figure intheLatvian 1995GrandPrixin winner of theLatvian tionally renowned conductorMariss Jansons, leadingfemale soloists. is amongLatvia’s century figures inclassicalmusic.IngaKalna Alfr Wihtol(J Joseph posers regarded.Orchestra ishighly Songcom- Soviet NationalSymphonic years. TheLatvia nikov Godunov andAleksander duringthe R 1996 after renovation, isthehome of the 2001, isanothernametolookoutfor. porary artisttowatch for. Karlis Rud materials. Ivars Poikansisanothercontem- garbage andotherunwanted and assembles teresting artists.He modernLatvian collects ism. OlegsTillbergs isoneof themostin- debes www.lonelyplanet.com Vidzeme, the northeast; Latgale, the south- Vidzeme, the northeast; Latgale, Lithuania tothesouth. R tothe east and north, Russia andBelarus tonian islandof Saaremaa. bythe Es- shielded from theopensea Sea the Gulfof R good halfof 494km coastfaces itssweeping east towestthan fromnorthtosouth.A isalotwiderfrom neighbours,Baltic Latvia than Ireland. Unlike itsrelatively compact is64,589sqkminarea –alittlesmaller Latvia Land The ENVIRONMENT J Arts Visual Purv scape artistsof thetime. Both–especially and J sionism andArtNouveau. VilhelmsPurv portraits, withsomeinfluencefromimpres- tury hepainted life scenesof and peasant painter.Latvian Attheturnof the20thcen- of R of Daugava River, just inlandfromthe Gulf ā ī nis Rozent ga Ballet, which produced Mikhail Barysh- which producedMikhail ga Ballet, Contemporary classicistsincludeinterna- reopenedThe NationalOperaHouse, in Latvia’s borders include Estoniatothe Latvia’s ē ī ī ds Kalni ā tis –were influencedbyimpression- ī ga. Thecountry has fourregions: nis Valters were land- theoutstanding s, which itsdebutalbumin released ā ī ņ ls wasreally thefirst major ga, a deep inlet of ga, adeep theBaltic s are early-20th- important euro currency converter ā zeps V ī ga lieson the ī tols) and ē vics is vics is ī tis tis  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt tional parks and reserves are tional parksand reserves the following. ural ecosystems. The most noteworthy na- around the country,aimed atrestoring nat- volved nature-protection inseveral projects in Kurzeme’s Sl the country.Thecountry’soldestforest, ern Kurzemethemostforested partsof scape, withnorthernVidzemeandnorth- ForestsWildlife dominate land- 44%of Latvia’s the west. thecentre; andKurzeme,east; Zemgale, Latvia’s highest point,Gaizi highest Latvia’s over itistoppedby 200mintheBaltics; is thelargest of expanse landwithelevation reserves are established. reserves becoming protected asnew nature parksand An increasingly large area of thecountryis National Parks& Reserves 5640; www.wwf.lv; Elizabetes iela8-4,R 900 planttypes. ecosystem, andisthebreeding groundfor The Gauja NationalPark alsohasavibrant 23 forest typesandthree typesof swamp. orchids. Thisnationalparkaloneprotects rarewith acalcium-rich bogandseveral protected since1921,isabroad-leafforest to 48typesof mammal.Southof Liep GaujaNationalParkin Latvia). ishome 2000and 4000livepopulations (between waters, alongthecoastsandlarge seals otter guidance. There are alsobeavers oninland not likely tobump intoanywithoutsome forests invaryingnumbers, you’re although afewand even bears inhabitthecountry’s local guide. wildboar, wolves Elks,deer, of atermination and,often, theservices them inthewildrequires patience,de- seeing anywhere inEurope,although else tries, hasmore large wildmammalsthan Gauja NationalPark. and buildsnestsinthe also foundinLatvia of Western Europe. Therarer blackstorkis the twocountrieshave more storksthanall tion. Infact,inconjunctionwithLithuania, country alsohasalarge white stork popula- Pape.doned farmlandaroundLake The once roamedfree inEurope–onaban- horses –descendantsof wildhorses that Nature (WWF)hasreintroduced konick branch ofLatvia’s theWorldwideFundfor The Vidzeme Upland in eastern Latvia The VidzemeUplandineastern Latvia Latvia, along with the other Baltic coun- alongwiththeotherBaltic Latvia, LATVIA ••Environment ī tere NationalPark and WWF Latvia ņ ī kalns (312m). kalns (312m). ga LV-1010)

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750 ja, LATVIA LATVIA pollution-induced damage to someof Old mits R Municipal AirControl Management ad- Latvia’s efforts, €23 million. Despite these up tolast until2010and estimated tocost city’s long-term plan,drawn environmental gen dioxide omissions are all partof the tem todecrease sulphur dioxide andnitro- and theconstruction of anew heatingsys- airmonitoring Sea, dumped intheBaltic aimed atreducing the amountof sewage a huge cleanup:a newwater- supply system dustinthelate 1980s,haswitnessed potash gavpils andLiep generated byindustrialcentres such asDau- hashelpedreduceGermany thepollution –isaclassicexample.development but nowthreatened byforestry andproperty Soviet border-control limits postonceoff coastline innorthernKurzeme– a former today thanduringSoviet times: theLivonian Ironically, someareas are threatened more pollution problems are nowbeingaddressed. up theenvironmentapriorityand Latvia’s national organisations have madecleaning governmentence theLatvian andvarious of water andairpollution. Sinceindepend- levels plantsanddamsledtohigh droelectric construction of manufacturingcentres, hy- impactofonmental endeavours such asthe cupation andthefailure toaddress theenvir- duringtheSoviet industrialisation oc- Rapid Environmental Issues 183 Financial assistance fromScandinaviaFinancial assistance and Tei NationalParkGauja (p226) MrcaaNtr eev p5) qk pr fLk sa&issoe fsig umr summer fishing Usma&itsshores ofLake part 8sqkm Sl (p251) Nature Reserve Moricsala (p138) Nature Reserve Krustkalni ainlpr rrsre ra etrs ciiis Besttime Activities Features 149sqkm Abava Valley Nature Park (p255) Area National parkorreserve to NATIONAL PARKS &RESERVES visit Ķ mr ainlPr p5) 428sqkm NationalParkemeri (p252) LATVIA ••Food&Drink ī nature reserve & Sabile etn rudfr idn birding manybirdspecies nestinggroundfor speciesofflora &boardwalksacrossbogs hiking manybirdspecies,nature trails eeNtoa ak(24 6 qk catl& itrad hkn sme summer hiking coastal&hinterland 164sqkm tere NationalPark (p254) č i Nature Reserve (p238) i Nature Reserve ī ga’s air isstill unhealthy and that ā ja. Ventspils, smothered in

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h ml on fKnaa hkn summer hiking the smalltownsofKandava avasods oet elns idn, sme summer birding, oldestforest, wetlands, Latvia’s  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt ectives by2010. dir-fully complyingwithEUenvironmental tions, andthegovernment iscommitted to of obliga- with itanewset environmental 2004entranceintotheEUbrought Latvia’s energy accountingformost of thisfigure. inthismanner,withhydroelectric tained rently 40%of thecountry’senergy isob- renewable sourcestogenerate energy. Cur- other areas isstillquestionable. and Liep awarded tobeaches inJ Flag (awater safety rating;see p34 ) hasbeen in theGulfof R the Daugava River andmakingswimming ities are reducing theflowof into sewage (although it’s starting tobetackled). it’sstarting (although ping inbacon grease and smelling of onion roasting meats, salted fish,boiled peas drip- withamelangewill beassaulted of smells: eatery andyour noseStep intoa Latvian Staples & Specialities berries andvegetables are allstaples. bacon, alongwith dairyproducts,grains, providing variety. Fish andmeat,especially cuisineisof thehearty,sustenance-Latvian andasaresult inLatvia, nomic mainstays FOOD &DRINK Farming andfishinghave eco- longbeen R ī ga’s historicbuildingsremains aproblem Latvia is making a concerted effort to use touse ismakingaconcerted effort Latvia R ī ga’s upgradedsewage treatment facil- ā ja, butthesafety of swimmingin ī ga safer. TheEuropeanBlue www.lonelyplanet.com ū rmala, Ventspils r ar s popular starters inmanyplaces.Ifthey’re dients inmanydishes. biezpiens vians consumealotof dairyproducts,and are only someof thevariedofferings. Lat- www.lonelyplanet.com another staple, andyouwillfind another staple, most every menu,andoftenmost every vary. production facilities. and manyfarmshave beehives andhoney are intrepiddelicacy. Latvians beekeepers Honeyisanother popular at thelittlestalls. nuts replace strawberriesandraspberries fresh-picked mushrooms,cranberries and outside thetownpub.During autumn where, fromthesideof to thehighway you’ll findfresh every- strawberrystalls anding isalmostanationalobsession, with cabbage andboiledegg. other favourite, andusuallycomestuffed (soups) and can youbuydill-flavoured crisps?) on almostallsavoury dishes.(Where else favourite herbandissprinkledliberally tobeLatvia’s popular dish. Dillseems Ž salted; and or ring), three. could easilymake amealoutof twoor are you popularsnacks,although potatoes (pancakes) withcheese, meatsor stuffed cepts ū ā gušpiens During thesummermonths berrypick- Coca-Cola; down it with a shot of vodka if youdare. downitwithashot ofvodka Coca-Cola; used tobe stored itsafe induringthe18th and19thcenturies tokeep fromsunlight. bottle, labelledwith ablackandgoldR mon made aninstantrecovery –and lefttown. Catherine theGreat when shewasstruckdownbyamystery illnessinR pensioners. away, sosaymostofLatvia’s the doctor Inthe 18thcenturyitwasadministered to pot. witch’scooking in thewicked bark, wormwoodandlindenblossoms are amongsome14fairy-taleingredients knowntostew and nowhere else–since1752.Itsrecipe remains acloselyguardedsecret: orangepeel,oak It’s as –black asink,thickcustard,sharplemon,andhasbeenproducedin Latvia BLACK MAGIC v lasis ē ī poliem ta desa ta , it’sfried;if That It is45% proof andguaranteed Drink itwithcoffee toknockthehind legsoffadonkey. or R It steels the nerves, settlesthestomachand stopsJackFrostfrombiting.It steels thenerves, Ashotadaykeeps l ī P , theancientGreek wordforasweet-smelling medicinalbalmor ointment.Itsopaqueceramic ī ga druggist Abraham Kunzega druggist created Abraham Itsnameoriginates theinsidiousconcoction. from (salmon) onmanymenus.Iffish is (salmon) daka ī r ’ (cottage cheese), (cottage cheese), s ā what youcall R (curdledmilk)are mainingre- gi , they’llbewithonions.Fishis k (smoked isanother sausage) (pike), ū sal (small piesorpasties)are an- p ī ā nats ti (salads) are (salads) listed onal- s zutis meansit’llbesmoked. ā l ī euro currency converter ts Sprotes (eel), (eel), ī ga Black Balsams or siers mazs (cheese) and (cheese) forele (sprats)are si ā ļķ Pank l (trout) ī e ts ī Zupas ga skyline,isreminiscent ofthe clayjarsthepotent liquid (her- , it’s ū (R ki ī gas Melnais Balz

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184 LATVIA LATVIA special beer is brewed. Latvians alsocre- is brewed.special beer Latvians celebration, a most important Latvia’s drinks aswellcoffee, tea andfruitjuices. ages willfindtheusualassortmentof soft mixed withequalpartsof vodka. withcoffee or Apparently, it’sbestserved tastes strange, revolting. ifnotdownright jet-black, 45%proof concoction that 185 activities. DuringJ and drinking locallybrewed themain beer Vidzeme, witheatingfreshly fish caught small townsand villages inKurzemeand Festivalsmen’s orSea are inthe staples festivals andholidaycelebrations.Fisher- Food playsanintegral roleinLatvian Celebrations Those notinterestedThose inalcoholic bever- zivju zupa kokteiju sal kotletes sij šašliks k svaigo gur karbon d desa d pel Do you have amenu? Do youhave A tablefor...people,please. areservation. I have Useful Phrases ing phraseshere. up withsalted fish,checkouttheLanguagechapter. We’ve listed afew ofthemore usefuleat- Menus insmallertownsare often soifyou’re inLatvian; cravingpastaandnotwanting toend EAT YOURWORDS breakfast breakfast bill,please. The I What doyourecommend? I’m avegetarian. lasis s lasis pojum cepts lasisarpiedev biešu zupa Food Glossary mednieku desi ’ ā ī ā d like ... d like LATVIA ••Food&Drink polu diyrnid ķ postu sal rze ē e kažok kie zir kie sausage(usuallysmoked) ņ ēņ shish kebab (usuallylamb) shishkebab u sal ā

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188

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LATVIA LATVIA set in theband of and parksset boulevards you reach the table foritsmonumentsandsculptures.table in WWIandtheindependencewar, andno- the resting soldiers placeof whodied Latvian 1991; andthe monument tothefive deadof 20January ond WoodlandCemetery culturalfigures areother Latvian buried; hiswife Aspazija) (feminist poet Rainis, and ejs stop. ies: songfestivals.main concertsof Latvian National Zoo( p209 ) andthestage forthe tral Market tral Market along Val modern and historicallife. Head north,first R (2) Akmens Bridge wards theriverside andwalkhalfway over centres on iela andT and jetskistorent insummer,theR find pinewoods,playgrounds,lotsof boats Wander eastout of oldR windows. andenticing stained-glass altar John’s Church view. Fromthere headdownSk Church ter’s a few buildings upthestreet you’llfind &AppliedArts seum ofDecorative Church(4) St George’s bricks of R along thestreet you’llfindthewhitewashed and gazeatthevariedarchitecture. Further R atthenorthernhalfofStart oldR WALKING TOUR R MEŽAPARKS &CEMETERIES there’s acraftsfairinearlyJune. ends folk-danceperformancesare heldand of bygonecountrylife. Onsummerweek- facts insidethebuildingsprovide arecord can bediscovered here. of Thousands arte- different regions fromLatvia’s – farmhouses –churches, windmillsand from ruralLatvia Dozens of predominantly woodenbuildings of Juglaonthecity’seastern Lake edge. 199 centre, besideLake a p188; Map ī ī ī ga andridetheliftupspire of ga’s biggest parkis ga. Return tothesouthernhalfof old South of Mežaparks are three cemeter- Take bus1fromthecornerof Mer R Rainis Cemetery Rainis Ī GA •• Walking Tour GA ••Walking % ņ ē rbatas ielatotheBr rbatas ( u ielathen Br ī ( 754 0288) Doma laukums (1) Doma laukums ga’s oldestbuilding, theformer 3 6 ( ; p191 ) foranotherrewarding ; p198 ), afocusof thecity’s 5 Brothe ; p195 ), withabaroque-style Freedom Monument Freedom foraclassicalviewof old (Rai , about7kmnorthof the , todayhometothe rs’ Cemetery (Meža kapiII),witha Mežaparks Mežaparks Ķī ņ euro currency converter šezers. Here you’ll a kapi),where J ī v ī bas bulvar , thenheadto- ī ga tothe ī (Br R vdabas muz-

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LATVIA LATVIA light meals3-6Ls) are available for5Ls. while you’re waiting,tobacco water pipes thirsty 20minutes. Ifyou wanttosmoke pared –thefullritual takes tableside a very flicker, andchill outwhileyourtea ispre- Loll onfloorcushions, watch the candles teahouse.zen ascanbe atthisoriental like extensive, andincludesCubanfavourites menuis hearty anddelicious.Thecocktail menuis tapas outside.tables Thelight environs andcramped,butoh-so-trendy dark wallsandultramod,classicallysmoky iela 25;meals 2-4Ls; iela 55;meals2-7Ls) meals 6-12Ls) 212 concoctions. menuincludesmoreThe cocktail than70 the crowdisyoung,hipandwell dressed. around theglobe. Ifyoujustwanttodrink, the extensive menufeatures dishes from until 3amand tic chairs. foodisserved Bar featuring aspinning disco ballandred plas- atthispopularcafé/bar pseudo-industrial and framedphotosonthewalls. It’s very slickwithgreen marblecounters breakfast glassof orromanticevening wine. one of thecity’sbestspotsforaleisurely menu of espresso and teadrinks aswell as Itfeaturescoffee shops in Latvia. alarge Osiris Double Coffee Cafe Cuba Zen Hedonia 55 fortable here.fortable quiet. Solowomentravellers willfeel com- read thenightawayinrelative peaceand sofasandslinky green ‘60sspace-station ofplacewhere youcancurlintothe kind chill jointwithadecidedlybohemianedge, ous wrapsandloadsofsalads. It’savery breakfasts, soul-soothingsoups,sumptu- find anyporkorsourcream here): eggy up lotsofWestern favourites (youwon’t and Saturdaynights).JohnLemon dishes fooduntil5amonFridaynoshing (itserves pink bar,thisisapopularspotforlate-night John Lemon THE AUTHOR’S CHOICE iela 21;meals4Ls) R mojitos

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la 4 1 3 2 10  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt pekts 1;meals6Ls) 4-10Ls) the beach. theme. Therestaurant isabout 30mfrom wooden furniture supporttheseafaring suspended fromtheceilingandweathered a goodplacetotrylocalfish.Fishingnets meals 6-12Ls) mer weekends. andravesconcerts, disconights onsum- Nemo Water Park ( p221 ) organises pop for flyers onbillboards downJomasiela. inand aroundMajori.a week Lookout In summerthere are nights discos several ENTERTAINMENT meatsandseafood. sandwiches, pastas, featuresSenators alarge menuwithpizza, inaprimepeople-watching locale, seating patio andlotsof greenery alongwithoutdoor A charming littleplacewithaglass-enclosed round resort, andmostplacesare open. terrace bars andcafés.J street tents islinedwithbeer and pavement- mouth-watering. reasonably priced.Trythecrab soup;it’s oriented, quiteseafood eclectic andvery name. ThegourmetmenuisWestern and tothehotel attached oftaurant thesame tail menuandadecentwinelist. tail emits delicioussmells.There’s alongcock- grilled outsideontheterrace andtheplace benches aroundshared Meats tables. are with athatched roof andplentyof wooden buffalo headthrowninforgoodmeasure.buffalo Asian-styletro meets barwithanelectronic eclectic décorintown–sortof French bis- worth anibble. It’sdefinitely gotthemost pavement terrace inMajori, Orientsiswell restaurantA MiddleEastern withagreat and craft exhibitions. hosts films,music concerts and various art night. Therenight. islive musiconweekends. storey thatrockslate nightclub into the dining onRussian favourites anda second- a bigandairycovered patiofor drinkingor mala’s late-night hotspot,thisplace offers 2403; Jomas iela35) Senators Majori Culture House Culture Majori Salv JomaRestaurant Villa Orients J Salmu krogs ū ras Za Thischarming, rusticbaristopped ū

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ū (Dzintari rmala  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt east of R villages andtranquilcamping spots. wooded country,dotted withlakes, small 15km fromR dividing fromtheSiguldaandTartu road, of andsoonafter theinfamousviaBaltica, much of the115kmtoborder. It’spart popular summerescapeforR Saulkrasti of town,butthere islittletodrawtourists. 3kmsouth the Siguldalinestopatitsstation, summer celebrations.Suburbantrainson totheshoreclose of theGulfof R cities of PärnuandTallinn (theA1)runs on thecoast. The food is hearty and surprisingly tasty. The food is hearty and surprisingly tasty. soups and salads. sandwiches, it does though oriented, al- The menu ismostlyseafood outside and netsdrapedacross theterrace. creaky wood floors, afishing boatmoored vibe – pleasing, rusticold-time seafaring ist office Estonia itmakes agoodlunch stop.The to visit,butifyou’re hungryonthewayto place, notreally worthgoingoutof yourway River. It’sstillablink-or-you’ll-miss-it typeof sits onaharbouratthemouthof theSalaca the Aga River. the signnorthof thebridge after crossing place isatthenorthedge of town;lookfor outdoor cookingarea The andpicnictables. the trees. Ithasasmallcafeteria, covered boxy hutsof varioussizesscattered amid well-kept place,itfeatures acollectionof meals 2-6Ls) Mon-Fri) tothebeach, spot close you’re justlookingforapeacefulcamping the average traveller’s attention forlong.If out alongtheA1,andagainwon’thold basically justastringof stretched houses the northernsideof town.It’satinyplace, beach atasandy on theopensea road meets The mainroadfromR THE COAST R road between alongthecoast alsoplough towns. Buses thesmaller least onebusperdaytoeven multiple timesdailyandthere isusuallyat major towns –Sigulda,C around 10Ls,tent2Ls) 4780, 9227523; Standing between twolakes between 12kmnorth- Standing The area’s town, mostsubstantial runstours caves toLivonian sacrificial

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Iecava Jaunjelgava Reserve A12 Ludza (675km) 225 A6 R‡zekne To Bauska Atašiene (15km) Viµ„ni Ὀ LATVIA LATVIA 45; admission0.30Ls; classroom. reconstructs atypical19th-centuryLatvian exhibits thenaval academy’shistoryand home tothe only attractionisitsoldnaval school, now ing ‘lonely’)is1kmsouthof Estonia. Its (derived fromtheLivword Cave a spring flowing out of a rock atthe 1km downstream fromtheWerewolf Pine, lovers howwellsuited they are, while about Stairway of Dreams underafullmoon.The incantations certain itsrootsafteryou crawlthrough muttering toturnyou intoawerewolfis believed if ping atstrategic spots. The or better yetstrollthe 2kmonfoot,stop- Motorists candrive thelengthof thepark, of giganticproportions.woodcarvings outdoor marvellous which showcases town’, isanotheroption. edly ‘themostlegendary fisherman’s pubin 1945) River. Head to 55km inlandfromAinažionthe Salaca want tovisitthearea around Mazsalaca, folklore might Anyone intriguedbyLatvian &R MAZSALACA Mon Sep-May) J Pie Bocma 226 as farSaulkrasti(0.70Ls,onehour). Salacgr road (onehourtoSaulkrasti,1¾ hours to Tallinn theregion viathecoastal serve ū rskolas memorialais muzejs; rskolas memorialais Buses northfromR Buses The formershipbuildingtownof she’ll simply turn you away). Call first and make a reservation toavoiddifficulties.she’ll simplyturnyouaway).Call areservation firstandmake the gate andGermanifshedoesn’tunderstandyou, (thegatekeeper speaksamixofLatvian sweeping staircase. Bewarnedthatoperatinghoursare erratic,andyoumightnotbeletthrough inside ofthepalaceitselfisdecorated intheoriginal styleandthere’s neo-Renaissance agreat abaronandbreakfast spottosleeplike castle grounds,andisaremarkable beneathvaults. The 19Ls perhour)forrelaxing, andyoucaneven staythenight.The 11-roomhotel issituated onthe horse; orsimplypicniconthemagnificentgrounds. There are asteam bath,saunaandpool(from A tripto –B DETOUR yellow wildflowers. Onceatthecastle,youcantourhouse;fishandboatinB the trees thinoutgiving waytofieldsdotted witholdbarnsand,insummer,mesmerisingbright turn-offfromtheA1inSaulkrasti.The thewell-marked drivevast groundsin1860,take ispretty: afabulousscenicdetour.17km eastofSaulkrasti,makes Toreach thebaronialmanor,builtamid VIDZEME •• Mazsalaca &R VIDZEME••Mazsalaca is said tohave issaid properties. And healing , asplendidpark1.7kmwestof town, ī va). SuburbantrainsfromR ņ a . Thismildlyinteresting museum B

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227 LATVIA LATVIA and cashesAmExtraveller’scheques. Unibanka InformationCentre Sigulda Tourism SBS Online Post office Kr Latvijas Centre NationalPark Visitors Gauja Information wards theriver. as youdescendthehillfromtownto- centre. You enter theGaujaNationalPark Sigulda isquite spread out,withoutareal Orientation R Prince Kropotkin,soldoff land to wealthy 1889. TheRussianownerof thelocalestate, the buildingof thePskov–R asacountryresortSigulda developed with the16thand 18th centuries, larly between one suspects,asagainstanylocaluprising. castles, asmuch toguardagainsteach other, took thenorthside. Bothbuiltprominent 228 modation and guided tours and organises activities. modation andguidedtoursorganisesactivities. parkandtownmaps,arrangesaccom- 6pm Tue-Sun) Sells www.gnp.lv; Bazn 5pm Nov-Apr)Stocksreams ofinformationontheregion. www.sigulda.lv; Pils iela6; Look forthisInternetcaféonthe2ndfloor. ī gans tobuildtheirowncountryhouses. After numerous wars, suffering particu- between thetwocastles. Castle. They wouldmeetinacave halfway she loved Viktors, agardeneratSigulda bymenfromfarandwide,butcourted in 1601.Shegrew intoafamousbeauty found amongthewoundedafter abattle Turaida Castle asalittlegirl whenshewas intoSigulda’s localbeauty,Maija,wastaken THE TURAIDAROSE her and thenfled. way, the Pole dulytookhis swing,killed really isn’tclear. believed inthescarf Either his sword. Whetherthiswas ablufforshe powers, shesuggested heswingather with ers, ifhelethergo. Toprove thescarf’s which shesaidhadmagical protective pow- from aroundherneck, the Polescarf Viktors’ handwriting. Maijaoffered togive the cave bymeansofaletter forged in officer amongMaija’s suitorslured herto VIDZEME••Sigulda One day a particularly desperate PolishOne dayaparticularly (R ā (Pils iela 2) Opposite the Latvijas Kr (Pils iela2)OppositetheLatvijas (Pils iela3;perhr0.70Ls; jbanka ī gas iela 1) Has a currency-exchange facility gas iela1)Hasacurrency-exchange ī cas iela3; (Pils ATMs. iela1)Oneofseveral h h euro currency converter 10am-7pm May-Oct, to 10am-7pm May-Oct, 9.30am-5pm Mon,to h ī ga railwayin ( 9am-11pm) % ( % 797 1345; ā 797 1335; jbanka.  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt get off at the Senleja stop. get off attheSenleja ( left ). Toget here take aKrimuldabusand role inthetragiclegend of theTuraidaRose This cave forits ismostfamous,however, allegedly cured thesickwithwater fromit. has itthecave isnamedafter ahealerwho toremovesupposed facialwrinkles.Legend from thestream flowingoutof thecave is of armsof long-gone hunters. Thewater to the16thcentury–includingcoats The cave iscovered goingback withgraffiti at thebottomof thenorthsideof thevalley. Church road isthesmall wooden-spired western andsoutherntowers. where heworked. Maija tositandwatch thecastlegardens dugoutbyViktorssupposedly toallow Oct) the 42m-high the 42m-high 1561. Furtherexhibitionscanbeviewed in account of from1319to theLivonianstate century insidethe15th- butthemuseum a distance, in ancientLivonian–isbetter viewed from name,Turaida,means‘God’s whose Garden’ ing the18thcentury.Therestored castle – hititsgunpowder storewhen lightning dur- site of Itwasblownup aLivstronghold. archbishop’s castlefoundedin1214onthe h .turaida-muzejs.lv; admission1.50Ls; Reserve The centrepiece of Sigulda’s TURAIDA MUSEUMRESERVE path leadingto steps and thenfollowthewoodenriverside steep woodensteps. Walkdownthe410 mediately totheleftof thecastle,are some theviewingtowerof Krimulda,im- Below G Sights Daina Hill SongGarden Daina Hill Daina Hill(Dainu kalns) and shelters the The hillside behindthechurch isknown as of the trees, thendisappeared without trace. tohaveis said buried Maija andplanted one ‘Turaidas Roze1601–1620’. Viktors himself TheheadstonebearsRose. theinscription shade thegrave of thelegendary Turaida exhibition. Inthe churchyard two limetrees Oct, 10am-5pmNov-Apr) Oct, Ū The nearby The nearby On the path between thecastle andthe On thepathbetween , builtin1750and housingasmallhistory TMA 10am-6pm May-Oct, to5pmNov-Apr) 10am-6pm May-Oct,

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10 V‡jup‹te (Siguldas jaun 29 TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Bus Station...... Tr‹s Draugi...... Pilsmui¢a...... (see 16) Mario Pizzeria...... L„çpl‡sis...... Ka¯u M„ja...... (see28) Villa Alberta...... Melanis Ka¯is...... Makara Kempings...... (see15) L‹vkalns...... Hotel Sigulda......

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between twoandsix peopleforabout10Lsperday. a nominalfee. rents Forthelessintrepid outcanoes andrubberboatsseating paddler,Makars camp-site fees foruptofourpeople. Tents, sleepingbagsandlife canalsoberented jackets for point,and betweenSiguldaandthetour’sstarting boat includingequipment, transportation C for 115Ls. The price includes aboat, paddles, life andtransport. jackets Trips spread across twodaysormore costmore. The rafting trips companyalso offers one-day stretch; above Valmiera theriver flowsthroughalmostentirely unspoiltcountry. with nothingmore hazardousthansomefairlygentlerapids. Riverside campsites dotthiswhole between Vireši bestscenery good,flowingthroughsomeofLatvia’s andSiguldaisparticularly Vidzeme’s GaujaandSalacaRivers are bothfinecanoeingterrain. The 220kmstretch oftheGauja CANOE TRIPS Sigulda, insidetheGauja NationalPark, cost 22Ls (24km, Valmiera–Stren iela 1) , which crosses thevalley(westof, which crosses Rai ( VIDZEME••Sigulda ē % sis andValmiera, ranging inlengthfrom3kmto85km. Tourscostbetween10Lsand40Lsper

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 1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt to twohours). door adventures are amongits highlights. peaceful riverbanks andabonanzaof out- side itsboundaries. Quiettree-lined streets, ern tipof theGaujaNationalPark, justout- C trains between era (0.50Ls,45minutes). There are sixdaily hours) andabout10dailyto/from Valmi- dailyto/fromR buses 0.60/0.20Ls; C The focus isthe roadbridge across theGauja. Orientation 30km northof C own brandof countrycharm. easy About Valmiera (formerlyWolmar)dishes outits as mostof itsOldTownburntdown in1944, lesshistoricthanSigulda orC Although pop 28,732 VALMIERA ( aboutLake, 10kmsouthof C Plopped onanisletinthemiddleof Ā C &Away There Getting trial vibe,withred wallsandsilver piping. back opensintoaslickclubwithanindus- the snacksandpastries.Atnight Latvian types of coffee andtea on,alongwithlight together withthe18th-century on thelakeshore. Thefortress andcastle, A BronzeAge dwellingwillalsobe built and earthovens forroastingmeatandfish. tlement –there’s acoupleof reed dwellings path leadstoareconstructed StoneAge set- by IvanIV’stroopsin1577.From here a Livonians inthe14thcenturyanddestroyed Ā have rebuilt been inrecent times. originallystoodonthesite –15 log houses covered byarchaeologists in1965.About 40 flooded islet,fortifiedlike ahillfortanddis- the unusualvillage, which wasbuiltonalow A woodenwalkwayleadsacrossthewater to inthe9thand10thcenturies. cient Latgalans struction of inhabited byan- asettlement the along adirttrackfromthemainroad, form Lake Fortress Lake Ā raiši stonecastle RAIŠI raišu v ē ē Peering across the lake are theruinsof su iela and its continuation, Stacijas iela, iela, su iela andits continuation, Stacijas sis bus station is served byatleasthourly isserved sis busstation

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Kupiškis Daugavpils LATGALE Ber¯enele A13 Verhnjadzvinsk Panev›¢ys Zarasai BELARUS 239

To Utena To Ignalina To Polotsk

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243 LATVIA LATVIA (3Ls, three tofour hours, three daily). see p398 . Trains alsorunto/fromVilnius andStPetersburgGomel (Belarus) (Russia), informationto/from ternational railservice are poshandromantic. luxury suites, complete withprivate saunas, small, butvery rooms.The comfortable, century mansion,thisplaceoffers rather iela 17;s/d35/45Ls,luxuryste90Ls) 4Ls) From the &Away There Getting Mziuri Eating &Drinking and there’s anon-site restaurant andbar. andothermodernconveniences satellite TVs 244 come. majestic Rastrelli’s Rund and castles and palaces are thereason to Lithuanian border. Quaintcountry towns, of theDaugava River R between ish avisit to west incentral Latvia Zemgale, Architecture, willrel- artandhistorybuffs ZEMGALE plant) isadefinite Daugavpils highlight. and (spicy liver cooked withpomegranate seeds) its with Georgian castles.Eating cuisine inastone-cladinterior decorated uri shines.ItdishesupdeliciousGeorgian place todrinkintown. place hasapublike vibe,andistheliveliest andinternational dishes.The ing Latvian an unpretentious spotwithamenufeatur- R hours, three daily). daily)andAglonahours, seven (1Ls,1½ 3½ hours, daily),R eight popular placewiththelocalcrowd. rather hipcaféandbarontheother. It’sa baronone sideanda with adecentsalad tional V to-price ratioincentralDaugavpils. intimate littlehotel offers thebestcomfort- In anattractively restored building,this .lv; Viesturaiela10) ī ga (3Ls,fourhours, fourdaily). For in- Leo Gubernator V Daugavpils is served bytrainsto/from Daugavpils isserved Villa Ksenija Villa Tucked awayinacellar,Gubernatoris ē ZEMGALE••Bauska chanahi sma

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 1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt ing andimmersing yourself inlocallife. of Kuld countrytown Thesleepy late into thenight. venuecafé’, amultilevel where bandsplay only ‘rock boasts thatit’shometoLatvia’s burgeoning rock’n’rollscene. Itproudly hip andhasbecometheepicentre of Latvia’s Slightly eccentricLiep Slightly boasts brisk,cleanairandavibrantvibe. porttownofthe Livs.Thewealthy Ventspils tinyethnicminority,knownas to Latvia’s of beautifulwhite-sand beaches andishome Kolka,haslong,untouched stretchesCape life. Thewildcoastline,crownedby glorious forataste of searching those ruralLatvian city restaurants, butKurzemewillenchant find much rollickingnightlife ormanybig- tion of itslargest town,Liep unearth itsquietcharm. Withtheexcep- toprodbeneaththesurface you’ll need The region’s allure liesinitssubtleties,and exploring. is perfect foroff-the-beaten-path region byprivate vehicle. Kolka bybus,butitiseasiertoexplore this ItispossibletojourneyCape the capital. while Tukumscanbereached bytrainfrom Their leader, Lamekins, accepted Christian Their leader, Lamekins, Britain. join forces with theVikings to attack occasionally from time totime–and even venturous lotwho would raidScandinavia invasion.They werecentury German anad- tribewholivedBaltic here before the13th- the struggle. Army. Thetroops suffered in heavy losses troopsput upagainsttheRed Latvian fight famous asthe‘Courland Fortress’ forthe cept Courland.The region becamesadly ing thewholeof countries–ex- theBaltic inreconquer-the RedArmyhadsucceeded in1945, unconditional surrender inBerlin the rest signedits of WhenGermany Latvia. Kurzeme isvery much aregion apartfrom History Kuld R runbetween Multiple buses &Away There Getting andtheGulfof R Sea on boththeBaltic Kurzeme (CourlandinEnglish), withcoasts sparselypopulated western region,Latvia’s KURZEME Kurzeme isnamed after theCours, a ī ga, Ventspils andLiep ī ga isareal gem, perfect forwander- ā ja is quickly turning ja isquicklyturning www.lonelyplanet.com ā ā ja, you won’t ja, youwon’t ja each day, ī ga and ī ga, ga, www.lonelyplanet.com (Germany) Rostock (Sweden); To Karlshamn Palanga Akmeªrags Ziemupe KURZEME Pape Ὀ Ὀ To Västervik Lake Pape N‹ca B ALTIC (Sweden) P„vilosta Liep„ja S EA Liep„ja Lake To Klaip›da(25km) Grobiªa Ulmale Reserve J©rkalne Jaunliegi Nature Gr‹ªi Kretinga Kurzeme Ventspils U¢ava Aizpute Liepene Jaunupe Skuodas euro currency converter Mos›dis Salantai ‰dole Priekule

Bojas Oviši Venta Piltene Plung› Kazdanga Sieks„te Vaiªode L©¢ªa Kuld‹ga Krievukalns Irbene (184m) Moricsala Reserve Nature Mi¯eµtornis ὈὈ ὈὈ Ὀ Sand Caves Lielirbe

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249 LATVIA LATVIA part of independent Latvia afterpart of WWI. independent Latvia province of empire. the tsarist It became up byRussia in 1795 andgoverned as a Theduchyquite wasswallowed succeeded). Jelgava into a‘northernParis’ (henever sian familyandhad bigdreams of turning son, Duke Frederick, marriedintotheRus- Australia!His laidplanstocolonise even Gambia River (fromAfricanchiefs). He and an islandinthemouthofBritain) the (from colonies: Tobago intheCaribbean twofar-flunging industry,and purchased known navy, andshipbuild- merchant fleet awell- ruler from1640to1682,developed Duke inZemgale. Jakob,(called Mitau) its largely wasJelgava independent.Itscapital Duchy of Courland,asit was known, ashisownpersonal fiefdom. ing Zemgale Kettler, salvaged Courlandandneighbour- in 1561,theorder’slastmaster, Gotthard fromRussia’s IvantheTerribleunder assault collapsed When theLivonianOrderstate subjugatedand eventually theCours in1267. refusedhowever, toacceptthisarrangement of knights Livonia.German Theknights, Pope in1230ordertoavoid rulebythe peacewith the baptism andmadeaseparate 250 Although owingallegiancetoPoland,this Although culture andlanguage. The Livonianlanguagemaywelldieoutwiththeoldergeneration. andhavehomeland forothercitiesinLatvia quicklyassimilated intothesurroundingLatvian in schools,ismuchmore interested thanLivonian;manyhave in beingcalledLatvian lefttheir lolod (Livudziesmas/LivonianSongs) traditionalLivoniansongsalive.1976, workhardtokeep Livisthelanguageoftheiralbum couple whopioneered folklore Latvia’s movement in withtheirfolklore ensembleSkandinieki have ‘Livonian’asanationalitywritten DainisandHelmiStalti,aLiv passports. intheirLatvian (which ismore closelyrelated toEstonianandFinnish whilenomore than toLatvian), than50 are Just10peopleor soinLatvia nativethe brinkofextinction. oftheLivlanguage speakers to openahotel, restaurant orothercommercialenterprise inthem. Kolka–Ventspils coastroad.These villagesare law,anditisforbidden preserved underLatvian 11km north ofRojaontheR 11km north 1600 isclustered in14fishingvillagesalongtheLivonianCoast,whichstretches fromP regions on theeastern andwestern sidesoftheGulfR ago. At thetimeof13th-centuryGermaninvasion thisfishingtribeinhabited thecoastal The Livonians(Livs)are Finno-Ugric 5000years Latvia peopleswhofirstmigrated tonorthern THE LIVS KURZEME••Tukums Liv culture iscelebrated eachyearinearlyAugust withMazirbe’s classesinLivlanguageSadly, theyoungergenerationofLivs,despite compulsoryonce-a-week are oftheLivs,whoare intended on efforts These toaid theculturalsurvival preservation Where Ihearmybeloved mothertongue!’ ‘My fatherland,Youare deartome!Where waves lapagainstthenative shore, euro currency converter ī ga–Kolka coastroad,toL ga–Kolka , released in1998. Excerpt fromthe LivonianhymnMyFatherland/Min iz  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt /turisms; Pils/turisms; iela3; jas iela7;admission0.40Ls; 5pm Mon-Fri) the area there are afew worthwhilesights. going outof your waytovisit,butifyou’re in esting countrytown.Wewouldn’t suggest kums, 68kmwestof R banks of theSloceneRiver, picturesque Tu- Tucked awayamidrollinggreen hillsonthe pop 19,465 TUKUMS nearby the groundstell thehistory of thearea. The square. on Anexhibitionhalland museum 1301 justoff the southernendof thetown fied rents out bicycles. Velo Service only)intheregion.cling routes (inLatvian has informationonKurzeme,including cy- Mon &Sat) out for theannual east of town. InJuly, theentire townturns to thetop of asfarthe Gulfof R you cansee art. Forgreat views–on aclearday Latvian The You’ll findthelastremnants of aforti- ū castle ž ņ Tukums Art Museum Art Tukums a, 49km southwest of Kolka alongthe a, 49kmsouthwestofKolka tourist office tourist hasacollectionof 1920sand1930s ī

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( rmala is in rmala isin % ) Moricsala Moricsala is both isboth 310 7125; 310 7125; ,  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt jas iela3,LV 3270Dundaga) in thelowerpartof town. camp site1Lsplusperadult/child 1/0.50Ls,cabinfrom10Ls; iela 16; r12-40Ls; Usma Camping Sleeping &Eating Mon-Fri) mented atthe freedom fighters. Latvia’s It waserected in1996remembrance of Sun cient Courcastlemoundtoppedby eastern sideof townis roundings. Risingabove except wanderaroundandenjoythesur- There’s really notagreat dealtodoin Talsi Sights office Tourist Kr Latvijas Information The ofmeeting Valdem western slope,withthecentralsquare atthe The towncentre isatthetopof thevalley’s Vilku)towardsthenorth. bigger one(Lake southern edge of Talsu), town(Lake anda flat region. There are twolakes, oneonthe Talsi makingitsurprisinglyhillyforsuch a A shallowvalleyrunsnorth–souththrough Orientation The reserve’s shores;spots aroundthesandy see below . h than Talsi’s solehotel. a bitmore rustic, it’samuch better option A10 onthe roadtoUsma village. Although ball atthislakeside site, 1kmsouthof the row, swimandplayvolley- camp, fish, sail, peace. Youcan who seek option forthose 0.50/0.30Ls; vada muzejs; 1343; Celtnieku iela11;adult/child 1/0.50Ls; 1343; Celtnieku Tue-Sun winter) 20th centuries. 19/21; Machinery manor datingto1880. Culture House. Above themound,localhistoryisdocu- Talsi South of town, the May-Oct; May-Oct; , a statue of, astatue aman sittingBuddha-style. market h

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11am-5pm Tue-Sun summer,10am-4pm 322 2770; Milenbaha iela19;adult/child 322 2770;Milenbaha ) ( tourist office tourist p % Usma istheget-away-from-it Talsi District Museum Talsi District 322 4165;www.talsi.lv;Liel (Liel ) 633 4500; www.usma.lv; Priežkalni; 633 4500;www.usma.lv; Priežkalni; A Soviet-era block of 95 ā ā isinDundagavillage. ī iela3)HasanATM. ra ielaandLiel bas tehnikas muzejs; bas tehnikas isnorthoff Liel Museum of Agriculture ofAgriculture Museum Pils

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LATVIA LATVIA curd, particularto thisregion. the sure totry shop andcaférolled intoone. Be table andlate-nightdisco.table tubes of florescence. Theplacehasapool markable foodandwatch fish bobinplastic Munchkitsch onunre- spotintheBaltics. and arenovated interior. boasts astripedyellow-and-beige exterior rooms situated atopahill,Talsi’s onlyhotel 252 From the &Away There Getting 3am) road northto Dundaga, there are to/ buses beer tentbeer outfrontinsummer. andcoffee.everywhere Itruns a butLatvia) to taste andbuywine(albeitproduced fuls of grilledmeatsandlotsof salads. bigplate- barserving andacellarbeer level has acafeteria-style eatery ontheground hip bar(atleastbyTalsi thisplace standards), To MuseumofAgriculture Usma Camping(30km); 1 3 2 TALSI Machinery (1.8km); V Liepas Mar KAI Lake Usma(30km) Moric SalaNature ī Reserve (30km) KURZEME •• Northern Kurzeme KURZEME••Northern KAI competes forthetitleof themost Kolka (55km) Dundaga (35km); To Roja(30km); platmaize ns unKafija

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1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt Liel„ Park Well off thebeaten track, Ķ M daily) passthrough toR out. Buses always check return schedules before setting theretransport, although are sporadicbuses; byprivate Northern Kurzemeisbestseen &Away There Getting timetoexplore.worth taking The area remains fairlyuntravelled and is a longlooponthewaytoR Kurzeme inadaytripfromTalsi, ormake You could visitthe remote northern tipof KURZEME NORTHERN from R Liep spils (1.50Ls,1½hours, twicedaily)and Kalnciems. Itis easilyaccessible fromthe J of the park spans427.9sqkm fromjustwest in1997, and well worth visiting.Established mostbeautiful reserves is oneof Latvia’s

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The very modern road atthe eastern entranceto Ragaciems. dunes. There are motels on eithersideof the can camp forfree amid pretty woodedsand the street ismuch more appealing,andyou bathrooms. The roadside carparkacross beds invery rustic woodenhutswithshared Apš uciems,israther uninspiringandoffers R www.lonelyplanet.com ( E22 atthe To reach ontheA10/ thetrailheadturnright that fillstheentire southernhalfof thepark. thelargethis boardwalkjauntcrosses bog the pointfor ous springsandisalsothestarting middle of thepark,isknownforitssulphur- scape. The1930sspatownof and nature trailstraverse thebeautiful land- and avastnetworkof woodenboardwalks cess of moving whenwestoppedby. and theinformationcentre wasinthe pro- park wasundergoing major restructuring the website forupdated informationasthe with awealthof floraandfauna. Check about 8000years, are allfoundhere, along bogs, swamps,lakes andforests, datingback this coastal stretch.this coastal The Soviet-era in themarket andtuna,asdoes sprat, salmon The village market freshly sells smoked eel, atthevillage’son theright eastern entrance. are scenic spotstosnapapicture. etc–crosstheV Caprices Musical Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, Bridge of opposite town,12cutely namedbridges – your first leftbythecemetery. Inthepark Lielaj pointforthe3km is alsothestarting past rivers andforests. Thequiethamlet takes about 30minutes tohike andwinds trail (lookforthesignsincentre of town) 3544; meals 2-6Ls) J overlooking Ka Lake Nowhere smellsfishier than itional occupationsinthenational park. cies nestledaround14islets. there’s workshops ture watching % ū ī rmala. Spratsare cannedinthefactory ga–Kolka coastal road(P128).Ancientga–Kolka coastal Hiking is the main activity in the park, Hiking isthemainactivityinpark, There are plentyof along placestostay The informationcentre arranges Fish canningandsmokingremain trad- Ragaciems 314 3146;dm2Ls; Dumbr ā

Ķ emeru t Lake Ka Lake expeditions and runs half-day expeditions andrunshalf-day ā ja laipa Ķ , 2kmnorth. isagood place tofillup before insummer. Forbirdingbuffs, emeri train station then take thentake emeri trainstation ī ņ rel ieris

h ī . This 600m, raised plank plank . This600m,raised . Slightly more. Slightly strenuous, Lindaga café-bistro , hometo237birdspe- summer only) ņ euro currency converter ieris, 3kmwestof ē rš upite River and , 2kmnorthof Ķ Lapmežciems emeri camp site camp site

, in the , inthe ( % Laipa Laipa bat- na- 316 ,  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt camp site8Ls) summer. Boathire costs4.50Lsperday. at small fishing town,thehistoryof which istold offers boatrentals andhasaserene sauna. Engure (openonlyduringsummer),also (west), youcanvisit zvejniec p 0.50Ls; site 2Ls; and through forests.and through Duringthe Soviet era beaches,strolling along sandy over dunes of the cape isreason to spendtime enough pretty, butits dramaticposition onthetip Thevillage isnot Sea. the gulfand theBaltic Kolka–thedividingpoint between Cape onthe Gulfofstands R Kurzeme’s most northerlyvillage, Kolka feels like visitingthe ends of the earth. tiful, ajourneyto Cape Kolka (Kolkasrags) Enchantingly desolate andhauntingly beau- Kolka &Cape Kolka h Centre Research thological the lake islets.The anditsseven 186 species(44endangered) nestaround largest lake andamajor birdreservation; of Engure, Two kilometres northof thefishingvillage toRoja Engure Lake fare. but hearty,Latvian bigplates ofor after ahike. simple, Itserves furnished rooms. placewithsimplebutbrightly comfortable lodging optionsinthearea. It’sadecent, 2.5km dirttrack. north of B dle of thelake. Thecentre, signposted 600m towerinthe mid- ditions totheobservation b lake (1/5Lsperhour/day) fromthe and state fishcanneryinthe1950s. and state opment of Roja’s collective fishingfarms ing exhibitsare relating those tothedevel- Guest House with localflourattheadjoining operation, andmunch onpancakes made B ā ē ze Roja At You canrent aboattorowaroundthe The rzciems. ) by apptonly) , justpasttheharbour,isoneof thefew

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, a site by the sea 4kmnorthof, asite bythesea Lake Engure Engure Lake ( rzciems village, isattheendof a % Abragciems Kempings arranges bird-watching expe- 316 1373; s/d incl breakfast 9/16Ls, camp 316 1373;s/dinclbreakfast 9/16Ls,camp ļ % i , atinylake 15km inland

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LATVIA LATVIA Zitari end. Featuring cleanandmodernrooms, on themainroadatvillage’s northern posite theonion-domedOrthodox church op- den. Tofindit,lookforthebrickhouse, kitchen andplacestopitch tents inthegar- views,acommunal wooden chalets withsea .gov.lv) Sea, the GulfofOverlooking R Sl Sea. the otherinBaltic withonefootintheGulfofstand R changes direction – makingitpossibleto the pointwhere thelineof beach anddunes forests of is spruceandpine. Thecapeitself stretches of against beaches white-sand set most captivating,withlonguninterrupted ged coastlinehere issomeof theLatvia’s long-forgotten feel aboutthem.Buttherug- populated villages have analmosteerie, to civilians,andtodaytheregion’s sparsely outof the area bounds reserve, wasamilitary 254 tle and bustle, theremote villages along Far removed fromthe 21st century’s hus- THE KOLKA–VENTSPILS COAST ROAD species (which flowerinJuneor July). bog andisprime groundforrare orchid broad-leaf forest shelters acalcium-rich oldest forest. Protected since1921,the for a1.3km point (0.30Ls perhour) andisthestarting ( lighthouse right ), runsaguideservice rich R population (1300)doublesinsummer when buzzes with60,000-odd birds. Thepark’s ing springmigration,theKolka peninsula golden eagleandosprey. Inmid-April, dur- species includetheyewtree, pondturtle, ters elks,buzzardsand beaver. deer, Rare CoasttoSikrags,andshel- along theBaltic 10km inland,theparkstretches 26kmwest Kolka,andextending 5kmto ning atCape mostsavage tip.Begin- coastal on Latvia’s dunesandforestssand covering 163.6sqkm only real street. to thewindycape. LookforitonKolka’s (0.80Ls) orsmoked (2.45Ls)after atrip eel popular foradrinkandplate of herrings hotel. Itsground-floor café(meals4Ls)is 7350; www.kolka.lv; campsite/r 3/10Ls; 7350; www.kolka.lv; ī The information centre, insideSl Simple, butquite friendly, tere National Park tere KURZEME •• Northern Kurzeme KURZEME••Northern Sl

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Livonian Order (cnr Talsu &Dins- Crocodile ū poli  1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt include a17th-century views over thetown.OtherSabilehighlights guided tours are worthwhile,providing great you tocheck outthe wineterraces. Theself- climbs tothe and excellentvalleyviews. mit of low thetrailbehindchurch tothesum- held upbyfourgryphon-headedsnakes. Fol- church features anarresting baroque pulpit the western edge of town. Theblazingwhite Sabiles iela6;perday4Ls) in basicdorms.Forasimplemeal,visit as asmallhostel, offering accommodation rides andfishingtrips.Theplacedoubles hire, guided paddlesdowntheAbava, horse is arecreational centre thatalsooffers canoe summer. fireplace inwinter andasunnyterrace in below thecastleruins.Ithasawonderful .plosti.lv; R (Pedv office tourist buy) isatSabile’s chance totaste localwine(it’simpossibleto wines.Theonly than producinghigh-quality in researching hardystrainsof vinesrather resumed in1936,thevineyard’sfocuslay tive andfell operations Although intodisuse. veryland, thevineyardwasnever produc- in the17thcenturybyDuke Jakob of Cour- located onahilljustnorthof town.Founded patch of land,called Council of Europeflagmarksthelegendary of Records for itsvineyard–listed inthe 14km downstream fromKandava, isfamed cobbled-streetThe sleepy, village of Sabile, Sabile &Pedv (meals 2-4Ls) Bikes canberented at oldest–acrosstheAbavaLatvia’s River. May-Oct) the estate. Also located here is soldiers who diedduring WWII are also on deported toSiberia. Thegraves of Latvian paintings were created inmemoryof those Many of the sculptures, and installations art created byartistsfrom aroundtheworld. 2km andfeatures over ahundred works of spreadstourist office. Themuseum over 3pm Mon-Fri) 3pm Mon-Fri) .pedvale.lv; adult/child1/0.50Ls,guide 5Ls; Across theriver fromSabiletheroad ā les br Castle Hill Castle , located about1.5km southof the ē dnieki; perday4Ls;dm3Ls; dnieki; ī vdabas m as the world’s most northern. A astheworld’smostnorthern.A agreen-and-white cottage café sells ticketssells (0.15Ls) thatallow

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 1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt amusement park the endof the southernbreakwater. at envidu mols)walkway,tothelighthouse end of thebeach, alongthe is towalkorcycle1kmfromthe northern there’s running.Apopular pastime anysea that makes ittreacherous forshipping if Gates, withanarrowentrancespils’ Sea from themouthof theriver toformVent- bus 10alongLielaisprospekts. 2; adult/child0.60/0.30Ls, railwayadult/child0.50/0.25Ls; child 2/1Ls; iela19;perhradult/child1/0.50Ls,dayadult/ Mednu which branches Vasarn off Kuld j shopping centre. h Užavas, a light beer brewedUžavas, beer alight locally. Currency exchange andATM. Apr) Reams of tourist info; reserves accommodation. info;reserves oftourist Apr) Reams 10am-3pmSatNov- 9am-5pmMon-Fri, 5pm SunMay-Oct, Tirgus iela7; h reach italongVi about 2kmwestof thetowncentre. Youcan beach stretching southfromtheriver mouth, which dune-backed islacedwithasandy, Ventspils’ primeattractionisitscoastline, Sights &Activities office Tourist Post office Club Planet Internet Baltijas Tranz Information centre wascreated aroundGan navy tookover theriverside area, andanew was thereal towncentre untilthe Soviet OldTown,southofto thesea. theriver, the townthenturnswestforitsfinal2.5km The Venta River flowsuptheeastern sideof Orientation south there’s an gauge railway datingto 1916.A littlefurther extensivemuseum’s grounds onanarrow- May andOctober youcanridearound the items. Onweekends between other seafaring with acollectionof fishing craft,anchors and Seaside Park Seaside south isthe ū ras zvejniecibas br ras zvejniecibas Ventspils’ beach isoverlooked bya Breakwaters poke 1kmorso out tosea When inVentspils, doaslocals–drink 10am-10pm) OnthetopfloorofAndrejs Nams 11am-6pm May-Oct, 11am-5pm Wed-SunNov-Apr) 11am-6pm May-Oct, ī gas iela,750morsofurthersouth.

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laukums, 500mwestalong Liep newer partof thecentre onPils focuses or sowestandsouthwest of thebridge. The road. Theoldpart of thetown centre is500m iela) across theriver. www.latviatours.lv; Gan www.latviatours.lv; regained its formerimportance. quiteNorthern War(1700–21)andnever but thetownsuffered greatly intheGreat oftal theDuchy of Courland(1596–1616), Order. asthecapi- Initsheydayitserved of stronghold theLivonianimportant (then calledGoldingen) later became an invasion,Kuld the 13th-centuryGerman most likely atthetimeof theCourcapital café andwatch life slowlypassby. downatanoutdoor lazy wandering.Settle and quietriverside parks – isperfect for with crumblingbuildings,cobbledstreets town– Themedieval-looking for anight. If you’re tired of big-cityhustle,stophere about itandoffers intorurallife. aglimpse but theplacehasanalmostromanticair Venta River. ordo, There’s notalottosee Ventspils, countrytownonthe isasleepy Untouristy Kuld pop 13,335 KULD Ventspils’ &Away There Getting www.lonelyplanet.com Post office Hansabanka Information bythebridge leadingouttotheR crossed The Venta River flowseastof townandis Orientation mid-July. Ventspils ferryterminal ferries from six timesweekly runs seasonal 4¼ hours) fromthe four daily)viaKandava andTukums. daily) andJelgava (3Ls,4¾to5½hours, twice daily),Kuld hours, twicedaily),Talsi (1.50Ls, 1½hours, to fourhours, hourly),Liep to/fromR bybuses is served Västervik inSweden. Västervik VV LineLV VV Kuld Cours andAn important settlement Two trainsrundailyto/fromR , ontheR Ī GA ī ga throwsitsannual (Liep bus station

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 1 = 15.64Kr /0.70Ls / 3.45Lt seem abit blandfor theprice. The two-floorseem they pseudo-Scandinavian style,although all modern conveniences, doneup ina classiest hotel offers digswith comfortable from 40/60Ls, presidential ste 205Ls; ellite TVs andminibars. ellite TVs uniquely decorated. Amenitiesincludesat- the elite. Roomsare spacious,andeach is wasoncea summer homefor near thesea able, thisArt-Nouveau wooden guesthouse hoopla all right onthebeach.hoopla allright fashion shows, andother sportingevents and includeslive music,discos,carnivals, 37; s/dfrom32/40Ls; .balticbeachparty.lv) suites. Theentranceison Peldu iela. with allthemodcons andacoupleof luxury silver colour scheme, offers very large rooms with aratherstrangeguesthouse, grey and 18-30Ls, d20-40Ls; nis orcheck outtheskate park. partake inagameof miniature golforten- scattered aroundthegrounds.Youcanalso by oneof gardensorcafés themany beer If yourwanders have leftyouparched, stop onward, gracethestreets aroundthepark. listings in this section includebreakfast.listings inthissection roomrates inthe otherwise, Unless stated Sleeping at theendof July.The Liepaja throws agiantbeach year bashevery Festivals &Events Liep Nouveau summerhomes,constructed by perfect forstrolling.GrandwoodenArt- With woodlandsanddunes,thisparkis nationally recognised BlueFlagrating. and thebeachawardedinter- hasbeen cleanedup, been water hassubsequently the during thedaysof base), themilitary of toxic waste andunexplodedbombshere hundred tonnes dumped several thousand swimming (rumourhasittheSoviet navy Onceconsideredclean andsandy. unsafe for freezing outside. likely digthecomplextoo,especiallyifit’s land have designated as been behind thebeach, nearly0.5sqkmof park- Feja Amrita Roze At thefarwestendof Peldu iela,right The ā ja’s wealthycitizensfromthe1870s

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(www.am.gov ( www.baltictimes.com) ispublishedevery Thursday ī ga hotel, restaurant andnightlife reviews.  1 = 15.64Kr / 0.70Ls / 3.45Lt ī Canada Rai Antonijasiela2) .junk.lv; .lv; R botschaft-R 4) laukums emb.lv; Andreja Pumpura iela8) Skolas iela13,R midsummer celebrations. 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Fees ga, offer the service Latvia’s major annualfestivalsLatvia’s include pl na New Music Festival na NewMusic ā (Midsummer festival) 23June (Midsummer ja; lateJuly. ē sis Day ā ’ Day nu Diena ’ ’ s Eve s Day RomanCatholicprocessions,celebratory (Ziemsv 1May (Easter Monday is also taken asaholiday (EasterMondayisalsotaken 18November;anniversary ofproclamation Second SundayinMay Second (L 31December 1January āč 26December ē pl tki) 25December tki) (StJohn’sDay)24June (www.balticbeachparty.lv) Giant (www.balticbeachparty.lv) ē (www.music.lv/opera) The Latvian (www.music.lv/opera) TheLatvian su Diena)Commemorationofdead (www.sigulda.lv) Open-airfestival (www.tukums.lv) Smalltown (www.tukums.lv) ī ga on the first weekend inJune. ga onthefirstweekend (www.bauska.lv) Music festi- Music (www.bauska.lv) (www.arenafest.lv) euro currency converter ī ga during thefirsttwo ga during ā le Palace inlateJuly. 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