The Best of Latvia in 6 Days 21-27 May 2016
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The Best of Latvia in 6 days 21-27 May 2016 We offer you: Organized by: The Baltic Rotary Club of Riga A comprehensive - Celebrating 7 years... tour of Latvia Guided visits to Dear Rotarians, selected places of Towards the end of May interest and sight- 2016, from the 21st to 27th, seeing (English The Baltic Rotary Club of speaker guides) Riga will host Rotarians Reserved luxury and their guests to an buses exciting and thrilling tour Lunch and dinners of the best in Latvia, as part included of its 7th Anniversary celebrations. We will guide Best Kept Secret”! and join us in celebrating Club 6th Anniver- you through the one of best (www.huffingtonpost.com/2 sary Gala evening country to travel in 2016 - our 7th Anniversary in www.lonelyplanet.com/ 014/03/24/lativa- style, friendship and best-in-travel - and its travel_n_4981083.html). comfort. capital: Riga, UNESCO An almost untouched natu- World Heritage Site, ral ecosystem and unforget- Proceeds from the event chosen as the prettiest table historical destinations European city by USA will be donated towards Costs: TODAY. Discover Latvia are waiting you. Come and the many charitable EUR 690/ person with us and it won't be witness this beauties during projects, of The Baltic EUR 1280/ Cou- anymore for you "Europe the summer of 2016. Rotary Club of Riga, for ple orphans and pensioners. (accommodation excluded) Reservations In the following pages please limited to 50 persons only find the sightseeing and at- Book early to avoid disap- tractions that will be seen pointment during the Tour, plus the Minimum number of persons events , subject to discretion- for the event to be conducted al changes. is 25. Maximum number of entries For further details and Tour reservation please contact Alberto De Luca or James Samuel on [email protected] . Riga Baltic Rotary Club 7th Anniversary: The best of Latvia in 6 days Riga and Jurmala Old Riga (in Latvian Vecrīga) House of the Blackheads recall is the historical and geograph- the Hanseatic times. These ical center of Riga on the right were built by the Guilds of bank of the Daugava. Old Riga craftsmen and artists buildings comprises a fairly small interior in a growing city. Old Riga is a fortification system area (built masterpiece of architecture during XIII-XVIII centuries), which has retained the atmos- where unique middle-aged phere of old times . architectural monuments are concentrated. During medieval times, Riga was a mighty har- bor and was a member city of the Hanseatic League which joined the traders of the Baltic Region and North Germany. The Large and the Small Guild, as well as the reconstructed Jurmala is the city by the Gulf are significant and unique cultural of Riga stretching along 33 km heritage. The architectural fea- of coastline with modern relax- tures of Classicism, Art Nou- ation and resort facilities. The veau, National Romanticism, and look of Jurmala in the 19th Functionalism harmoniously co- century and the beginning of exist here. 414 buildings have the 20th century is its wooden been included in the List of Ar- houses with fascinating wood chitectural Monuments. The town engraving decors in building of Jurmala is also proud of its facades and rooftop structures. unique natural resources – thera- Romantic streets and wooden peutic thermal waters, peat mud, cottages surrounded by pine pine forests, healthy maritime trees also nowadays create the climate, dunes and beaches cov- vision of the olden days. The ering 32.8 kilometres. wooden buildings of Jurmala Zemgale Zemgale is a historical region takes its name from the Baltic located in the central part of people known as Semigallians. Latvia, to the South from Riga. The Bauska Castle is sur- The Zemgale region is located rounded by a picturesque scen- along the border of Lithuania ery on the land strip between and is also bordered by the the rivers Musa and Memele. Latgale, Vidzeme, Kurzeme The castle represents an exam- and Riga planning regions. The ple of military architecture in region has the status of one of the period from 15th to 17th the four historical and cultural century . regions of Latvia, the region Page 2 Riga Baltic Rotary Club 7th Anniversary: The best of Latvia in 6 days The Rundale Palace ensem- Ernst Johann Biron. famous for its old and especial- ble, one of the most outstanding ly tall pine trees. The trees for monuments of Baroque and The Mezotne Palace is one years have been used to make Rococo architecture in Latvia, of the brightest examples of ornate wooden sculptures, some was built between 1736 and classicism architecture in Lat- of which have been placed in 1740 as a summer residence for via, The present building of the park to reflect the fairy tale Mezotne Palace characters of the famous Latvi- was constructed an writer Anna Brigadere's from 1797 to work. 1802 according to the design of Jelgava Palace is the largest Italian architect Baroque style palace in Giaccomo the Baltic states. It was built in Quarenghi. the 18th century based on the design of Bartolomeo Rastrel- Tervete Na- li as a residence for the Dukes ture Park is of Courland . Vidzeme In the region Vidzeme you can teur of tall tales. He joined of the most visited ones in Lat- enjoy the picturesque beauty of the Russian military and took via. In the room of Munchaus- rivers and lakes, rejoice in the part in two campaigns against en's wife Jacobine you'll find a landscapes of forests, meadows, the Ottoman Turks. Upon re- real corner of 18th century hills and valleys. The oldest turning home, Münchhausen is ladies paradise. In baron Mun- towns of Vidzeme keep the most said to have told a number of chausen's turn you'll find a significant cultural and architec- outrageously farfetched stories dozen of fresh game birds hunt- tural heritage, each with its about his adventures. ed down with a single shot. own charm, history and culture. Münchhausen's reputation as Munchausen's trail on the mu- a storyteller has been exagger- seum’s territory is 5.3 km long The Munchausen's museum ated by writers, giving birth to and reaches the sea. It is the is located at the picturesque a fully fictionalized literary longest footbridge made of seaside of Vidzeme in Dunte. character usually called simp- aspen planks in Europe. Hieronymus Carl Friedrich von ly Baron Munchausen. The Münchhausen was a German Munchausen's museum is one nobleman and a famous racon- Turaida Museum Reserve Visitors of Turaida Museum includes Turaida Castle and the Reserve can familiarise them- surrounding area, and is the selves with the more striking largest protected cultural monu- elements of medieval castle- ment in the country. The name building while taking a walk Turaida means “God’s garden” along the castle ramparts. The in the language of the ancient museum contains Dainas Hill a inhabitants, the Livonians. Tu- garden of sculptures dedicated raida castle rises above the to Latvian folklore. green foliage like an imposing ship built out of red brick. Page 3 Riga Baltic Rotary Club 6th Anniversary: The best of Latvia in 6 days Kurzeme Kurzeme is situated in the west scapes. of Latvia. From the western Cape Kolka is a meeting place side Kurzeme is washed by the created by nature. Seas and peo- Baltic Sea, from the northeast - ple meet here. Man with nature, by the Gulf of Riga. Kurzeme sunrise with sunset. Near the has always been associated with cape is a lighthouse and the the sea, sand dunes, prosperous village of Kolka. There is a line towns, thick forests, mysterious of picturesque marshes and picturesque land- old Livonian settlements along the Baltic Sea shore, includ- ing Vaide, Saunags, The Livonians are the near- Livonian language was closely Pitrags,Košrags and Sīkrags. ly extinct indigenous inhabitant related to Estonian and Finnish. Mazirbe is one of twelve Livoni- s of Livonia, a large part of The last native speaker of Livo- an villages on the Livonian north-western Latvia and south- nian, died in 2013. Coast. It is the cultural capital western_Estonia. of the Livonians. Jaunpils Castle is one of the few medieval castles which has retained its original appearance. Jaunpils Castle was built in 1301 as a fortress of the Livoni- an Order. The castle was built by Gottfried von Roga, Master of the Livonian Order. The scenic surroundings and the social folklore serve as the backdrop for tourist attractions. A romantic atmosphere prevails here because everything is tak- ing place in a seven century old castle. Re-enacted theatrical tours of the castle are offered. Latgale Latgale Region borders with Diverse relief, woods and fields scapes and special beauty Russian Federation in the east, replaced by lakes and hills in- Koknese Castle is a complex Republic of Belarus in south- terlaced with serpentine high- in Koknese, dating from the east, and Republic of Lithuania roads account for the typically 13th century. The castle was in the south. mosaic Latgale landscape. There are three areas of protect- situated on a high bluff over- ed landscapes in the region – looking the Daugava river val- that of Augszeme and along the ley. In 1965 a hydroelectric bends of the Rivers Augsdauga- dam was built downriver, creat- va and Daugava, which are ing a reservoir that partially famous for their outstanding submerged the castle and flood- picturesque and diverse land- ed the surrounding valley Page 4 Riga Baltic Rotary Club 7th Anniversary: The best of Latvia in 6 days Preiļi is one of the oldest set- bles had become an integral tlements in Latvia.