The provincial town of Kuldiga is located in the most beautiful place of Latvia in the central part of the western region of Kurzeme. It is located on the bank of the river Venta in an incredibly picturesque area, so tourists from different countries are eager to visit it. In addition, it is distinguished by an abundance of cultural attractions.
Architectural and cultural attractions
Unlike many other Latvian cities, Kuldiga avoided large-scale fires and military destruction, which helped her to preserve the original wooden architecture. Buildings here are built in the XVI century.
First of all, tourists are recommended to stroll through the old city. Initially, the buildings of Kuldiga were located in the vicinity of Kuldiga Castle. The buildings here preserved elements of architecture of the XVII-XIX centuries. At the beginning of the XVIII century the castle was captured and the settlement was destroyed. A few years later people left the castle. In the first half of XIX the ruins were transferred. The historical center of Kuldiga is included in the monuments protected by UNESCO.
In the city there are many ancient castles, among the main of which can be listed:
- Kuldiga Castle Castle - the first in Kuldiga. It is located in a place called Vecskuldigas hillfort, this Curonians village was the largest in the IX century. To protect the settlement from the invaders it was fenced with a wooden fortress. At the beginning of the XIII century, the settlement was occupied by the Crusaders, a wooden fort was burned, and a stone castle was erected instead. Then in historical documents appeared the name of Kuldiga.
- Valtaik bishop's castle - until 1392 was known as the castle of the Livonian Order. The first documentary references to it are dated 1388, but historians believe that it is at least 100 years older. The castle was built of stone, in the western part of the building used brick. In historical documents it is listed that in 1585 only one fortified wall remained from it, today tourists can see only its fragment.
- Rhemsky Castle was founded in 1800. In 80 years it was rebuilt and modernized, making it more modern and comfortable. The central and frontal parts of the castle were decorated with rizalitovymi pediments in the Neo-Renaissance style. The owner of the mansion was in step with the times and in 1893 he had a telephone and telegraph line here. At the beginning of the XX century, the castle was burned, and in 1926 it was rebuilt. Part of the elements of the main facade was lost, but the interior of the castle remained virtually unchanged.
- Edel Castle belongs to the road locks, which were built to strengthen resettlement points. It was built in the 14th century, and in the 16th century it was considerably strengthened and rebuilt. Then the fortress became the property of the German feudal lord. At the beginning of the XX century the castle could not escape the fire, but later it was restored.
Museums of Kuldiga
- The Kuldiga Museum of History is located next to the Kuldiga Castle. It contains artifacts that tell the rich and ancient history of this place;
- it is worth to look at the exposition of the Milk Museum - it describes all the processes of making dairy products. About them tells a wooden talking cow, made specifically for the museum. In the estate you can get such a unique procedure, like a milk bath;
- it is recommended to visit the Museum of playing cards , where the collection of Janis Metra is represented, which includes about 200 decks. It contains maps, from the first, released in 1921 and ending with modern.
Natural attractions
The city of Kuldiga is noteworthy for its water bodies, the main of which are:
- The Venta River flows through Lithuania, Latvia and flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the widest waterfall in Europe, which is located in the vicinity of Kuldiga. The width of the waterfall is over 100 m. Thanks to the special technology of fishing developed in Kuldiga, this city was called the place where salmon is caught by the air. Through Venta in Kuldiga, a brick arch bridge was built, built in 1874 in the Roman style. This kind of Kuldīga motor transport bridge is the longest in Europe, its length is 164 m.
- A small river Alekshupite flows through the city, and its course passes right along the houses. Therefore Kuldīga is called the Latvian Venice.
- Fresh lake Miedainis is rich in fish, it is a great place to relax with a fishing rod. The water in the lake is clean, the banks are shallow, the lake is small, so it quickly warms up in the summer.