What you can do in one day in sigulda. Tourist routes in Sigulda. What you can do in one day in Sigulda Last visit to Sigulda
Sigulda is an old Latvian city, stretching in the middle of the Gauja Park, one of the main attractions of Latvia.
I did not fit a story about Sigulda and its surroundings into one article, there are too many interesting things here.
Therefore, first we will take a walk around the city, see the Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order and Kropotkin's estate, ride the cable car from Sigulda to Krimulda, see a sanatorium in Krimulda and the remains of an ancient fortress.
And in the second essay - we will tell you about.
The entire route can be completed during the day. So let's go!
Sigulda, how to get there, Riga - Sigulda.
From Riga to Sigulda only 51 kilometers, and you can get there in several ways:
by personal car on the A2 highway or by taxi (in 40-45 minutes);
by bus from the central bus station (buses run from 06.30 to 23.00 with an interval of 1 hour, a ticket costs € 2.50-2.70, travel time 70-90 minutes);
by train from the railway station (direction Riga-Sigulda, Riga-Valga, Riga-Cesis to Sigulda station; trains run from 06.15 to 21.35; ticket price - 2.35 €; travel time - 75 minutes).
Our choice is the electric train.
Sigulda.
Sigulda is a city in Latvia with many historical, architectural and natural attractions. Our journey begins from the railway station building, with its appearance reminiscent of the past centuries. The information bureau is located in the building of the railway station. Almost all newly arrived tourists go there to get: free maps, brochures, tourist routes around the reserve and advice. We are also no exception.
Having filled our head with all the information, we begin our acquaintance with Sigulda. Sigulda is a small town, which, if you wish, can be bypassed in one hour. But this amazing journey, short in real time, takes us for a long time to other times and exciting events.
Leaving the station building, we find ourselves on the station square of Sigulda. It is not her in the center of an unusual clock, representing the logo of the factory that produces the most delicious sweets in Latvia - "Laima".
There is a small fountain in the square. Everything looks so quiet, cozy and touching under the gentle Baltic sun of Sigulda.
The fountain, which is not surrounded by a parapet, as is usually the case, is a favorite place for children. Dexterously running between streams of clear water is a whole art!
Right at the station square - a map of Sigulda with comments in Latvian and English. Therefore, for those in a hurry, you don't have to go to the info center, but plan your route right away.
Sigulda, photo.
Sigulda is a shady green town. Among the alleys with century-old trees, there are houses entwined with ivy. The special atmosphere of the city is conducive to a leisurely walk and contemplation of the beauty of the world. The Latvian authorities have tried - everything is well-groomed and not a single piece of paper.
We walk along the streets of Sigulda and look at different buildings. Here is a building that resembles an administrative office or a school.
Here is a small house inviting you to a shop and cafe.
Walking around Sigulda, you constantly feel in the middle of a large well-groomed park. Carefully mowed lawns, bright flower beds, clean paths.
In such wonderful weather, tourists are attracted by open-air cafes among shady greenery.
Fashionable vertical flowerbed with numbers 2014 (the year of our trip to Sigulda).
Sigulda attractions.
The city is so small that it makes no sense to indicate the addresses of the sights, you will not pass by them anyway.
Sculpture "Wind Bell", established in 2007 in honor of the 800th anniversary of Sigulda, is the work of I. Bert. Inside the concrete figure there are 8 bells, which make amazing melodic sounds in windy weather. Our weather was calm and we could not check it.
If you move along Pils Street, you will come to Square of three keys, equipped in 2007, for the birthday of Sigulda. The composition consists of three iron keys set next to a stone wall. The keys are a symbol of three ancient settlements located in the Gauja Park and forming the historical and cultural appearance of this area - Sigulda, Krimulda, Turaida.
Also, in the Park of Three Keys, one of the paths is designed as a bridge, benches are installed, flower beds are laid out.
In Sigulda, many houses or on their facades have the flag of the Republic of Latvia. A cloth with a red-white-red (carmine) stripe was approved as a flag back in 1923. According to ancient legends, this was the sign of the warriors of the Wenden fortress (now Cesis) back in the 13th century. It is also said that a simple white cloth along the edges was saturated with the blood of the brave commander of the defenders of the fortress during its heroic defense against the invaders.
A fairytale corner: a stream turns the wheel of a small mill. It’s like a house for gnomes in the middle of a blooming park!
In Sigulda, there are many overgrown, undeveloped land plots where nature triumphs.
On one of the squares monument to Krisjanis Baron- Latvian writer, collector of folklore, author of scientific works about Latvian folk songs. The sculptural image was installed in 1985 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Collector of Dine - Lithuanian folk songs.
Church, Sigulda.
We are in front of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sigulda. It was erected on the site of an older one, which was dedicated to Saint Berthold and was known already at the end of the 15th century. The bell tower of the church was built in the 30s. 20th century, according to the project of P. Pekshen, about the same time the altar part of the interior decoration was restored.
From the bell tower you can admire the picturesque surroundings. It is also beautiful inside the church. There is an organ harvested from several organs during the reconstruction of the instrument after World War II.
Sigulda has many squares decorated with unusual works of sculptors and landscape designers. Here composition "Knight's Parade" made of granite, scrap metal and wooden parts.
The knight's parade is the pride of the townspeople, because it expresses the spirit of the area where, from time immemorial, brave Livonian knights fought defending ancient castles. The composition was installed near the Sigulda castle with a majestic stone fence. Here are the knights and guard this castle.
We are heading towards the stone gate leading to the park of the Kropotkin estate. The entrance to the park is free. In addition to the manor, the park also houses the old Sigulda castle.
Kropotkin's estate.
From the gate, we contemplate the vastness of the estate and the central building - the New Sigulda Castle, built in the 19th century by the princes Kropotkin. The building is stylized as a fairytale fortress and is in harmony with the landscape and wildlife around.
The hills of the estate offer an amazing view of the building located in the neighboring village - Krimulda... This is the building of the famous sanatorium, located in the former noble estate of the Lieven princes, the construction of which dates back to 1854. In Soviet times, a children's sanatorium was located here, now it is a rehabilitation center.
Administrative building at the Kropotkin estate in Sigulda. Nikolai Dmitrievich Kropotkin - Vice-Governor of Courland and Livonia, owner of an estate with a Castle, founder of a resort in present-day Sigulda, which became famous at the beginning of the 20th century. By order N. D. Kropotkin in Sigulda, a railway station, a toboggan run, summer cottages, guesthouses, hotels were built, and the city was filled with tourists and summer residents who came here to improve their health and relax.
Monument to KRONWALD ATIS, who interceded in 1872 at a conference of teachers during the period of Russification for the rights of the LATVIAN LANGUAGE and was kicked out of work. He studied and worked in Tartu.
The new Sigulda Castle was built in 1881 on the site of a stone house that once belonged to the Lievens. During the First World War, the building was badly damaged. Then by 1937 it was restored. After World War II, there were medical institutions here, and after the return of independence to the Republic of Latvia in the 90s. 20th century the city administration is located here.
Sigulda, castle.
We are approaching the oldest part of Sigulda - Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order... The entrance to its territory is already paid, so we are content with its external examination, which, in my opinion, is quite enough.
The castle in Sigulda, like the Castle in, was founded by the German knights-crusaders as a fortification.
It appeared in 1207 and bore the name Segewald ("Forest of Victories"). The ruins of the castle are the center of the park in Sigulda.
The medieval Sigulda castle makes a vivid impression. We see before us two watchtowers and part of a powerful fortress wall.
The insignia of the Order of the Crusaders in the upper part of one of the towers of the Sigulda Castle has survived to this day. It is known that the castle has withstood the attacks of local tribes many times.
It is quite possible to spend more than one hour on the territory of the former estate of the Kropotkins. The House of Artists is of interest.
House of Artists- these are pictures made of sand, admission is paid, children are free. An exhibition of sand sculptures and paintings is organized here annually.
And here are the works made of sand - a portrait that conveys the mood and character of the character (all the photos in the artist's house were taken by my daughter).
The figure of a girl, also made of sand.
Nude: the amazing possibilities of the material allow you to convey a variety of shades of color, even in the photo, the girl's body seems to be shimmering and warm
Artistic composition-installation.
From the old buildings and the art gallery, we return to the pond with a fountain in the middle.
There are also ancient cannons in Sigulda - after all, the city has experienced many military events.
Sigulda park.
Sigulda Park reveals many unusual granite sculptures. We consider the figure of a man sitting on green grass with a book in his hands.
And here is a beautiful girl in a national costume made from folk songs - dain.
Having walked around the estate a lot, we go beyond its territory. Of the sights of Sigulda, one can also highlight:
White castle.
This building is called the "White House". It appeared in Sigulda at the end of the 19th century. and was intended for N.D. Kropotkin. Since 1920 the house belonged to E. Poruks. She organized a boarding house in the building and called it the White Castle. Later there was a gymnasium, a school, during the war - a bomb shelter. Now it is a cultural and educational center dealing with the problems of environmental education and environmental preservation.
In Sigulda, you can study landscape design, in particular, the art of arranging flower beds of different shapes, colors and designs.
Walking stick park.
Can't pass by park of walking sticks... This park was laid out in 2007 for the anniversary of the city. The cane is considered the mascot of Sigulda; tourists take cane-shaped souvenirs to their homes from here. When the resort began to develop here, it was supposed to walk along the park paths with a cane.
In the pack of Canes, flower beds are made even for compositions from umbrellas!
A bright colored fence invites you to visit Winnie the Pooh.
Park "Tarzan".
Sigulda invites you to the largest amusement park for small and adults “Tarzan” in the territory of Latvia and the whole Baltic region.
From the top of the Ferris Wheel in Sigulda, endless dense forests are visible. In areas not occupied by forest, the grass is carefully cut.
The Tarzan Amusement Park is located in the middle of Sigulda. During its organization, all the advantageous features of the relief were used: there is a carousel lift and a picnic area.
Bobsleigh track in Sigulda.
Another place for outdoor activities is the toboggan run and bobsleigh trail.
The park has comfortable playgrounds. Here you can not only play as an excavator, but also take a ride in an electric car along the tracks specially prepared for kids.
Cable car, Sigulda.
Another attraction of Sigulda is the cable car, built in 1969, connecting two settlements in Latvia - Sigulda and Krimulda.
At the box office, you can buy a one-way ticket or a round trip ticket. The ticket is quite expensive, and the views from the cockpit are not so impressive, so as a curiosity we take a one-way ticket.
We will take the aerial tram cable car for a trip among the green forests and over the Gauja River. The length of the road is just over a kilometer, the height above the river is 42 meters, and the travel time is only eight minutes.
From 1969 to the mid-80s. 20th century the cable car was used as the only form of public transport to get from Sigulda to Krimulda.
By the way, the cable car in Sigulda is the only one in Latvia. This is another reason to ride it.
The cable car leaves every 30 minutes, so you have to wait a bit and then hit the road. The main sights of the Gauja National Park can be seen from the carriage.
The swift waters of the Gauja River, coniferous and deciduous trees sweep beneath us in the air permeated with the scent of pine needles.
From the trailer you can see the Turaida Castle with its towers and red-brick fortress walls.
Directly below us are sandy beaches on the banks of the Gauja.
It is a little breathtaking when we find ourselves over the middle of the Gauja River.
We are zipping along the highway, which means that we will soon arrive on a high hill in Krimulda.
Krimulda.
We are greeted by an information stand in Latvian and English, telling about another town in Latvia - Krimulda.
We descended from heaven to earth, or rather, just from the platform of the aerial cable car station.
Krimulda is a small village (very small in relation to Sigulda), in which houses of past centuries have been preserved. In summer they are very beautiful, as they are decorated with climbing plants creeping along the facades of houses, along the carved railings of the galleries.
Houses, fences - everything in Latvia is decorated with flowers.
We are traveling through the territory of the health resort: in the old building there is a shop and a cafe.
The old pavilions in Krimulda have been restored; they are rare examples of the architecture of European summer cottages of the early 20th century.
We are transported back to the Middle Ages when we approach the centuries-old walls made of stone. And under the trees there are such fabulous mushrooms.
Sanatorium Krimulda.
In the meantime, we approached the sanatorium in Krimulda.
The sanatorium in Krimulda is located in an old noble estate. The columns remind of the solemn receptions that the hosts arranged for their guests, of balls, musical evenings.
The sanatorium provides treatment for children and adults with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, respiratory and nervous systems.
After walking around Krimulda, we return to the cable car. Here, among the vegetation, the remains of an old castle are hidden.
Krimulda castle.
Powerful walls, skillfully laid out windows still amaze with grandeur and beauty.
And again on the road, along the roads of Latvia, in the footsteps of medieval knights and Russian emperors.
We are marching towards new impressions, amazing and mysterious places.
See you on the paths of Latvia!
Where we went then you can see the article:
Sigulda is a small town located 51 kilometers from the Latvian capital. People come to Sigulda, first of all, to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city, as well as for the picturesque pristine nature, fresh air and solitude. And it's not for nothing that Sigulda attracts like a magnet, because the city is located in the largest city in Latvia, stretching for 918 kilometers along both banks of the Gauja River.
In addition to the gorgeous nature in Sigulda, there are many architectural and historical monuments, medieval castles, churches, parks and other interesting places of interest.
In this article, we will take a leisurely stroll around Sigulda and see the main and most interesting sights of the city in our opinion. As mentioned earlier, Sigulda is a small town, it can be easily walked around in just an hour. This city is beautiful, impressive and kind of pacifyingly calm. In places, especially sitting on a bench in a cane park, Sigulda resembles small towns in Bavaria ().
Our walk in Sigulda started from station square(Stacijas laukums). It was here that we came from Riga by train, and buses also come here. How to get from Riga to Sigulda and back on your own.
The station square is small in size, it contains playground and Clock "Laima"... Laima clock is a city clock with the logo of the famous Latvian confectionery factory “Laima”. Similar clocks can be seen in other cities of Latvia, for example, in Riga, Laima Clock is located at.
Walking around Sigulda, we came across squares and natural parks every now and then.
Walking along Pils street we came to a sight, Square of Keys... Three Keys Square is a small piece of land with three huge iron keys resting on a stone wall, an arch with a bench for resting and a decorative bridge next to it. The Three Keys Monument symbolizes the three historical centers of the surroundings of the Gauja National Park and their unity - Sigulda, Turaida and Krimulda. The square was opened in 2007 in honor of the 800th anniversary of Sigulda.
Walking further, we came across the following attraction of the city - cane park... Sigulda Walking Stick Park was opened in 2007 as a tribute to Sigulda's most popular souvenir - walking sticks. A mention of this item can be found in the archives of the city of the 19th century, which say that walking in the rural mountainous area definitely requires a cane, which previously could be purchased from any street boy. Nowadays, the cane, of course, has lost its practical use, but it has remained a popular local souvenir. You can buy such a souvenir in any shop; they are sold in a variety of sizes, from large to small.
Park of Trosty, a small green park with benches and sculptures.
Streets in Sigulda are not wide, and residential buildings are mostly private and one-story with lawns and low fences around the perimeter. Of course, you cannot call them a tourist attraction, but it is still beautiful.
Passing to the opposite side of Raiņa iela street we go to small lake.
Near the lake there is (Siguldas Evangeliski Luteriska baznica). Sigulda Lutheran Church location address: Baznicas iela 2.
In the old days, on the site of the present church, there was another church called the Church of St. Bertulis (Berthold). The first evidence of the church dates back to 1483. From the beginning of the 30s of the last century, a new tower of the church was built according to the project of the architect P. Pekšen, and six years later the restoration of the altar was completed. They say you can climb the tower of the church, from there you can see a panoramic view of the city.
Inside the church is small, from the main entrance to the altar there is a passage covered with a carpet path, and on both sides of it there are benches.
An organ is installed above the central entrance. The current organ is a masterful mosaic of parts of various organs. The fact is that in the post-war period several parts disappeared from the original organ, after which they were replaced with equivalent parts from organs of other churches. So, over time, the organ was completely restored.
We go to another famous sight of Sigulda - White House... The White House was built in the 90s of the 19th century for Nikolai Kropotkin and his family, the owner of the Sigulda estate. During the agrarian reform in 1920, the house was sold. Its new owner was Ernestine Poruks, the widow of the famous Latvian poet and romantic Janis Poruk. She kept a boarding house in the house, which she gave another name to the White Castle.
Further, the White House was renamed more than once and everything was under its roof. There was a gymnasium, Latvian and Russian secondary schools, during the Second World War the German army used it as a refuge, and the house was abandoned for a long time until it was transferred to the economic management of the Administration of the Gauja National Park. Currently, the White House has an initiative center for education in the field of nature and cultural environment "Balta pils".
Near the White House there are such bunker shelter, built in the 40s of the 20th century to shelter local residents from air raids. The bunkers have long been abandoned and of course there is nothing remarkable about them, except that now they serve wintering places of bats.
Not far from the shelters, there is such a wonderful composition. Some soldiers made of scrap metal, granite stones and wood. By the way, this sculptural composition is also included in the list of sights of Sigulda and it is called Sculptural group "Knight's Parade"(Skulpturu grupa "" Bruņinieku parade ").
Residents of Sigulda are very proud of this sculpture, well, firstly, they consider the sculpture a unique object, and secondly, they believe that it not only fits perfectly into the overall appearance of the city, but also complements it. Why do they think so? You will understand this now!
If you look ahead from the sculpture of the Knight's Parade and walk a few steps, then we will come out to the stone gate, stylized in the Middle Ages, and upon entering the gate, we will be greeted by stunning beauty New Sigulda Castle, built in the 19th century by the princes Kropotkin. And behind the castle, another amazing surprise awaits us - ruins of the old medieval castle of the Livonian castle built in the 1200s.
The medieval Sigulda castle was once a majestic stone structure, then a city was formed around it, and it was from this castle that the history of Sigulda began. Currently, only two observation towers and part of the defensive wall remain from the Medieval Castle. These two castles are considered the most important landmarks of Sigulda, forming together. A separate article is devoted to these two locks on our blog, with a detailed description and magnificent photographs.
In the photo on the left is the New Sigulda Castle, on the right is the Sigulda Medieval Castle of the Livonian Order
This concludes our walk in Sigulda. Then we went to the cable car, and went on a hiking route to the Gauja National Park, visiting the Gutmanja cave and the Turaida Museum-Reserve with the Turaida Castle. But this is a completely different story, which we will tell about in the next article. So, after walking around Sigulda, do not stop, but continue your walk, you can with us, about the walking route through the Sigulda park-reserve, cable car, cave and castles.
What to do in Sigulda with children?
Sigulda is not only architectural sights and nature, that is, more entertainment for adults, the city has also prepared a lot of entertainment for children of all ages. First of all, it is big and famous Adventure Park "Tarzan"... Tarzan, the largest amusement park in the Baltic, is visited by families from all over the region.
The park is located directly in the city, in the open air. What is attractive about the park is that everyone, regardless of age, will find entertainment in it. We also wanted to visit this park, but we didn’t have enough time, it’s large and you need to allocate, perhaps, a whole day to visit it.
The Tarzan Adventure Park features an obstacle course for children and adults with over 100 different tree-lined obstacles, a carousel lift, trolls, a roller coaster track, a catapult, a rotor, a giant tree swing, a climbing wall, large trampolines, velomobiles , riding on cameras, rides - archery, as well as a separate place for picnics.
The adventure park "Tarzan" is located at the address: Sigulda, Peldu street, 1.
There is one more park in Sigulda, this adventure park "Forest Cat"... To get to this park you will need to walk a little. The park is also suitable for families. The Forest Cat amusement park offers obstacles, ropes, nets, bridges of various designs, swings, beams, ropes and stairs, as well as rope flights, a volleyball court, a guest house built in an Alpine style, a bath complex, a tavern and premises for seminars.
In winter, there is a ski run in the park. The Lena Cat Adventure Park is located at the address: Sigulda, Sencu street, 1.
Active recreation in Sigulda
In Sigulda, active recreation is also well developed. Of course, the parks listed above are also suitable for active recreation, but there are still separate places for this in Sigulda: the Sigulda Sports and Recreation Center and a bobsleigh and toboggan track.
Sigulda Sports and Recreation Center, offers its guests a 1.25 kilometer track for rollerblading, Nordic walking and running. Rollers and inline skis can be rented here. In the center there is a distance ski track. By the way, this is the only frozen track of this kind in Eastern Europe. Also in the center of sports and active recreation there is a giant swing with a 7-meter free fall.
The sports and active recreation center is located at the address: Sigulda, Puku street, 4.
Sigulda bobsleigh track is one of the rarest of its kind in the world. Its length is 1420 meters, it has 16 bends and a 200-meter stopping distance. The bobsleigh and luge track is located at the address: Sigulda, Švejses street, 13.
As you can see, Sigulda has prepared a lot of all kinds of places for recreation and entertainment for every taste and color for all ages. So, come to Sigulda, you will definitely not regret it. From personal experience, I can say that, having visited Sigulda, we regretted only one thing, that we came to the city for only one day and did not have time to see and do so many things. Next time we will definitely come for a few days and catch up.
Shops, cafes and restaurants in Sigulda
Almost all shops, cafes, restaurants and bars in Sigulda they are located near the Auto, railway station, near the station square. Further, walking around the city and the routes of the Gauja Park, there will be practically no cafes and shops as such, so if you want to take food with you, worry about it in advance. We didn’t think about our daily food, the long walks were exhausting to the end, so then we didn’t even manage to buy water, we had to go hungry for half a day.
Large Alvy's grocery store (Elvi) located near the Auto and Railway station at the address: Vidus iela 1, Sigulda. The prices for food in Sigulda are the same as in stores in Riga, and in the whole of Latvia they are approximately the same. About prices for food in Riga.
Where to stay in Sigulda?
At the service of vacationers in Sigulda, hotels are provided both without stars, they cost from 20 € for a double room per day, and three, four and five-star hotels, costing from 57 € for a double room per day.
To book rooms, especially in the high season, although in Sigulda at any time of the year during the high season, it is better to book in advance. We always book hotels in any country in the world through
Sigulda is a small town and a great place to relax, located in the picturesque Gauja National Park. Here you will find a relaxing holiday surrounded by pristine nature, nature reserves, castles and palaces of the Middle Ages, as well as places for active recreation and entertainment.
In this article, we will tell you about hiking trails in Sigulda and its environs, as well as what to do and what you can see in Sigulda in one day with and without children.
Hiking trails in Sigulda and surroundings
In addition to walking around the city itself, Sigulda has prepared several hiking trails in the nearby outskirts of the city.
In the photo, a route map of Sigulda with all the sights:
Such a card can be borrowed free of charge at the Sigulda Tourist Information Center, located in the building of the Auto and Railway Stations, at the address: st. Ausekляa 6, Sigulda (Ausekļa iela 6, Sigulda), entrance from the city side from the station square.
In red on the map above is the route through the city of Sigulda itself, with all its attractions: the park of keys, the park of walking sticks, the Sigulda Evangelical Lutheran Church, the White Castle, the Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order, etc. The route is picturesque and interesting, the city hides a lot of secret places.
Especially beautiful, which includes the New and Medieval Castles, as well as the creative quarter of Sigul Castle.
On this route, or rather, not even along the route, but through the city of Sigulda, we recommend that everyone walk, regardless of how far you have arrived in the city. We talked about a walk in Sigulda and its main attractions earlier,.
Walking around the center of Sigulda, you can go along two different routes - green or burgundy-lilac.
Green route on the map small in length. Walking along it you will delve into the Gauja National Park, where you can enjoy the wild nature. This route includes a visit to the Paradise Mountain, the Krauklu (Voronov) cave and gorge, the Satesele settlement and the Petra cave.
Burgundy-lilac route longer than green, its length is 5 kilometers one way. Moreover, it is the most picturesque and most visited route in Sigulda. It was on it that we walked, having received a lot of unforgettable impressions, we recommend it!
By choosing this route, you can ride a cable car, enjoy the clean fresh air and nature of the Gauja Park, visit Krimulda manor and the ruins of the Krimulda medieval castle, Gutmana cave, which is associated with a romantic one, go to the most visited museum in Latvia - Turaida Museum-Reserve, on the territory which is the famous Turaida stone castle. About walking along this route and all its places of interest.
Finally, route marked on the map in blue(first photo in this article), the one on the left. To walk along it, you need to return to the Sigulda station square again. Following this route, you will see the Tsar's throne, the Pikensky cliff, the small Devil cave and the rocks of the Devil's cave. On the way to this route, you will come to the bobsleigh track and the Forest Cat Adventure Park.
What you can do in one day in Sigulda
In one day in Sigulda, you can have time to walk around the city and walk along one of the proposed routes. We would recommend the longest route, with the Gutmania cave and the Turaida Museum-Reserve. Although you can choose any other of the proposed routes to your own taste.
To have time to go along one of the routes, you need to come to Sigulda early in the morning and expect to spend the whole day in the city. About the best way to get from Riga to Sigulda and back.
Having visited Sigulda, we were convinced from our own experience that there is very little one day for such a charming town, with a mass of beautiful historical and natural places. We haven't seen so much in one day. Conclusion: Sigulda needs at least three days. But if you have only one day to Sigulda, then it does not matter either, choose your route and follow it, one day will be enough for that.
One day with children in Sigulda
With children in Sigulda, you can walk around the city and visit one of the two adventure parks.
First - adventure park "Tarzan" located near the cable car. But the photo with the map is at number 11. In the Tarzan Adventure Park there is an obstacle course for children and adults from more than 100 different obstacles placed on trees, a carousel lift, trolls, a roller coaster track, a catapult, a rotor, a giant swing in the trees , climbing wall, large trampolines, velomobiles, riding on cameras, rides - archery, and a separate picnic area. The adventure park "Tarzan" is located at the address: Sigulda, Peldu street, 1.
Photo taken by the cable car
Second, adventure park "Forest Cat"... To get to this park, you need to follow the blue route, the park on the map is number 25. In this park, you will find obstacles, ropes, nets, bridges of various designs, swings, beams, ropes and stairs, as well as rope flights, volleyball playground, alpine-style guest house, sauna complex, pub and seminar rooms. In winter, there is a ski run in the park. The Lena Cat Adventure Park is located at the address: Sigulda, Sencu street, 1.
...Traveling around Central Asia, I often thought that the grandeur of the mountains and the vastness of the steppes will not replace the most ordinary forest over a slow river. So now, after a two-month break, I resume my story about Latvia. Past posts about this Baltic country - see by tag.
If the Western Dvina is such a "Latvian Dnieper", then the Gauja is here instead of the Dniester: the main river Vidzeme, the longest in the territory of Latvia (since, unlike the Daugava, flows along it from source to mouth) and is remarkable for a deep wooded valley. On the Gauja, fifty kilometers from Riga, there is Sigulda (11 thousand inhabitants) - perhaps the most picturesque Latvian town, which grew up in the Middle Ages in the field of view of as many as three castles: the Order of Siegevold on the left bank, Episcopal Traiden (Turaida) and Capitul's Kremen (Krimulda) on the right. Siegewold is usually translated as "forest of victories" - it was the first castle founded by the Crusaders in the interior of the mainland (1207). About him, in general about the left bank of Sigulda and about a kilometer cable car through the Gauja valley - in the first part.
The history of Sigulda is very typical for Latvia - the turbulent and beautiful knightly Middle Ages, the transformation into a remote village at the manor after the Livonian and Northern Wars, and finally the return of city status in 1928. The border of Sigulda is formed by the Riga-Pskov highway, from which it takes about a kilometer to go to the railway station, about three kilometers to the Sigulda Castle, and more than 6 kilometers to Turaida Castle. The terrain from the highway to the railway is completely inexpressive:
2.
The eye only clings to a small church on one of the side streets, which on closer inspection turns out to be a typical remake:
3.
The border of the center can be considered a station on the former Pskov-Riga railway, which in 1886-89 connected Riga with St. Petersburg by the shortest route. The traffic here is not as active as on the electrified lines near Riga, but still the diesel runs every 2-3 hours:
4.
Seeing the station, I immediately admired - "what an excellent example of architecture of the 1st Republic of Latvia!"
5.
It is all the more surprising that in fact it is a Stalinist, which I refused to believe until I saw a photo of a real station in the 1920s. In general, I am similarly mistaken with the dating of buildings in Latvia on a regular basis, that is, in fact, "the architecture of the First Republic" survived even after its disappearance, right up to the Khrushchev era. The fabulous appearance of the old railway station at the station, which was not even a city at that time, probably testifies to the fact that Sigulda had already begun to develop as a resort at that time.
5a. 
According to the new Latvian tradition, the station is here combined with a motor port, buses to Riga run every hour and they can get where it is more convenient.
6.
The local clock "Laima" is on the square. So "Laima" is a well-known famous chocolate factory in Riga, and a similar clock is installed in the capital at the entrance to the Old Town near its brand store. Why else are there still others - alas, I do not know.
7.
If you go along the railway for about a kilometer in the direction of Riga, you will come to the beauty and pride of Latvian sports, the bobsleigh and luge complex (1986), until recently the only one in the post-Soviet space. I got to him the other day, accompanied by renatar - the fact is that this complex was designed by her father, Victor Rimsha.
8.
In general, as it turned out later, I saw three buildings by Viktor Benediktovich, and I did not know about the other two - but I remember them. According to Renata, in modern Latvia they do not really like to remember his contribution, and the authorship of the building is attributed either to the Yugoslavs (in fact, they carried out direct construction), or to the Germans from the GDR (they carried out technical calculations). The bobsleigh track is unique in that from one point you can see 7 of its turns:
9.
The track descends very nicely into the Gauja valley, and it is not so uncommon to find sledges training on it.
10.
Track layout and bob - bobsled sled with "" ornaments on the side. Although luge sports originated in the 1880s in the Alps, and entered the program of the Olympic Games in 1954, this business is still not very well known in our country - however, it was the Latvian luge who won the first medals of the USSR in this sport in 1980. In the post-Soviet era, bobble-sled complexes have been built since then in the Moscow region (Paramonovo) and Sochi.
11.
From the railway station to Sigulda Castle - another twenty minutes walk. There are more pretty houses here than behind the railway, but they do not form integral buildings anywhere.
12.
13.
14.
Installations so beloved in the Baltics:
15.
And in general, Sigulda most of all resembles Jurmala - a comfortable resort town, where in every second house there is not a hotel but a cafe, and every second passer-by is a group of tourists:
16.
On the approaches to the castle - the church of St. Berthold (1930-36, and generally known at this place since 1483):
17.
Protestant minimalist hall:
18.
And the tower hosted an exhibition of mosaics by Valdas Atals (if I'm not mistaken):
19.
Everything would be fine, but they are made of buttons! I saw pictures of sand, but of feathers, so these mosaics perfectly continue the series.
20.
Well, there and the castle is a stone's throw. For its detailed history, as usual, I refer to Renata Rimsh's website, but I myself will retell it very briefly. As already mentioned, Siegevold was the first castle founded by the crusaders far from the sea (1207-1211), and for the next three hundred years remained one of the most influential in Livonia. Firstly, here the lands touched, and therefore the interests of the Order Master, the Archbishop of Riga and, in addition, the Riga Dome Chapter, which did not have so many possessions outside Riga, collided; Secondly. the valley of the Gauja, in principle, turned out to be the center of the order lands, its capital Wenden (Cesis) stood a little higher, and Siegewold was the center of the commander's office (province), on the territory of which it was located. Since 1432, there was the residence of the land marshal, that is, the chief - and as you might guess, in the Order it was the position number 2 after the master. And although the castle was destroyed by Ivan the Terrible in the Livonian War, it was nevertheless rebuilt much faster than Wenden, and under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the de facto center of the Wenden Voivodeship, which included almost all of the right-bank Latvia. The castle was finally finished off by the Polish-Swedish war, and having got to Sweden in 1621, in the following centuries Siegewold turned from a fortress into a manor that grew on the site of a destroyed forburg - the decorative wall of the late 19th century runs approximately in the same place as the fortress one:
21.
For three hundred years, the estate has changed many owners, the longest (1783-1898) the castle was owned by the Eastsea barons Borja (I have already shown their other estate), and the last owners were the Kropotkins - I must say, it is a rather rare case that the estate of the Eastsea baron got Russian nobleman: Dmitry Kropotkin married Olga Borh (who formally remained the mistress of the estate until the end of her life), after which, in 1878-81, one of the most beautiful neo-Gothic palaces in Latvia was built, the architect of which was, by the way, the ethnic Latvian Janis Mengelis ...
22.
But the wooden outhouses may be older, from the time of the Borkhs:
23.
Another painted sled, this time not at all sports:
24.
Burned down in World War I, after the war the palace became state property, and in the 1930s it housed the House of Writers - I don’t know what they did there: performed, worked or had a rest; then (1936-37) the tower was added. Now the palace is occupied by the Sigulda City Council, and I still did not understand whether it is possible to freely get inside, where very beautiful interiors of the 1920s have been preserved.
25.
And the medieval ruins are greeted right in the backyard, behind a deep moat that separated the convention from the foreburg. Siegewold was lucky - the owners of the estate took care of it as a decoration of the park and a relic, and even before the revolution, the Old Castle became one of the main attractions of the Ostsee Region. As I understand it, most of the surviving buildings date back to the 15th century, and in 2011 they underwent a very high-quality restoration. On the right is a meeting hall and a chapel, on the left is one of the two surviving towers, and in a wooden structure there is a ticket office and a souvenir kiosk:
26.
Above the entrance is the coat of arms of the Borkhs.
26a. 
From a wall so high that an arrow could not fly over it, in one direction there is a view of the Kropotkin Palace, and in the other - of the stage inside the castle:
27.
The wall and the chapel are just incredible views of the Middle Ages:
28.
Chapel from the inside. A wall in the foreground separated the meeting room:
29.
The stub of the second tower contains a small museum, which I did not go to:
30.
And this is how the castle looked during its heyday on the eve of the Livonian War:
30a. 
The observation deck offers a view of the forest area of the River Gauja and the Turaida Castle in the distance, the plan of which is also attached.
31.
Rather, his replica - the real Treiden has not survived to this day, his stones went to a large extent for the construction of the Kropotkin Palace, and there, in the distance, since 1953, the "ideal Livonian castle", a collective image of the knightly past of the Baltic States, has been slowly being built.
32.
In the castle that day there was clearly noticeable animation: in addition to the stage, there were laid tables ...
33.
At the checkout there is a girl in a middle-aged dress (I apologize for taking this picture in a very unfortunate position - but I still think, even so it is clear that she is very beautiful):
34.
And at the gates of the estate, the arriving guests were greeted by a musician boy:
35.
Leaving the gate, I went to the right - past the boiler room:
36.
Past the directorate of the Gauja National Park - by the way, the largest (about the size of Moscow before the expansion) and the oldest (1979) in Latvia:
37.
Through a busy street that slopes steeply from the coast and through a cozy park with flower beds to the cable car station, the 1060m line of which was thrown in 1969 through the Gauja valley:
38.
The only booth runs every half hour until 6 pm, and it is better to come in advance - everyone who wants to can not fit in it. I was waiting for the landing in the company of tourists, where the most noticeable was a large girl of about 20 years old with a short haircut and a very loud voice. In principle, after five minutes of waiting, in terms of intonations and expressions (especially the regularly slipping word "hipster") I no longer doubted that there were Muscovites in front of me, and I could not even resist, and asked them about it directly. In general, there are a lot of Russian tourists in Latvia, and of course the guys were not very happy with the appearance of a compatriot in the field of view.
39.
The start of the cable car is impressive - as soon as it starts, it abruptly goes down. The appearance of the pavilion is rather suspicious - clearly another echo of interwar architecture. I didn't measure the travel time, but it felt like 7-10 minutes.
40.
Gauja reminded me very much with its wild hilly shores, especially where nothing man-made gets into the frame:
41.
But that this is not the Russian North, but the Baltic states, they make it clear as many as three castles from different sides - Siegewold behind, barely visible behind the trees:
42.
Turaida three kilometers upstream:
43.
And Krimulda is right on the course - it has been known since 1255; like Siegewold, it was destroyed in the Polish-Swedish war and since 1625 it turned into an estate, which was the farthest owned by Lieven, and in 1862 Alexander II even stayed in the palace. The current palace, as I understand it, was built at about the same time, and somewhere in the manor park there were even ruins of the walls of the 14th century. In Soviet times, a tuberculosis sanatorium was located there, for which the cable car was built, moreover, as reported calendulae , with the participation of builders from the Georgian Chiatura, where a whole network of passenger cable cars is located. However, I did not really examine the Krimulda estate:
44.
The bridge is a little older than the cable car - 1950, and in principle it is strange that they were not limited to one thing. Pay attention to the abundance of driftwood - the Gauja very intensively erodes its wooded banks:
45.
Krimulda station at the other end of the cable car:
46.
You can get to the Turaida Castle by this gizmo - but I decided to go on foot:
47.
About Krimulda and Turaida - in the next part.
LATVIA-2013
... Villages and religions. Imperial Riga. "Eisenstein's Quarter".
Train station, market and skyscraper.
Masking. Inside of Riga.
Factory suburbs. Grzinkalns.
Factory suburb. North-eastern industrial area.
Factory suburbs. Sarkandaugava.
Left Coast. Zadvinye, or Pardaugava.
Left Coast. Bolderaja, Daugavsgriv fortress and access to the sea.
Riga Ethnographic Museum.
Jurmala. Resort villages.
Jurmala. Railway, Sloka and Kemeri.
Vidzeme.
Sigulda. The left bank of the Gauja.
Sigulda. Krimulda and Turaida.
Cesis. County town.
Cesis. Wenden Castle.
Cesis. Araishi.
Vidzeme hinterland. Straupe, Ungurmuizha, Birini.
... Narrow gauge railway.
... Towns and estates.
Semigalia (Zemgale).
Jelgava. Mitava Palace and Castle Island.
Jelgava. Remains of the city.
Rundala and Zalenieki. Biron's palaces.
Bauska. The first capital of the duchy.
Tukums. On the way to Courland.
Suburbs of Tukums. Slokenbeka, Sinevilla, Jaunmok.
Courland (Kurzeme).
Kuldiga. The city above the waterfall.
Kandava and Sabile. Courland towns.
Courland hinterland. Embute, Virga, Priekulya, Grobina.
Liepaja. Marine facade.
Liepaja is naval. Karosta and Tosmare.
Liepaja industrial. Metallurgical Plant and Northern Suburb.
Liepaja. New city and Trade channel.
Liepaja. Old city.
Tsirava, Saka, Pavilosta.
The land of suites. Alsunga, Edole.
Ventspils. Old city.
Ventspils. Port and new flavor.
Ventspils. Seaside park.
Dundaga and Nurmuizha.
... The root of the Baltics.
