Vienkoču Parks

Latvia


Rihards, a local wood carver, has filled a 10-hectare park with his unique creations. Short trails snake past modern art installations, a classical garden, model houses and displays about wooden shipbuilding. Buy yourself a hand-crafted wooden bowl. The park is right off the A2, at the Līgatne turn.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Latvia attractions

1. Līgatne Nature Trails

4.19 MILES

An odd cross between a nature park and a zoo, here elk, deer, bison and wild boar roam in open-air enclosures in the forest. From the parking area, a 4km…

2. Soviet Secret Bunker

4.46 MILES

What poses as a dreary rehabilitation centre is in fact a top-secret Soviet bunker, known by its code name, the Pension. When Latvia was part of the USSR,…

3. Folk Song Garden

7.65 MILES

The garden is dotted with sculptures dedicated to epic Latvian heroes immortalised in the dainas, poetic folk songs which are a major Latvian tradition.

4. Turaida Rose Headstone

7.78 MILES

The small stone memorial commemorates poor Maija Roze, otherwise known as the Rose of Turaida – a character in Sigulda's romantic legend.

5. Turaida Museum Reserve

7.84 MILES

Turaida means ‘God’s Garden’ in ancient Livonian, and this green knoll capped with a fairy-tale castle is certainly a heavenly place. The red-brick castle…

6. Sigulda Castle Complex

7.9 MILES

The city of Sigulda has done a fine job developing the historic buildings at its core into one unmissable complex. The highlight is the Livonian Order…

7. Livonian Order Castle

7.93 MILES

Constructed between 1207 and 1209 by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, this castle lies mainly in picturesque ruins after being severely damaged during…

8. Gūtmaņa Cave

8.07 MILES

More grotto than cave, this 19m-deep fissure in the earth is most famous for its role in the tragic legend of the Rose of Turaida. Most tourists visit to…