Page 195 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

EASTERN LA T VIA  193

Picturesque view of the wooden dwellings of Āraiši Lake Fortress
witnessed extremely fierce Lake Āraiši, now reconstructed Y Līgatne Education and
fighting during the War of as a tourist sight. A wooden Recreation Centre
Independence (1918–20). platform holds 16 single-room 15 km (9 miles) NE of Sigulda. @ from
The Cēsis Castle complex is the dwellings with log walls and bark Cēsis. Tel 6415 3313. Open May–Sep:
town’s major attraction. Visitors roofs. Each of them could 9am–6pm Mon–Fri, 9am–7pm Sat &
are given builders’ accommodate three Sun; Oct–Apr: 10am–5pm daily. &
helmets and lanterns for to eight people. A clay ∑ visitligatne.lv
the tour of the 15th- to stove was used for A wooded nature park, Līgatne
16th-century towers of heating and cook ing, Education and Recreation Park
the 13th-century Old while a small structure (Līgatnes mācību un atpūtas
Castle. The pink New to the right of each parks) is home to the likes of
Castle, built in 1777, is doorway was used brown bears, lynx, beavers, elk
home to the Museum for storage or to and European bison. Large
of Art and History keep cattle. enclosures are connec ted by
(Cēsu vēstures un Sign, Līgatne Education Today, guides in 5.5 km (3.4 miles) of walking
mākslas muzejs). The and Recreation Centre costume re-create the trails and a 5-km (3-mile) route
highlight is the well- atmosphere of the for vehicles. The site includes
presented “Treasures of Cēsis” settlement, and a dug out boat a 22-m (72-ft) viewing tower,
exhibition. Cēsis Exhibition House can be hired. Back on shore is a horse-riding facilities, spots
(Cēsu izstāžu nams), a renovated ruined Livonian Order castle and for campfires and several car
18th-century coach house, seve ral reconstructed Stone, parks. Dogs are not allowed
stands on the square in front of Bronze and Iron Age dwellings. on the trails.
the New Castle. To the north, the
Castle Park is a pop ular place to The Latvian Flag
relax in the sum mer, while the
Old Town is to the southeast of According to tradition, the Latvian
the castle. national flag was born in Cēsis around
Other attractions include the 1280. The story goes that warriors from
19th-century Cēsis Brewery, one of the Latvian tribes wrapped their
although the beer is now brewed dying chieftain in a white flag, which
outside the town. they had captured from their Estonian
enemies. After giving a stirring speech,
+ Āraiši Lake Fortress the chieftain died and the warriors
10 km (6 miles) S of Cēsis. Tel 6410 removed the flag from his body to find
that his blood had left two red stripes
7080. Open Apr–Oct: 9am–7pm daily; on it; the white stripe in the middle was
Nov–Mar: 9am–4pm daily. & 8 where he had lain. The warriors took the
Tales of sunken castles are new flag into battle and defeated their
common in Latvian folklore, enemies. The present-day version of the
appearing to stem from the flag was designed by artist Ansis Cīrulis
9th- to 10th-century Latgallian in May 1917. The Museum of Art and
practice of building settlements History in Cēsis has an exhibition Latvian flag hoisted on the New
on islets. In 1965, arch aeologists dedicated to the Latvian flag. Castle, Sigulda
found one such settlement in

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