Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Latvia

The Gutmanis cave, covered with rock drawings, takes its name from a healer who used the water in the cave to remove wrinkles. The Viktors cave was named after a castle gardener who dug it for his fiancée Maija, known as the Rose of Turaida. Legend has it that she was murdered by a Polish officer in the nearby cave. The hill is called Dainu kalns, or "Mount of the Dainas"; it is covered with sculptures in honour of the poet Barons who, in the 19th century, collected thousands of dainas.

Liepāja was built between the sea and a lagoon, Lake Liepāja. With its thirteen islands, the lake has become a Natura 2000 nature reserve. It's also one of the locals' favorite places for a stroll. Zirgu Island ("horse island" in Latvian) is the largest. Start by visiting the Nature House, which serves as a visitor center, and from there take the nature trail, a 4 km walk along wooden footbridges with a bird-watching tower (remember binoculars), platforms for admiring the lake and picnic areas.

Jelgava's natural gem lies behind the palace, accessible via Pils iela, a road along the Lielupe. Pass the yacht club and you'll arrive at the Lielupe floodplains(Lielupes palienes pļavas), a Natura 2000 area, protected for its flora and fauna. If the trail is open (it's closed in spring during bird nesting), you can head out and observe rare plants and birds, including migratory ones. A little further along the trail, you'll reach a 19-metre wooden observation tower from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the river, meadows and Jelgava, which seems far away in this oasis of calm. From here, continue until you reach the home of a group of semi-wild horses. There are between 60 and 80 of them, all free-ranging and regularly fed. You'll soon notice that they're all alike: small in stature, rustic in appearance, and with coats ranging from black to sand and various shades of grey. They are koniks, an ancient breed of horse originally from Poland and introduced here as part of a program to revitalize the plains, where they naturally maintain the vegetation cover simply by grazing. Don't approach the horses - they'll come if they want to. Koniks, although semi-wild, are not shy. Don't feed them, they have everything they need here.