A Visit to Latvia - The Much Reconstructed Country (Part I)

Lielstraupe Castle.

This is the third reconstruction of the castle/manor house at Straupe in the Vidzeme, or central area, of Latvia. It was severely damaged as late as 1905 during revolutionary activity associated with the Russian Revolution of that year.

This is typical of major Latvian buildings as the area was subject to constant wars, starting with the tribal conflicts between Latgalians and Livs, Semigallians and Selonians; the area was then ruled by the promising sounding and nominally Christian,  Livonian Sword Brothers following authorisation of invasion and Christianisation by the Papacy in the 13c; the Sword Brovs were later absorbed by the Teutonic Knights. The area was fought over by the Rus, the Germans, the Swedes, the Poles and finally ceded to the Russians 1721 from whom there was a brief period of independence as Latvia after World War I, only to be rolled over again , in 1940 by the Russians, then invaded and occupied by the Germans 1941 and taken back by the Russians in 1944.  Latvia finally gained independence from the latter in  1991. The Russian occupation is still very much in the minds of Latvians today.

The saving element for Latvia has been its cities membership of the Hanseatic League which conferred trading rights and help make cities such as Riga rich and influential in the Baltic. However the large town near Straupe, known in German as Roop and which was probably at Lielstraupe some 4 km from the Castle given its name, was given trading rights as a member of the Hanseatic league in 1374 and became an important trading town but was totally destroyed during the wars and lost its trading status in the 17th C.

 The Ferry on the Gauja River at Ligatne

The LWF, Droad and Our Lady of the Fermentations visited Latvia in May, starting in Riga where OLoF had a Philosophy conference. After only one night all set off for rural areas, first braving the mosquitos and a thunderstorm on the Baltic coast and then driving along dirt roads to Ligatne via Straupe. We arrived on the wrong side of the river at Ligatne to find the ferry was not in operation, but sitting on the opposite shore. This necessitated a long detour via Cēsis, before final arrival at the very comfortable Lacu Mega (Bears Den) guesthouse where we were well looked after. The house was full of teddy bears, but the seven foot bear sitting in the hallway was all encompassing.

The Droad, Our Lady of the Fermentations and Mosquitos on the Still Shore of the Baltic Sea

 Ligatne: Beautifully tended gardens with blooming fruit trees characterise the villages suggesting that today people are dependent on kitchen gardens as many Rural people remain poor.

 Ligatne: Wooden houses built by the local owner of the paper mill at the end of the 19c to house workers The roofing material is modern, soviet era.

 "The largest Erosion Cave in the Baltics"

The Cable Car Tower at Krimulda

Tourism in Latvia is not well developed and we were led by notices to the cave above described eagerly in the literature as "The largest Erosion Cave in the Baltics" where we were joined by about fifty German and Japanese tourists.  This was a wind formed cave but containing a spring and no more than 15m deep. The most interesting aspect was two hundred or more years of names carved into the soft sandstone. At Krimulda is a medieval castle that, unusually, did not get reconstructed and is little more than a huge boulder foundation and and end wall with a medieval window aperture. Nearby was a cable car which traversed the valley to the town of Sigulda. OLoF walked up to have a look at the cable car tower and returned to say "obviously hasn't been used for years..." but then there was a cry from the Droad "its coming" and sure enough there in the distance, bright yellow against the green deciduous woodland of he valley, there came the cable car like something out of  a dream. It was manned by a young woman but was otherwise empty. We took the opportunity to go to Sigulda on the return trip which necessitated braving a thunderstorm and heavy rain as we traversed the cable some one hundred metres above the river.  When finally we arrived we asked for the time of the return cable car only to be told that there wasn't one as this was the last trip of the day. Instead we walked the two miles back to the car, getting soaked by the torrential rain before we had even finished descending the valley.

Nearby Ligatne is a rehabilitation centre, originally reputedly for KGB and party personell. Beneath this, down a short flight of ordinary looking steps  is an extensive civil defence nuclear bunker built by the Soviet Government at Latvian expense. It was only made public in 2007 and about half of it is available to visit. Most rooms contain out of date radio, telephone and computer equipment. There are also offices, one for the head of the Latvian government and one for the head of the Latvian Communist Party. We were fortunate to find her still in residence. The Bunker was designed to accommodate 2000 people and was generously provided with four toilets.

The Latvian Communist Party Chief in Command at the Soviet Bunker.

There is also a good line in Soviet era posters either urging proper conduct on employees, or advising on response to various types of warfare.

How to Stop Worrying and Love Biological Warfare: a Soviet Era Poster in the Bunker.