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Lu “ Ios ad Cy id S y e —- I i s a ® ° ee — SS aer nu Aa Ayjae yides UMO}U le|p| UMO} 1210, peoj ediouiig peoJ 2IO, Aemiey Arepunjoeugo neusearuyj eeei N * , \ | 1 NU | ] ezpny ) puzy 1 a el v1ig e (XW ; i e ‘ \ G ? we ‘ 5 i Ny . edt: ‘ z of ee . @ BUSAGD IV : = : vaneless : ay7 sianY Pe =, PuallnOy/ 3" on RIP f nyabels Y ere|esze, Uy LNA ag(77 ri0.05 elojy : Z PIAIALU,| E SW oe cena f // alsiunly we ce VINV O N \ L H \ S Bee 7 - ji ILIT D D W A J D D S Latvia THE BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE PUBLISHER’S FOREWORD The first Bradt travel guide was written in 1974 by George and Hilary Bradt on a river barge floating down a tributary of the Amazon. In the 1980s and '90s the focus shifted away from hiking to broader-based guides covering new destinations — usually the first to be published about these places. In the 21st century Bradt continues to publish such ground-breaking guides, as well as others to established holiday destinations, incorporating in-depth information on culture and natural history with the nuts and bolts of where to stay and what to see. Bradt authors support responsible travel, and provide advice not only on minimum impact but also on how to give something back through local charities. In this way a true synergy is achieved between the traveller and local communities. * It’s lovely to welcome a fourth edition of Latvia by my old friends Stephen Baister and Chris Patrick. They were responsible for one of the first Bradt best-sellers, a guide to East Germany published when this was a separate country and independent Latvia didn’t exist. When The Wall came down we lost one title but gained many others, notably Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. There are few remnants of the old Soviet Union in this now vibrant country, but Stephen and Chris can justifiably claim to have helped put Latvia on the tourist map when their guide was first published in 1995. \ 4 oo ics aay Hilary Bradt 19 High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 9QE, England Tel: 01753 893444 Fax: 01753 892333 Email: [email protected] Web: www.bradtguides.com Latvia THE BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE Fourth Edition Stephen Baister Chris Patrick Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, UK The Globe Pequot Press Inc, USA Fourth edition 2005 First published 1995 Bradt Travel Guides Ltd 19 High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 9QE, England www.bradtguides.com Published in the USA by The Globe Pequot Press Inc, 246 Goose Lane, PO Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437-0480 Text copyright © 2005 Stephen Baister and Chris Patrick Maps copyright © 2005 Bradt Travel Guides Ltd Illustrations © 2005 individual artists and photographers The authors and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information in this book at the time of going to press. However, they cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience resulting from the use of information contained in this guide. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior consent of the publishers. Requests for permission should be addressed to Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, 19 High Street, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks SL9 9QE in the UK; or to The Globe Pequot Press Inc, 246 Goose Lane, PO Box 480, Guilford, Connecticut 06437-0480 in North and South America. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN-10: 1 84162 121 8 ISBN-13: 978 1 84162 121 0 Photographs Front cover Statue by Indulis Ranks at the Sculpture Park, Turaida (SC) Text Stephen Baister & Chris Patrick (SC), Tricia Hayne (TH), Rachel Russell (RR), Mark Wadlow (MW) Illustrations John Baister, Carole Vincer Maps Alan Whitaker, Matt Honour Typeset from the authors’ disc by Wakewing Printed and bound in Italy by Legoprint SpA, Trento Authors Stephen Baister studied modern languages at Oxford and London universities and worked as a publisher before becoming a solicitor. While in practice, he represented a number of clients with interests in eastern and central Europe. He was co-author of the Bradt Guide to East Germany, published in 1990, a contributor to Eastern Europe by Rail (Bradt Travel Guides 1994) and co-author of the Riga: The Bradt City Guide. He has a doctorate in East European law from University College London. He is now a Registrar in Bankruptcy in the High Court. Chris Patrick has a degree in French and German from Oxford University. After graduation she lived and worked in Japan and travelled extensively in the Far East. She works now in international research and consultancy. She has assisted a number of organisations from eastern Europe in doing business in the Far East. She first visited Latvia in 1989 and has returned many times since. She was co- author of the Bradt Guide to East Germany, published in 1990, a contributor to Eastern Europe by Rail (Bradt Travel Guides 1994) and co-author of Riga: The Bradt City Guide. Introduction Ix PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION I Chapter | The Country 3 Geography 3, Natural history 5, Environmental issues 10 Chapter 2 History and Economy 13 History 13, Government and politics 24, Economy 25 Chapter 3 People and Culture 27 Ethnicity 27, Religion 30, Language 32, National customs 34, Traditional Latvian holidays and events 36, Arts 38 Chapter 4 Practical Information 49 When to go 49, Getting there and away 49, Tour operators 51, Getting around 53, Red tape 55, Money 57, Health 57, Crime and personal safety 58, Costs 58, Tipping 59, Language 59, Accommodation 59, Food and drink 60, What to take 64, Electricity 64, Media and communications 64, Doing business in Latvia 66, Other practicalities 67, Useful addresses 67, Local charities 68 PART TWO THE COUNTRY 69 Chapter 5 Riga 71 History 72, Getting around 77, Accommodation 78, Eating out 86, Nightlife 92, Entertainment 93, Shopping 95, Places of worship 99, Money and post 99, Walks in Riga 100, Museums 121, Outside the centre 126 Chapter 6 Near Riga 133 Jarmala 133, Salaspils 141, Other places near Riga 141 Chapter 7 Vidzeme 143 Main attractions 143, History 143, Getting around 14, Sigulda and Turaida, Césis, the Gauja 145, Between Riga and Estonia: the Gulf of Riga 165, Southern Vidzeme: Madona, Piebalga, Alaiksne 169 Chapter 8 Kurzeme 175 Main attractions 175, History 175, A trip around Kurzeme 177 Chapter 9 Zemgale 201 Main attractions 201, History 201, A trip around Zemgale 202, Bauska to Rundale 205, Rundile to Jelgava 207 Chapter 10 Latgale and the Daugava River Valley 213 Main attractions 213, History 213, A trip around Latgale 214, Riga to Daugavpils 214, Beyond Daugavpils 224 Appendix | Language 229 Appendix 2 Place Names 234 Appendix 3 Further Information 236 Index 243 LIST OF MAPS Latvian provinces before Aldksne 174 World War | 19 Bauska 204 ~— Liepaja 196 Césis 155 Ligatne Nature and Daugava River Valley aud Educational Park 153 Daugavpils 222 Rezekne 225 Districts 4 _ Riga: art nouveau 118 Dundaga 185 Riga centre 80-| Gauja National Park 160 Riga: Old Town 101 Geography 6 Rundale 206 Jekabpils 219 — Sigulda 146 Jelgava 209 ~— Talsi 183 Jurmala 134 Tukums 178 Kandava 181 Valmiera 162 Kuldiga 193 Ventspils 189 Kurzeme, northern 176 Vidzeme, central and Kurzeme, southern 194 southern 144 Latgale 226 Vidzeme, northern 164 Latvia front cover Zemgale 200 For key to map symbols, see page 228. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following people for their generous help in the preparation of this book: Inara Punga, William Hough and Karlis Cerbulis who produced the first edition. Although the current edition has been substantially re-written as a result of all the changes which have taken place recently in Latvia, we have built on their original format. Iréna Hamilton of the Embassy of Latvia for advice on language and culture. Neil Taylor of Regent Holidays for invaluable suggestions, in particular on travel and practical information. Eva Staltmane, Director of the Latvian Tourism Development Agency in London, for providing local knowledge and information. Clifford Baister for help on birds and birdwatching. James Charters for information on Jelgava and eating possibilities near the Daugava. Vieda Skultans for hotel recommendations. Mareks Ameriks of the Jelgava City Museum for historical information. George Spodris of the Bristol Latvian Society for his helpful suggestions. The many people in the Latvian tourist offices in Latvia who provided advice and local information. All the staff at Bradt Travel Guides Ltd.