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DUNDAGA PARISH

DUNDAGA CASTLE
The largest and oldest castle in North Kurzeme. Its building dares back to the 3rd quarter of the 13th century and it was built by Riga Dome chapter for the economic needs. The castle was being built gradually. During the long existence period it has experienced wars, numerous changes of owners, several rebuildings. The castle has twice been on fire - in 1872 and 1905, though renovated and even enlarged. The castle obtained its present look before WW I.

DUNDAGA EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Built in 1766 under the guidance of the owner of the castle Karl Ostenzacken. Visiting the church you will notice the altarpiece by Jānis Rozentāls ‘Easter morning’ (1912), but during services and concerts listen to the sound of organ built in 1859 by Latvian peasant Ansis Dinsbergs. In 1935 the church was bestowed a status of an architectural monument.

KUBALU SCHOOL MUSEUM
The Kubalu school building was built in 1842. It is the oldest preserved school of log building construction in Kurzeme. The folklore specialist Krišjānis Barons studied in the school, but the writer and educationalist Ernests Dinsbergs worked as a teacher there from 1838 till 1878. In 1972 E.Dinsberg memorial museum was opened here.

MAZIRBE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
The owner of Dundaga manor Theodor Ostenzacken laid the foundation stone of the present brick-wall church building in 1866. Destroyed after WW II, it was renovated in 1988. Since 1931 several times a year services have been organised not only in Latvian but also in the Livonian language. The tower is 36m high, it used to serve as a landmark for ships.

SLITERE LIGHTHOUSE
Lighthouse is situated at the slope of Blue hils on the ancient bank of Baltic ice lake, which also marks the southern border of Slitere national park. It was built in 1849, originally serving as a fire observation tower and day landmark for ships, later as a lighthouse. At present it is a panorama tower, which views a magnificent sight of maritime lowland. An exhibition of the lighthouses in Latvia is available there.

LIEPNIEKVALKS (PELDANGA) SAND CAVES
In the sandstone outcrop on the banks of the Liepniekvalks river springs have eroded a maze of caves and underground passages atypical for the territory of Latvia. Caves are aproximately 5 metres high an 20 metres wide outcrop. It is a complex system of underground caves with five entrances. The total lenght of the caves reaches 70 metres making it the longest natural cave maze not only in Kurzeme, but also in Latvia as a whole.

RĪGZEMJU OAK
Rīgzemju oak with its perimeter of 9.7 metres is the second largest in the Baltic area. The first largest one is Kaive giant oak in Tukums municipality. Picturesque tree, standing in the middle of meadow, 4 km to the west from Vīdale.

 

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CROCODILE
A memorial sign (erected in 1995) dedicated to the history of Kurzeme and the strong men of Dundaga, also a reminder of the former Dundaga citizen Arvīds Blūmentāls - a great adventurer and crocodile hunter - and his adventures in Australia. He has been the prototype for Paul Hogan’s movie "Crocodile Dandy". The sculpture of a crocodile is a present to Dundaga from Norberts Klaucēns, the Honour Consul of Latvia in Chicago, USA.

DUNDAGA BAPTIST CHURCH
Active church building is a significant feature of the latest  Latvian history. It is  a special mission to build a church, so it has been for centuries, the Dundaga priest Haralds Anzenavs was invited to do it. The foundation stone of the church was laid on the 15t July, 1993. For the first time in its long existence the Dundaga Baptist congregation got their own church at Dundaga (the architect Aivars Lācis).

VALPENE PYRAMID
A heap of stones-dedication to the father of Latvian folk songs Krišjānis Barons - has been piled at the beginning of 1990’s by a group of people under the guidance of Latvian poet Imants Ziedonis and sculptor Vilnis Titāns. Krišjānis Barons lived in Valpene half a manor and learned in Kubalu school.

THE GREAT BLACK PLAGUE ROCKS
The surface of the Black Plague rock at the church once contained text about the destruction of local Livs by Swedish King Charles IX and by the Black Plague. The great Black Plague rock, which has engraved text that can still be seen to a certain extent - it tells future generations about the local pastor who died from the plague, about how the parsonage was established at Sīkrags and then moved to Mazirbe.

SLITERE NATURE PATH
The path is 1.2 kilometres long and it leads through the oldest protected area of Slītere National Park (since 1921), which has been inaccessible to tourists for a long time. Walking along the path one can get acquainted with the European-scale protected biotopes characteristic of this place: forests on the slope of the ancient seacoast, spring lands rich in mineral substances, limy grass bogs and wet broadleaf forests.

KAĻĶUPE RIVER VALLEY AND PUIŠKALNS HILL
Kaļķupe river valley is situated halfway from Dundaga to Kolka and here is one of the largest castle mounds in North Kurzeme – Puiškalns hill. The length of Puiškalns hill is 30 by 80 metres; in the southwestern side of it there is a 4 metres high dam. The deep Kaļķupe and Mazupe river valleys bound the 23 metres high castle mound from 3 sides, but on the slopes of the cape there are lots of steep sandstone cliffs.

GARDEN OF DAHLIAS
In Neveja selectionist Rita Bumbiere has created Dahlia garden where more than 1000 dahlia sorts can be seen several tens of which have been bred by hostess herself. From August 1 till the first frosts at the beginning of October.

KOLKA PARISH

CAPE KOLKA
The farthest northern point of Kurzeme followed by 7 kilometres long and 2 metres deep sandbank. It separates the Baltic Sea from Rīga Gulf. From Cape Kolka one can watch both sunrises when the sun comes up to the surface of Rīga Gulf, and sunsets with the sun falling into Baltic sea. Nature lovers will recognise Cape Kolka as a bird observation place during the spring migration.

OLD KOLKA LIGHTHOUSE
The history of the lighthouses of Kolka cape dates back to the 13th century when signal fires were lit for the sailors to fix the turning point between Irbe Strait and Riga Gulf. The cape from where the sandbank stretches 6 kilometres far into the sea has always caused danger to navigation. Nowadays only fragments of the ruins of the Southern tower can be seen in the place of the old lighthouse.

LIV CENTRE "KŪOLKA"
Kolka municipality is the place where there is the largest number of Liv people living together. The most active of them joined Kolka group of Liv union in 1989, and as a result Liv centre "Kūolka" was founded. One can view a collection of ehnographic items there acquainting with the life and traditional household of the Liv people. Exhibitions and thematic activities are also being held there.

KOLKA ORTHODOX CHURCH OF CHRIST BIRTH
About 1885 many inhabitants of Kolka become orthodox and they established there an orthodox congregation. Kolka is the only seaside village where in 1890 (different sources: 1891- 1892) an orthodox church was built and named the Orthodox Church of Christ Birth. In 1982 the congregation was forced to leave their church, later it was damaged. The church was reconstructed in 1989-1999 and still rises above the village.

LIV VILLAGES
Seaside villages is the historic dwelling place of the Livs. They used to inhabit a vast territory of Latvia, but the Liv language was used the longest in the Liv villages of North Kurzeme seaside. An active business and cultural life used to go in these villages until the 1940’s.

BURIAL PLACE OF FISHING BOATS
This place developed after 1960 because of the prohibition from the frontier-guards to burn the boats just on the shore as it was traditionally done on Līgo midsummer night. Each village used to have 48 boats until World War II, while at present the burial place comprises 8 shipwrecks. Forcing one’s way through the old wrecks with an undergrowth above them, it makes a queer and sorrowful feeling.

PĒTEREZERI LAKES NATURE PATH
The 3.5 kilometres long path leads across vigas and kangari, formed several thousands of years ago in the place of the ancient sea. Part of the path leads along the embankment of the former narrow-gauge railway. The small train used to run there until 1962. Small grass bogs, puddles, small lakes and diverse flora provide a peculiar landscape.

PITRAGS BAPTIST CHURCH-PRYER HOUSE
The congregation in Pitrags was established in 1890, its members lived in Neveja village and in seaside villages from Mazirbe to Kolka. The prayer house was built in 1902 on expenses of the congregation member captain Dambergs. It was burned down during the World War I, later renewed in 1925 and repaired in the end of 20th century.

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CAPE KOLKA PINE PATH
The 1.2 kilometres long path has been set up by Slītere National Park and it stretches along the Baltic Sea coast to the south from Cape Kolka. The seacoast here is formed by a peculiar maritime dune landscape where behind the sandy beaches stretch wind-drifted dunes with branched, sand-covered hundreds of years old pine-trees. There is a parking place, information stand and toilets next to the nature path.

KOLKA LIGHTHOUSE
The present building of the lighthouse is situated about 7 kilometres far in the sea at the end of the dangerous shoal. The lighthouse was built in 1884 on an artificially made island. The stones for the island were brought from the neighbourhood. The performance of the lighthouse has been gradually improved. At present it works automatically, from 1993 - with the help of solar batteries.

KOLKA EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH 
The owner of Dundaga manor Carl Ludwig Ferdinand von der Osten-Sacken laid the foundation stone of the present church. The building works begun in 1885 headed by the construction foreman Oto Zīverts. The church is a rectangular elongated single-aisle building with a polygonal sacristy and a highly attached square tower with polygonal spire.

ST. VIRGIN - STAR OF THE SEA KOLKA ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
More than 900 years have passed since the first Catholic church was built in Kolka. Later there were no churches of this confession for centuries, also during the times of Latvian Republic. In July 1997 with the acceptance of the Liepāja diocese the wooden log church of Sakas Grīņi (1935) was disassembled. Till the October 4 it was rebuilt in Kolka, the windows, floor and the roof were reconstructed, and a tower was attached.

THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF LIVS
In 1923, in Mazirbe a civic organization of the Livs "Līvu savienība" was founded. With the help from the organization and kindred nations of Estonians, Finns and Hungarians in 1938-1939 the National House of Livs was built - a gathering place during celebrations, lectures and debates.

ANTLER COLLECTION IN VAIDE
The antler collection made by Edgars Hausmanis in "Purvziedi" in Vaide contains more than 550 antlers, out of which some 350 have been elk belongings. Except for some doe antlers, the exhibits of the collection are not hunting trophies, they have been found during the forester’s practice. An exposition devoted to nature protection is also available there. It is possible to stay overnight in a tent site.

ĒVAŽI NATURE PATH AND STEEP BANK
Along Rīga-Kolka highway (P 131) on the border of Ēvaži and Slītere National Park one can view one of the rare steep banks of Rīga Gulf. Its height between Uši and Aizklāņi reaches 8-15 metres. A 300-metre long nature path leads from the parking place to the steep bank. A parking place, information stand and toilets also available next to the beginning of the path.

 
 
 
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TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE OF DUNDAGA MUNICIPALITY
Adress: Pils iela, "Dundagas pils",
Dundaga,Dundaga municipality,LV-3270
Phone: 63232293; 29444395
Fax: 63232294
e-mail: tic@dundaga.lv