Holiday apartment in Jēkabpils: Nature, Castles and Railway History

In Jēkabpils Municipality, protected lake and river landscapes meet castles, museums and unusual reminders of transport history. A particularly distinctive site of cultural history is the narrow-gauge railway junction in Viesīte: it is recognized as an industrial monument of national importance and is the only place in Latvia where the history of a 600-millimetre railway can be explored at its original operating site.

Culture and History

Krustpils Castle is considered one of the oldest castles in Latvia. The Archbishop of Riga, Nikolajs de Magdeburg, had it built in 1237 as a fortification on the road from Riga to Daugavpils. The panorama of the city of Jēkabpils can be viewed from the lookout point in the castle’s gate tower. The Jēkabpils History Museum has been located in Krustpils Castle since 1996.

The open-air section “Sēļu sēta” is also part of the region’s cultural history. It presents six rural buildings from the 19th century from Upper Latgale, as well as tools and household items from the Sēlija region. The exhibition “Ar sēliju sirdī” presents the settlements, rivers and lakes of Sēlija, as well as historical figures and craftspeople. Visitors can try activities such as milling, spinning and blacksmithing.

The “Sēlija” Museum in Viesīte consists of the Mazā Bānīša parks and Paula Stradiņa skola sections. On display are the ML-635 steam locomotive manufactured by Schwarzkopff in 1918 and service carriage No. 3637, built in 1916. Small groups can explore the historic centre of Viesīte on a ride on the electric train; advance registration is required. Guided tours in Tadenava are offered in Latvian, English and Russian.

Nature

The Jēkabpils Mežaparks and Radžu Reservoir recreation area covers 304.14 hectares. Its territory includes the protected geological formation “Radžu akmens”. This means that, in addition to the body of water, a distinctive geological feature is also protected here.

Sauka Nature Park protects the landscape around Lake Sauka and the Sēlija Hills of the Augšzeme Upland. Sauka is a Natura 2000 nature park in the municipalities of Elkšņi, Rites and Sauka in Jēkabpils Municipality. Its landscape features and habitats include rapids, mineral-rich springs, spring fens, slope and ravine forests, natural eutrophic lakes, species-rich hay meadows and moist deciduous forests. Licensed fishing is organized on Lake Sauka.

Laukezers Nature Park is also part of the Natura 2000 network. It is located in Kūki Parish in Jēkabpils Municipality and protects at least nine biotopes of Latvian and European importance, as well as at least twelve protected plant species. Valuable pine forest communities grow on the southern slope of the ridge north of Laukezers.

The Klaucāni and Priekulāni Lakes Nature Reserve protects the floating water chestnut, a rare and endangered species in Latvia that occurs in only four lakes, including these two. Thirty-seven specially protected species have been recorded in the area. The lakes represent a habitat of importance to the European Union: eutrophic lakes with submerged and floating aquatic vegetation.

The Dviete River floodplain in Jēkabpils Municipality is an important spring resting site for several thousand geese and ducks per season and is considered one of Latvia’s most diverse and species-rich bird areas. The nature reserve protects regularly flooded meadows at the confluence of the Dviete and Ilūkste rivers with the Daugava. The Slapjo salu purvs Nature Reserve, located in the Sala and Viesīte municipalities in Jēkabpils Municipality, contains two eastern-type raised bogs.

Information and Discoveries

The tourist information centre in Viesīte offers free advice and information materials on tourism opportunities in Viesīte and Jēkabpils Municipality. It also provides maps, tourism brochures and souvenirs, as well as guided tours for exploring the town of Viesīte.

For further exploration, the following direct destinations are available: Jēkabpils, Vidsala and Dunava. Other destinations in the wider area: Aknīstes Novads, Gārsenes pagasts, Ādažu Novads, Skrīveru Novads, Jūrmala.

For the wider travel overview: Latvia.