Discover Preiļi: Park, Culture and Crafts

Preiļi combines an expansive park with Latvian culture, unusual craft experiences and vivid history. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Preiļi, you can shape your stay according to your preferred travel rhythm: the Preiļi Park Trail leads through meadows, along bodies of water and through woodland, while museums, historic buildings and workshops offer insights into the region’s identity.

Parkland and trail with remarkable trees

The Preiļi Park Trail to the remarkable trees is approximately 2.5 kilometres long. Along the route stand 16 particularly remarkable trees. The trail covers 41 hectares, running through a meadow, along bodies of water and through a forest. It also leads past historic buildings, their ruins and Preiļu pils. The trail therefore offers different impressions within a single outing: open landscape, water, forest and traces of former structures.

For planning purposes, an application for the Preiļi Park Trail is available with information in Latvian, English, German, Russian, Polish and Lithuanian. This allows you to combine the parkland with thematic guidance without limiting your visit to a single building.

Preiļu pils, chapel and regional history

Preiļu pils was built between 1860 and 1865. It can be visited by prior registration as part of a guided tour. The west tower houses a 5D video exhibition about craftspeople in Preiļi Municipality and Latgale. The 5D cinema in Preiļu pils also presents 12 stories about the development of craft skills from antiquity to the present day.

A chapel stands in Preiļi Park. It was built at the expense of Count Josef Heinrich von der Borch and consecrated on 20 September 1817. The graves of the counts are located beneath the chapel. The Preiļi Museum of History and Applied Art complements this historical focus with ceramics by Polikarps Čerņavskis, works by Preiļi ceramists, visual art, textiles, ethnographic objects, photographs, documents, as well as paintings and graphics by artists from Latgale.

The museum offers art exhibitions as well as guided tours of the chapel at the Preiļi estate and the sculpture garden. For your travel decision, this means that you can combine a stay in Preiļi both with an experience of nature in the park and with deeper insights into art, everyday history and regional traditions.

Crafts to see and try

In Preiļi, crafts can be experienced not only through exhibitions. At the P. Cernavskis Ceramics House, visitors can work at the potter’s wheel and create their own ceramic piece, which is then sent home by post. The “Jašas podi” pottery workshop also offers master classes for different levels of experience. At craft workshops with Inta Reca, participants create, among other things, soap, dreamcatchers, straw himmeli, mandalas and Latvian incense sticks.

Another unusual address is the Nester Custom Metal Design Art Gallery. It displays interior elements and sculptures made from used car and motorcycle parts; the gallery also offers master classes. These activities suit travel plans in which not only finished attractions but also creative activities and regional design play a role.

Ideas for a varied stay

The Miniature Realm and Doll Gallery displays original dolls. Visitors can put on costumes from a courtly kingdom and take photographs. At the “Cat Farm”, a collection of cat figurines is on display, and creative master classes are also offered. You can include such stops in your stay if, alongside the park and history, you are also looking for playful or creative experiences.

The beach and activity area of the city of Preiļi includes a public beach, volleyball and football fields, tennis and table tennis courts, a BMX track, outdoor and water exercise equipment, equipment for active tourism, a beach wheelchair and a children’s playground. This gives Preiļi various options for a more active day, while the park trail and museums provide a quieter focus.

Preiļi as a starting point for planning your trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Preiļi, it is worth first deciding on your preferred mix: the park trail and chapel favour culture- and nature-oriented days, the workshops practical creative experiences, and the beach and activity area physical activity. Those who subsequently want to explore further destinations in the surrounding area can also include Babri in their research. This keeps the accommodation search connected to specific interests rather than being based solely on a place name.

For the higher-level travel overview: Preiļu Novads.