Discover Rauna: Castle Ruins, Nature and Cultural History

Rauna combines impressive cultural history with unusual natural experiences. Among castle ruins, historic buildings, a special cave and diverse plant collections, you will find inspiration for very different holiday activities. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment in Rauna can shape their stay according to whether the trip should be primarily characterised by history, landscapes, unique discoveries or regional products.

Cultural history surrounding the castle, church and exhibitions

An important point of interest is Rauna Castle, “Raunas pils”. It was built in the second half of the 14th century and served as one of the most important winter residences of the Archbishop of Riga. At the castle ruins, “Raunas pilsdrupas”, visitors can also climb the observation tower. This allows the historic site to be experienced not only as a building, but also as a tangible part of an excursion.

The “Raunas Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca” complements this historical focus. Its old stone reliefs are considered unique monuments of Latvian art history. Guided tours led by Pastor Edijs Kalniņš are also offered in the church. This makes it a suitable destination for anyone who would like to learn more about sacred art and the history of the place.

At the “Raunas Kultūrvēsturiskā mantojuma centrs”, you can view objects from the collection. The centre regularly organises changing exhibitions where visitors can learn about the history of Rauna. The illuminated displays in the centre’s nature gallery are freely accessible around the clock, without restrictions and with no admission fee. For planning a trip, this provides a place whose exhibition experience can also be included independently of a fixed daily schedule.

Unique natural experiences and botanical diversity

“Raunas Staburags” is protected as a nature reserve. It was formed by the deposition of lime from groundwater; limestone formation began around 8,000 years ago and continues to this day. This ongoing geological development gives the natural attraction a distinctive quality that clearly sets it apart from Rauna’s historic sights.

“Raunas Velnala” offers another unusual landscape experience. The underground cave covers approximately 50 m² and is 13.6 m deep. It is located in the white sand of Devonian rocks. Anyone who does not want to visit only buildings and exhibitions during their stay in Rauna can include such natural attractions in their daily itinerary as discoveries in their own right.

More than 260 varieties of pine, 150 hydrangea varieties, 70 mock-orange types, 50 birch varieties and 60 spruce varieties grow in the “Kolekcijas dārzs”. The garden can be visited independently; guided tours focusing on the plant collection are also available. For a travel group with different interests, this place offers a quieter complement to the castle, church and cave, without restricting the stay to a single theme.

Regional products and flexible daily planning

Regional production is also part of Rauna’s range of experiences. During an approximately one-hour tour of the cheese and pasta manufactory, visitors learn how 20 types of pasta are made from genuine farm eggs. The manufactory also has a self-service shop. There, visitors can buy products such as cheese, pasta and butter at producer prices at any time and without prior registration.

Another building worth seeing is “Raunas ūdensdzirnavas”, which is considered an architectural monument of national importance. In this way, Rauna’s historic architecture, art, nature and regional food can be combined into a varied travel programme. When choosing accommodation, you can consider which of these focuses are most important for your days on site and whether you would prefer a culturally oriented programme, nature discoveries or a mixture of both.

If you would like to get to know and compare another destination in addition to Rauna, an additional route leads to the page Drusti. With its castle ruins, exhibitions, natural formations, garden culture and regional products, Rauna itself offers enough different reasons to choose the right holiday apartment as the starting point for planning your personal trip.

To the higher-level travel overview: Raunas Novads.