The ancient valley of Daugava covered with legends.

Our route will pass along the valley of the Daugava River, which the Latvian people call the River of Destiny, the Mother River (Daugava mamuļina).

The oldest information about the Daugava River and the peoples inhabiting it is found in the works of poets of Ancient Greece and in the works of historians of Ancient Rome, which mentions the Eridan River, which, judging by its description, could be Daugava. Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin also identified Eridan with Daugava, which is associated with myths about amber.

There are three hydropower plants on the Daugava River and one of them, the Riga HPP, is located in Salaspils, there is a protective dam and a reservoir that provides Riga with technical and drinking water resources. Salaspils is one of the oldest settlements in Latvia. The black page of the history of Salaspils is connected with the time of the German occupation in 1941-1944.

Next we will visit Ikskila, which is the cradle of Catholicism in Latvia. Here in 1185 was built the Church of St. Mary - the first stone structure in the Baltics. The ruins of the church are the only preserved 12th century monument in Latvia, included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Ikskile is the first residence of a Catholic bishop in the Baltics, Maynard, whose monument was opened in 2010. In Ikskil there is a monastery of Carmelites.

The next city is Ogre, which is located on the banks of the legends of the Ogre River. Due to the mild climate and proximity to Riga, Ogre has always been a place of rest, a resort and a summer village of the capital residents. Not far from Ogre, in the vicinity of Kegums, once lived relatives of Martha Skavronskaya (Empress Catherine I).

Next, our way lies in Lelvard, where the museum of Andrei Pumpur, the author of the epic "Lachplaisys" is located. Here we'll see a big rock. This is the "Lachplesis Bed", the stone is considered magical and, they say, it fulfills hidden desires, and next to it is the "Deck of Speedola". Learn about the "Lielvard belt", the mystery of which tried to solve more than one generation of researchers.

In Koknes you will see the preserved picturesque ruins of the castle built in the 13th century. Here you will hear the legend of the Staburags cliff (often called Staburadze), which for hundreds of years was one of the main poetic symbols in Latvian legends.

At the end of the tour we will visit the Garden of Destiny. This memorial should perpetuate the memory of the victims of totalitarian regimes, reminding of the tragic fate of thousands of people. The competition for the creation of the monument was won by Japanese landscape architect Shunmio Masuno.

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Transportation and tickets to the museum are not included in the price.