Sigulda, Latvian Switzerland

Sigulda is a small Latvian Switzerland on the green hilly picturesque banks of the Gauja River, 60 kilometers from Riga. We will visit Sigulda bobsleigh track, Kropotkin’s house, the ruins of Sigulda and Krimulda castles. A delightful sight opens from the cable car, the only one in the Baltic States. We will visit the restored Turaida Castle, covered with numerous legends. We will explore the legendary cave of Latvia, Gutman Cave, with a healing spring.

The guide will introduce you to the history of the region and answer all your questions. We will be able to explore the ruins of the old Sigulda castle, built by knights from the cruel and merciless Order of the Swordtails, which conquered the local population and introduced him to the Christian teachings of fire and sword. Now on the territory of the castle there is a stage for opera festivals, the tradition of holding which on the territory of Sigulda originated in Soviet times. And in case visitors of classical music concerts in the open air suddenly did not have enough space, they always had all the local trees at their disposal, the branches of which were often covered with grateful spectators and listeners! Next to the ruins of the once formidable and impregnable fortress is the elegant new Sigulda Castle, which in the 1870s was built by architect Janis Mendel specifically for the new owners of Zegevold, the Kropotkin family (relatives of the same theorist of Russian anarchism Peter Kropotkin). Reminiscent of a medieval English fortress, it will not leave you indifferent - as well as a monument to a man like Lenin, who invariably attracts the attention of more than one generation of Siguldian tourists. However, the monument resembles the unforgettable Ilyich only from the back and in profile.

If you look at him face-to-face, you can immediately see that he is a famous Latvian teacher and publicist Atis Kronvald - one of those who actively fought against the long-term dominance of the Baltic Germans in all spheres of science and culture. Winter Sigulda also offers many surprises to those who wish to visit it. First of all, I would like to note the Sigulda bobsleigh track, which for 24 years since its opening regularly serves as a springboard for training both local and Russian plumbing athletes who specially come to Courland Switzerland and from year to year stop at the sports base. Yes, Polish and Czech athletes are happy to come to us – there is simply no other bobsleigh track in Eastern Europe!

The total length of the Sigulda route is 1420 meters. The maximum speed that an athlete is able to develop is 125 kilometers per hour - this occurs between 14 and 15 turns; and a total of 16 turns. The World Luge Championship was held on our track in 2003, when both Russian and Latvian athletes celebrated the victory. In fact, a large-scale reconstruction of our track has already been completed, and now it is quite adapted for training bosble crews-fours. You, dear tourists, also have the opportunity to tickle your nerves and release adrenaline - sleds and beans will be at your disposal! So, if you want to hear the whistling of the wind in your ears and check out all the turns of the track, welcome to the snow-covered magical land – winter Sigulda.