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The charismatic Oscar, adorned with lush bakenbards, looked like a time machine, transferred to the present from 19th century books and found in the heart of Latvia, in Lygatne, which has a rich history and is surrounded by forests.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
In the afternoon, with the sun already casting long shadows on the ground, we went with Oscar to the Lygatne settlement, which, as we later learned, was special and the only one of its time.
Paper is like gold
The city’s golden age began around 1815-16, when one of the largest paper mills in Tsarist Russia was established in Lygatne. It was built by two businessmen from Riga.
“In the 19th century, people from all over Europe and around the world were more and more educated, they wanted education, so the need for paper to print books, magazines and newspapers was enormous. Therefore, the production of paper here did not stop for almost two centuries, it was one of the main industrial products of that time, ”said Oscar.
According to the guide, from 1884 until the collapse of Tsarist Russia, it was the only place in the territory of the then empire where paper with watermarks of the Tsar’s family was produced, and thus the Tsar’s documents were signed on paper made in Lygatne.
Today, the building is an architectural and historical monument. However, the factory has been operating for almost 200 years; it was only in 2014 that it ceased to function as a paper mill. This is the last place in Latvia where paper was produced, and now there is a museum where you can see impressive facilities for making paper.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
The city has tsarist communism
In the impressive river valley, surrounded by mature forests, was located not only the factory itself, but also the houses of the employees of this factory, which are different here than in the whole of Latvia.
At the end of the 19th and 20th centuries, the owners of a paper mill built many residential cabins to make their employees feel good and happy, because the work in the factory was very hard and often dangerous for health.
There were also service centers at that time: laundries, bakeries, and many other amenities and social centers at that time. There was a hospital and even a maternity hospital in the city, the first of its kind in all of Tsarist Russia.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
“It is interesting that here, in Lygatne, at the beginning of the century, a micro-communist system had emerged, because people did not have to pay for electricity, they were given apartments and received a fair reward for their work. However, the work on the bin lasted 12 hours. per day ”, the guide Oscar told the unique story of the town.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
And where is the church?
Those who are more active in the city may notice a drawback: there is no church here. Of course, people had to satisfy their religious needs and pray went to the churches of the surrounding towns.
“As you know, the city was inhabited by workers, so most of the time it was only for their work and the needs of their home and family. There was very little time for religion. But here houses of culture were built where people could spend their free time, listen to music, give concerts or go dancing. However, it is obvious that during the golden age of the factory, the people of Lygatne lived better than the workers of France or other Western European countries, ”said Oscar.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
The factory staff were not only equipped with everything, but their wishes were fulfilled: with the advent of more modern paper production technologies, employees wanted to reduce the working day from 12 to 10 hours a day. And it was done.
“It is important to understand that it happened more than 100 years ago. The respect here was mutual. Even during the World Wars, no one was blown up or destroyed here; people did everything they could to save their jobs, defended the factory and sometimes, he even persuaded the officers not to destroy it, ”said Oscar.
Thus, Lygatne is a unique city that has survived to this day, where you can see how the real life of the city worked a few hundred years ago.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
Wonderful views of nature and excellent Latvian cuisine
Around the factory that no longer works in Lygatne, it is surrounded by nature, where you can have a good time and admire the landscape. A stream that has already been recovered from the industrial era and clean, smoke-free air flows through the city. According to the Oscars, even the salmon returned to the creek.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
The valley is covered with mature forests, there are many walking paths, and one of the most impressive places is the sandstone outcrop, on the slopes of which the locals have deep cave-cellars. The temperature in them does not change throughout the year and remains at about 8 degrees. So this is a natural refrigerator for storing food that people have used for a long time.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
A few hundred meters from the rugged sandstone outcrops, which is already the center of the city. Right next to the Tourist Information Center there is a great place to dine after a day of sightseeing and walking.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
At the waitress at the bistro in Vilhelmīnes dzirnavas (Spriņģu str. 1), we asked for recommendations on what dishes to try here. Relying on the recommendations, we order:
Fried trout with Spanish sage seeds (16 euros). Fish with crisp, fresh skin with saturated boiled seeds;
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
Cold cucumber and spinach soup with garlic bread (5.5 euros). Very refreshing, an ideal option on a hot summer day;
Fresh squirrel cream with chips and fresh vegetables (€ 9.20). The delicacies of the forest, as freshly collected, and the taste, resemble a house;
for dessert: homemade vanilla ice cream with fresh red fruits (3.5 euros) and espresso (2 euros).
As usual in Latvia, the ice cream and coffee are amazing.
And all this culinary experience, in a strange miniature city, but the cuisine, here at a high level.
Add Ligatne to your list of places to visit in Latvia; what you have seen here is only a small part of the experience. Because the guide Oscar will show you and tell you even more.
Same. Source: DELFI / Modesta Bear
Look for him at the Lygatne Tourist Information Center, Spriņģu str. 2.
And after all, you will be pampered by the excellent Latvian cuisine “Vilhelmīnes dzirnavas”, Spriņģu str. 1.
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