Details
Founded: 10th century ADCategory: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Latvia
Historical period: Viking Age (Latvia)
Rating
4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)
Interesting Sites Nearby
User Reviews
Āraiši Lake Castle is the only reconstruction of a 8th-10th century fortified settlement in Europe; a unique object, which this year is nominated as the Latvian archaeological monument of 2020.
The park excels with its unique archaeological findings, the placement of reconstruction on its original environment, and the well-preserved cultural and historical landscape of Vidzeme.
The ruins of the Āraiši “castella” type medieval castle can be seen on the shore of the lake, but the buildings on Meitu Island are designed as reconstructions according to the archaeological data obtained in Latvia and neighbouring countries about these types of Stone and Bronze Age dwellings.
The Visitors Centre hosts a permanent exposition, in which, for the first time since the excavations, the original evidence obtained and the story of Jānis Apals are introduced.
Nearby, within walking distance, there are other attractions - Āraiši Church and windmill, as well as the Husky dog farm.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.