Āraiši lake dwelling Archaeological Park — Attraction in Drabešu pagasts

A fantastic place to kindle your imagination about life in ancient times. The centrepiece of the site is a reconstructed settlement on an island in the middle of a lake. It will transfer you back to the 9-10 centuries AD and immerse you in the atmosphere of an ancient Latgalian community in the north-eastern Europe where pre-Christian cultures were still thriving at the time. The Araiši settlement is certainly on par with Scottish crannogs and the pile dwelling site on Lake Konstanz in Germany, but is far less know and is a true archaeological gem off the beaten track

The nearby romantic ruins of a mediaeval castle tell the story of a very different epoch, and offer a nice place for a picnic with a view of the lake settlement.

Finally, there is a path to much more ancient days, with reconstructed Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age dwellings. Some of the path is on a low-lying ground, mind, so putting on your wellies might be a good idea in a...

The castle was built for defensive purposes on a small submerged island by representatives of the largest Latvian minority - the Latgalians. Later, a brick castle of the Livonian Order was built near the 14th century. It was destroyed during the Livonian and Swedish-Polish wars. The park also introduces visitors to the reconstruction of stone, bronze, and iron age structures. All restored buildings are reconstructions based on found or obtained archaeological data. There is also a small museum where visitors can learn about small archaeological exhibits, history, and archaeological research. The staff is super friendly. After rain - quite wet, although the grass - does not absorb water, so consider proper footwear. To walk around all the area will be about 3.11 km., and if you also include the mill - about 5+ km. The entrance fee is 5 €. When you are in the Cesis area, it is worth...

Interesting if a little small archeological recreation of an ancient settlement in the middle of the lake. Almost all of the houses can be walked into by both adults and children though the latter do it more. There was also a lovely display of what the jewelers workshop might have looked like. What was missing for me was a more detailed description of what might have happened in all the...