- What to visit in Jurmala from parks
- City walks
- "Dzintari" - the brand of the resort
During the Soviet years, Latvia for many Russian tourists was a paradise in Europe, and its resorts seemed surprisingly clean, tidy, calm and cozy. Today the country is indeed again closer to the West than to Russia. And again, guests from the East ask themselves questions of what to visit in Jurmala or Riga, and, naturally, find answers.
For many travelers, it becomes a discovery that Jurmala is, in fact, a resort, which consists of fifteen villages located along the Gulf of Riga, and each of the villages has its own natural attractions and monuments of Latvian history.
What to visit in Jurmala from parks
The resort occupies the coast of the Gulf of Riga, which is actually part of the Baltic Sea, so the main occupation of vacationers is the beach pastime. But this type of recreation is different from what can be observed on the Black Sea coast. Firstly, the climatic conditions do not allow you to relax very much, the heat is extremely rare, secondly, the sea is cooler, and thirdly, the mentality of the owners is different.
Therefore, the beaches are visited rather to show themselves, to look at others, to breathe in the sea air and the aroma of pine trees. More often than the beach, they choose walks in local parks and green areas. Guests are also eager to visit the Kemeri National Natural Park, along its territory there are hiking trails (like everything else in Latvia, they are very neat and well-groomed).
Walking slowly along the paths and paths, visitors have the opportunity to get acquainted with the rich nature of the region, discover many amazing endemics, plants and animals of these places. In addition, various events related to nature and ecology are often organized in the national park, that's what you can visit in Jurmala on your own.
In addition to the national park, the Ragakapa park is also of interest, in the center of which there is a museum. A visit to this institution will immediately remind you of the famous TV series "Long Road in the Dunes", which, in addition to a love story, showed Soviet viewers the development of fishing in Latvia. The museum contains exhibits that will also tell you how and what they caught, what the Latvian fishermen did with the catch.
Theoretical acquaintance with the history of fishing, ends with the observation of the real process of smoking fish, and then tasting. Delicious memories will be after visiting this amazing place.
City walks
An important part of recreation in Jurmala is evening promenades along the central pedestrian street of the resort, where guests and locals, musicians and artists, souvenir sellers usually gather. It is pleasant to observe the unhurried rhythm of life in the resort, to get acquainted with Jurmala itself, its interesting architecture. Here, ancient buildings of the past and the century before last coexist peacefully with modern dachas and luxurious mansions of "new Russians" (namely them) and the same wealthy Latvians.
In Jurmala, you can see buildings and structures that reflect different styles and eras, most of them are representatives of Romanticism, Art Nouveau (Art Nouveau) and Neo-Gothic. The famous Villa Morberg was built in the neo-gothic style. The house was previously owned by a construction magnate, for whom it was important to show his successes in the field of architecture. Today the palace is used for representative purposes, for events, weddings and anniversaries. You can walk around the castle with a guided tour, and in the adjacent park - on your own.
There are a lot of beautiful houses in Jurmala; it was a summer cottage settlement for wealthy residents of the capital who came here for the summer. And although the buildings were used only in the warm season, they were built according to all the rules of aesthetics, decorated with elements of architectural decor, stained glass windows, and wrought iron gratings.
"Dzintari" - the brand of the resort
The translation of the word "dzintari" into Russian is known to everyone - amber, indeed, the petrified resin of ancient pines growing on the territory of modern Latvia, is the most popular souvenir used to make women's jewelry and paintings.
"Dzintari" is both the name of the most famous Latvian cosmetology company and the name of a concert hall in Jurmala. The complex enjoys increased attention of musicians not only in Latvia, but also in the world. In the summer, concerts are held here almost every day, although its original mission was a beach cinema, and in 1879 a stage for showing performances appeared here.
In the first half of the twentieth century, the complex already consisted of two buildings - open and closed, used in rainy weather. The Russian viewer, who has never even been to Jurmala, knows well what a concert hall looks like from the inside on the TV show "Competition of the cheerful and resourceful". The meeting with him is all the more spectacular, since from the outside the building looks rather modest and unpresentable.
