Description of the attraction
The largest cave in Latvia (as well as the Baltics) is the Gutmana Cave. Its volume is 500 cubic meters, and the area is 170 square meters. This niche is 18.8 meters long, 12 meters wide, and the maximum ceiling height is 10 meters. The cave is located in the Turaida Park, on the banks of the Gauja River.
Many centuries ago, the level of the river was almost at the level of the cave, so the interaction of the spring flowing from the cave with the Gauja appeared. The spring is considered to be curative; one interesting legend is associated with it.
According to legend, the Liv chief Rindaug once lived here, he had an unfaithful wife. As a punishment for adultery, the leader ordered his wife to be buried alive in the high bank of the Gauja River. According to legend, the spring was formed from the tears of Rindaug's wife, he also washed away a large cave. Later, a doctor who lived in the village successfully treated people with water from this healing spring. The doctor's name was "Guterman". Translated from German, this word means "kind person", in the Latvian meaning - "Gutman's cave".
Not far from the Gutmana cave there is a tourist information center, where you can get information about the cave itself, as well as the nearest natural and historical sites that are located in the territory of the Gauja National Park.
The walls of the Gutmana cave are formed from dense red sandstone, which was formed during the Devonian period, i.e. about 410 million years ago. The walls are covered with inscriptions, which in themselves are of historical value. The oldest inscriptions date from the 16th and 17th centuries.
There is another well-known legend called the legend of the Turaida Rose. There is another one near the Gutmana cave, which it would be more correct to call not a cave, but a deep niche. According to legend, it was knocked out by the gardener Victor Hales, who was in love with the Turaida Rose. He specially created this cave so that his beloved could watch him work in the garden of the valley from there. According to legend, Maya chose to die rather than surrender to the Turaida castle mercenary Adam Yakubovsky, who was in love with her, and betray her beloved Victor.
Another legend is dedicated to the Great Devil's Cave, which is located higher than the Gutmana Cave. Once the devil made his way past this place, but suddenly the roosters crowed. Since the devil could not bear the daylight, he hid in a nearby cave. He frightened and teased people passing by. His fetid breath smoked all the walls of the cave, making them black.
