In 2020, Specially Protected Cultural Monument – the Turaida Museum Reserve has  submitted its Story for activity – the European Heritage Days Story. For many years already, the Turaida Museum Reserve has been an active participant in the European Heritage Days, organizing events to promote heritage. Here we offer descriptions of the European Heritage Days events, which took part in the Turaida Museum Reserve for the last four years.

YEAR 2019 - European Heritage Days in Turaida. The theme: “Restoration”

This year European Heritage Days in Latvia will take place on  September 12-15.The theme: “Restoration”. This event is organized by the National Heritage Board of Latvia.

The Turaida Museum Reserve invites on September 13, 2019 at 14:00, within frame of the European Heritage Days, to the conversation with Anna Jurkāne, director of the Turaida Museum Reserve - “Preservation, investigation and restauration  of the Heritage of the  Historical Centre of Turaida” in the Turaida Parish Magazine. Participants of the event will be able to acquaint themselves with an exhibition “The Turaida Museum Reserve in Time and Space”.

The theme of the European Heritage Days - “Restoration” was chosen for the year 2019 to focus on future challenges in the sector of restoration and professional development, to strengthen professionalism, encourage dialogue with the general public, to promote the understanding of authenticity, the assessment and respect  towards informative and sense creating significance of original, historical substance.  During the European Heritage Days in Latvia, attention will be paid to the achievements of the restoration industry since the restoration of Independence by promoting good practices – objects, where appropriate, based on research, qualitative,  appropriate  to modern heritage philosophy restoration has been carried out.  One of the good practice examples is also Specially Protected Cultural Monument – the Turaida Museum Reserve.

Events of Heritage Days will take place on 12-15 September 2019, opening them with International Conference “Restoration” in the premises of the National Heritage Board, in the building complex “Three Brothers”. From September 13 to 15, the Programme of events will include activities throughout Latvia, by opening sites and organizing awareness-raising  activities also at sites, such as the Mencendorf House, the Iģene Lutheran Church, the Roman Catholic Church of Krāslava, an ensemble of gardens and parks “The Great Cemetery of Riga”, the Preiļi Palace, the Koknese Castle Ruins, the Ungurmuiža Manor, the Old Town Hall of Kuldīga, etc.

YEAR 2018 -  discussion/seminar and travelling exhibition about Latvian landscape treasures

During the European Heritage Days on September 14 at 11:00, the Turaida Museum Reserve will hold a discussion/ seminar “Latvian landscape treasures yesterday, today, tomorrow”, organized by Riga Planning Region and Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of the Republic of Latvia in cooperation with the Turaida Museum Reserve. The themes of the seminar will be the value and role of landscapes in the course of a time, what kind of Latvia we would like to see in the future and what needs to be done to achieve it. The seminar is one of  activities of the “Regional Days” of the Latvian Centenary Celebration, based on the gift to Latvia – an electronic landscape treasure storage “Latvian ladscape treasures yesterday, today, tomorrow”. The programme of seminar includes a guided tour in the House of the Turaida Parish Magazine, providing opportunity to get acquainted with the exhibition “The Turaida Museum Reserve in Time and Space”.

From 14 September to 12 October, Exhibition Hall of the Turaida Museum Reserve will host a travelling exhibition “Latvian landscpe treasures yeasterday, today, tomorrow”, where  visualized landscape views of Pierīga Region are displayed. The exhibition is made by Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development in cooperation with the National Library of Latvia and planning regions.  It tells the story of 50 treasures of Latvian landscapes, which involving the society, were selected in 2017. The exhibition  includes the photographs of important Latvian landscapes taken during the year of the State Anniversary as well as historical photographs from the collections of people, museums and the National Library of Latvia.

Each region of Latvia – Kurzeme, Latgale, Riga Region, Vidzeme and Zemgale is characterized by 10 landscape treasures. The list of ten landscape treasures of Riga Region includes the ancient Gauja valley with a significant mark – the maroon Turaida Castle. Castle is a part of cultural and historical landscape of the Turaida Museum Reserve rich in archaeological, architectural, historical and art monuments, including Folk Song Hill – Hill of Dainas dedicated to Latvian folklore. The list includes also the Riga Brethren Cemetery, the Boulevard Circle of Riga, parks and canals with Riga Central Market’s Pavilions, the Great Ķemeri Bog, Jūrmala with wooden architecture and beach, Building of Ķemeri Sanatorium and park, view to Old Riga from the left bank of the Daugava River, St. Meinard’s Island with Ikšķile Church ruins, the estuary of the Gauja River with dune seashore and forest, rocky seashore of Vidzeme.

On 26 October 2018, the exhibition of all 50 landscape treasures will be displayed in the National Library of Latvia. In November, December and throughout the following year, it will be possible to show the exhibition in separate parts or all together in the whole  Latvia by contacting the library in advance (e-mail: madara.daudze@lnb.lv).

Photographs of landscape treasures, as well as the stories of memories and impressions about them sent by people are also stored in the electronic landscape treasure storage. It will be available from October at www.ainavudargumi.lv. Additional information: www.ainavudargumi.lv under “Aktualitātes” (“News”).

YEAR 2017 – European Heritage Days in Turaida and Krimulda

This year within frame of the European Heritage Days, the Turaida Museum Reserve invites you on 8 September at 14:00 to the event “Ruler of the Gauja Livs – Kaupo, places of historical events”, which will be held in the Krimulda Church, at memorial site of Kaupo and will be concluded in the Turaida Museum Reserve with an interactive guided tour “The Gauja Livs in the cultural history of Latvia”.

The theme of the European Heritage Days this year is cultural and historical sites, which reveal values identified in the spatial environment – places that store events relevant to the history of Latvia and testimonies of the remarkable persons’ activities. According to the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, the first state formations in the territory of Latvia appeared in  pre-Christian period with their rulers, who were entitled to take decisions  about the region and the fate of its poulation. One of such areas at the end of the 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th century was a State Formation of the Gauja Livs with a centre in Turaida, where was located wooden stronghold of the regional ruler Kaupo. Kaupo is one of the first baptized rulers of Livonia, a remarkable historical personality at the turn of the 12th/13th centuries. His actions have influenced many events of that time in the lands of the Gauja Livs and are evalued in the context of European history.

22 September 2017 marks the 800th anniversary since  Kaupo died in the battle against the troops of Estonian ruler Lembitu from Sakala county. According to archaeological investigation and historical documents, his main place of residence was Turaida hillfort,  whereas  memorial site of Kaupo is located in Krimulda (Kubesele). According to the stories of local inhabitants, in the 19th century, an artificial mound  of 10x6 metres on the banks of the Runtiņupīte, not far from the Krimulda Church and parsonage was called memorial site of Kaupo. The oldest plan of the mound can be found in the book of Friedrich Kruse «Necrolivonica oder Alterthümer Liv-, Esth- und Curlands.»”(Dorpat, 1842). On 22 September 2001, on the day of the commemoration of the Liv ruler Kaupo, the memorial monument was unveiled on the mound, made  by the sculptor Gaida Grunberga.

 PROGRAMME

14:00 – 14:15 – Lighting of candles at the memorial site of Kaupo near Krimulda Church

14:15 – 14:30 – Opening of the European Heritage Days and raising of the European Heritage Days flag at the Krimulda Church

14:30 – 15:00 – “Turaida – the land of the Gauja Livs” – a narrative by the chief specialists of the Turaida Museum Reserve. Familiarization with exhibitions  “Turaida in the Chronicle of Henry” and “The Story of Satesele hillfort” in the Krimulda Church

15:00 – 15:30 – Service in the Krimulda Church, cunducted by Juris Austris Rāviņš, pastor of the Krimulda Evangelical Lutheran congregation

15:30 – 16:00 – Performance  “In memoriam Kaupo” in the Krimulda Church, with participation of Vidriži folk group “Delve”

16:30 – 17:30 – Interactive guided tour in the exhibition “The Gauja Livs in the cultural history of Latvia” in the Turaida Museum Reserve

Cultural heriatge Days are organized by the State Inspection for Heritage Protection of Latvia in cooperation with cultural institutions and municipalities. Events of the European Heriatge Days in Latvia will take place from  8-10 September. The aim of the European Heritage Days is to bring people closer to cultural heritage by raising awareness of protection of monuments providing information on the diversity of protected monuments, their value, preservation and on cultural heritage as a resource for sustainable development.  They were initiated, in 1984, in France as open door days in historical monuments and since 1999 have become a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving 50 countries which have acceded to the European Cultural Convention.

YEAR 2016 – European Heritage Days in the Turaida Museum Reserve

This year, within frame of the European Heritage Days, the Turaida Museum Reserve invites you on 9 September  at 12:00  to the event “Cultural and historical landscape of the Historical Centre of Turaida”, during which anyone will be able to learn about the main values and diversity of the cultural landscape in the Turaida Museum Reserve by participating jointly in the guided tour “The Turaida Museum Reserve in time and space” and listening to the expert reports about  conceptual stance ragarding cultural and historical landscapes of Turaida in the development of the Turaida Museum Reserve.

PROGRAMME

12:00 – 12:15  Opening of  the European Heritage Days in the new living house of the Turaida estate manager

12:15 – 13:30 Guided tour “The Turaida Museum Reserve in time and space” together with Anna Jurkāne, director of the Turaida Museum Reserve 13:30 – 15:00  Reports on conceptual stance regarding cultural and historical landscapes of Turaida in the development of the Turaida Museum Reserve in the Turaida Parish Magazine.

• The Swiss House at the Turaida Estate – history and perspective renovation Dainis Bruģis, Art Historian
• Restauration – renovation of the House of Corvée peasants Ināra Caunīte, Architect Bureau of Ināra Caunīte
• Restauration project of the Turaida Cattle-shed – Stable Arvīds Līkops, Architect Bureau “Līnija”

15:00 – 15:30 Discussions about restoration of cultural and historical landscape in the Historical Centre of Turaida together with landscape  architect Anita Neilande, SIA “Labie koki”

During the event the following exhibitions are dispayed in the Turaida Parish Magazine:

• “Strategy of the Turaida Museum Reserve’s activity and development, 2014 – 2023”,
• “A treasure of the Turaida Estate – the Swiss House”,
• “Reflection of the values included in the Latvian wisdom and experience of life”,
• “Collections of the Turaida Museum Reserve – a phenomenon of memory”.

The main values of landscapes of the Historical Centre of Turaida are perspectives of views, historical buildings, relief, forest stands, old trees and ponds, which are shown on maps since the 16th century. Ancient buildings as landscape elements characterize the history of this place and disclose the historical use of landscape.These relevant elements can be attributed to a number of values of this specific landscape: historical, cultural, educational and recreational. The landscape of the Historical Centre of Turaida is significant at the level of microlandscape and macrolandscape. One of the relevant factors, that has impact on the significance of  the landscape is geographical location and situation in the surrounding territory. The Turaida Museum Reserve belongs to the local lancscape of historical significance, which has developed since the moment people started to use it. Their  activity and living here has led to formation of presentday landscape.  Through the social and cultural attitude of a person, family or community, the landscape reflects their physical, biological and cultural nature in everyday life.

European Heritage Days is international initiative, which each September annually invites the hosts of cultural monuments to receive guests to deal with the knowledge and to enable anyone to establish link with cultural heritage by learning about it in uncommon way.  This year the European Heritage Days, which annually unites more than 20 million people accross Europe, will be organized already for the 25th time and the unifying theme in Latvia is cultural landscape. European Heritage Days in Latvia are organized by the State Inspection for Cultural Heritage of Latvia. This year 70 places are mentioned on the list of participants. The Turaida Museum Reserve takes place in these activities since the very beginning and each year offers opportunity  to learn about the Historical Centre of Turaida from a new aspect.