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The Smithy
This building was built in the 18th century to
produce vodka and brandy. It is alongside a pond
which provided the water that was needed to cool
down the vodka. Production of alcoholic beverages
was a key source of income for the estate. An audit
of the Turaida Estate in 1830 listed all of the
equipment in the “vodka kitchen” – 72 quarts of spirits,
14 quarts of ordinary vodka, 1-1/2 bottles of rum, one
measuring glass, one tin ladle, etc.
The building was turned into a blacksmith’s shop in
1875. A second floor was installed in 1912, and flats
were put there. The museum reserve restored the
building in 1997, and now it houses an exhibition.
The smithy is being restored.
The Exhibition “The Forge”
This exhibition demonstrates the work of a black-
smith via his tools and the resulting metal products.
There is a blacksmith on site who will demonstrate
the use of the tools and the relevant skills.
The estate had its own blacksmith and a series of
apprentices. Once a blacksmith had “forged the
things needed by the estate,” he could receive
compensation for the forging of objects which were
needed by farmers – ploughshares, axes, knives and
other useful things.
The tools of a blacksmith
An anvil
A lucky horseshoe
The smithy of the Turaida Estate
A blacksmith hard at work at the Turaida Estate smithy
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