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The Exhibition
“Carpenter’s Workshop”
This exhibition is on the first floor of the blacksmith’s
shop. Craftsmen were of great importance for the
estate – carpenters, buildings, carriage builders and
others who mostly worked with wood.
Rapid changes occurred in the economic life of rural
estates and farms during the latter half of the 19th
century. Farmers could buy out their farms and
needed money for that purpose. Many people in
Turaida began to look for new ways to earn money,
and the most common process was preparing wooden
hoops for barrels. They were loaded into carts and
brought to Rīga to be sold. Farmers also began to
produce walking sticks for travellers, and these soon
became a characteristic souvenir. The exhibition
shows the various tools which carpenters used back
in the day.
The Exhibition
“Processing of Wool, Knitting and
Weaving at the Turaida Estate”
This exhibition features the whole process of using
unprocessed wool as a raw material, leading right
up to finished textiles, blankets, knitwear and other
useful objects. Latvia’s climate means that warm
clothing is needed for much of the year, and wool was
used in many different ways to produce it. Preparing
the wool for use was a labour-intensive process, and it
was usually in the hands of women before they could
weave or knit cloth. Weavers during the age of the
estate were usually men who also worked as teachers,
churchwardens, etc. As industrial manufacturing
began, factory-made textiles were increasingly used
to produce clothing, but the job of the weaver did not
disappear.
Displayed here are ornamental mittens, socks and
other parts of winter wear. Latvians have a long-
standing tradition of presenting ornate mittens as gifts
at weddings, funerals and other family events.
The tools of a carpenter
Socks decorated with the clover of Turaida
(first from the right)
The carpenter`s workshop
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THE TURAIDA ESTATE