Araisi Archaeological Park
Programmes:
Visit to the reconstruction of a 9-10th century settlement on the lake, medieval castle ruins and recreation of ancient dwelling houses from Stone and Bronze Ages. Guided tours about the lake settlement, lifestyle and building traditions of ancient Latgalians featuring the findings from ten archaeological research periods there, demonstrating household objects, tools and explaining their uses.
Educational programmes for schools and youth groups.
Activities for weddings.
Description:
Āraiši Archaeological Park is located by the lake and consists of a reconstructed lake settlement from 9-10th centuries (Viking era), picturesque Medieval castle ruins and another islet with samples of dwelling houses from the Stone and Bronze ages. The archaeological finds on the lake settlement have given unique materials and artefacts displaying the building traditions, material and spiritual lifestyle of ancient Latgalian people there. The lake settlement is a result of experimental archaeology and during its reconstruction copies of ancient tools and methods were used to give it maximum authenticity
Nearby medieval castle ruins stand on the shore of the lake. The castle has been there from the 14th to 17th centuries. It has a ‘castella’ type form with a deep fortification ditch in front.
There are regularly various folk concerts and events during the summer period.
Opening hours:
1 Apr-31 Oct
Monday-Sunday
09:00-19:00
1 Nov-30 Mar
Thursday-Sunday
10:00-16:00
Location:
Āraiši, Drabešu pag., Amatas novads, LV-4101
GPS: 57.2517, 25.2824
Information:
Box office, tourism information point: +371 25669935
Guided tours, programmes for groups: +371 25665528
E-mail: ezerpils@amatasnovads.lv
Capacity: No limit
Programmes for groups and guided excursions: up to 30 persons. If there is a bigger group then it is divided and the price is calculated accordingly.
Offer duration: all year
Languages for communication: Latvian, Russian, English
Price list:
Adults 2.00 EUR
Students, pupil and seniors – 1.00 EUR
Family ticket (1-2 adults, 1-2 children (aged 7-18) – 4.00 EUR
Children until age of 7 – free;
Guide (excursion 1h):
in Latvian – 8.00 EUR
foreign language – 16.00 EUR
Picnic place with firewood 3.00 EUR (per 90 minutes)
Payment – cash, bank card
amata.lv
Araisi Archaeological Park
Araisi Archaeological Park consists of reconstructed dwelling houses of the 9th-10th centuries and ruins of the medieval castle, the exposition of dwellings of the Stone Age and the Bronze Age on the so called Daughters` Island.
Araisi Archaeological Park offers the insight into the daily life ofancient people, what they ate and what they wore, as well as helps to find out why the Lake Fortress sank and how it revived. Tours and excursions provided by the Archaeological Park offer a look into everyday life and celebrations of people of different centuries.
Araisi Lake Fortress
The Araisi Lake Fortress is one of the oldest and brightest witnesses of Latvian history over the centuries. During ten archaeological excavation seasons (1965-1969, 1975-1979), under conduct of the leader of the experimental archaeology in Latvia, archaeologist Dr hist. Jānis Apals, Latvian historical wealth yet undiscovered was found and lifted out of the depths of the lake. As a result, the ancient dwelling site in Araisi Lake has been reconstructed, becoming the only example of a fortified dwelling site of the 9th-10th centuries in the Northern Europe. The Araisi Lake Fortress was built in order to protect the small, flooded islands, and was inhabited by the largest ancient Latvian tribe, namely ancient Latgallians.
Reconstruction of the Lake Fortress was carried out from 1981 to 1995, and still continues nowadays through replicas of the ancient tools and authentic building techniques.
Medieval Castle Ruins
Araisi stone castle was built during the times of the Livonian Order and was inhabited between the 14th and 17th centuries. Accurate data on the construction of the castle still remains a secret; however, it is known that the Araisi Castle with the forepart was built as a side-castle of the Master of the Livonian Order of Cesis with a great military and economic importance. As a result of the Livonian and the Polish-Swedish wars, the castle was destroyed. Later, stones of the castle buildings were used to constructthe rectory and the Drabesi manor.
Stone and Bronze Age Dwelling Houses
The first inhabitants settled on the shores of Lake Araisi in the Stone Age. The buildings on the Daughters` Island have been perfectly recreated according to archaeological data on this kind of Bronze Age dwelling houses, acquired in Latvia and neighbouring countries.
turisms.cesis.lv
