Medumi’s travel themes range from protected landscapes to traces of regional and wartime history. When planning a stay, you can first decide which focus interests you most. Nature and landscape attractions include a park, lake, protected areas, and trails; history offers different points of interest through a museum, a private collection, and the Old Believers’ prayer house.
Landscape, Protected Areas, and Beach
Medumu Ezeraine Nature Park covers 1,375 hectares. Lake Medumi lies within the Augšzeme protected landscape area and the nature park; its islands form a botanical reserve that has been protected since 1987. The highest elevations in the nature park are Medumu, Samanku, Skirstenu, and Ziedinu.
Medumi Park is home to a nationally significant dendrological planting. It has been on the protected sites list since April 15, 1977; 31 protected tree species have been recorded in the park. The beach on Lake Medumi in Medumi Park is also accessible to people with reduced mobility. This is a practical consideration if you are planning a visit to the beach.
Trails with Different Focal Points
The trail in Medumi Park passes a small artificial waterfall. In Medumu Ezeraine Nature Park, a hiking trail is about 2 km long and passes close to First World War bunkers, old trenches, and the site of a manor house cellar. Different features are therefore relevant when choosing a route: the trail in Medumi Park focuses on a natural feature, while the nature park trail also has an approximate length and historical points of interest.
First World War: Exhibition and Collection
The First World War Museum has a 113 m² exhibition divided into two thematic sections. It covers the fiercest battles of the First World War, which took place in 1915 in the highlands around Ilūkste and Medumi near Daugavpils. The exhibition includes a replica of a Russian bunker with a section of trench, a small shelter, equipment from the everyday life of the front, and soldier figures. Audio and video technology is intended to convey the atmosphere of a battlefield.
A private collection on First World War heritage and regional history displays historical artifacts from Medumu parish and its surroundings. These include parts of soldiers’ equipment, household objects, historical photographs, and maps. The experiences differ: at the museum, the bunker replica with audio and video technology is intended to convey the atmosphere of a battlefield; the collection offers a glimpse into everyday and regional history through objects and visual material.
Prayer House and Architectural History
The Old Believer community’s prayer house complex in Medumi includes a church, a separate bell tower, and the priest’s residence. The prayer house conveys an impression of what Old Believer religious buildings looked like before 1905. Alongside nature and wartime history, Medumi therefore offers a distinct perspective on religious architecture.
Discover more destinations: Daugavpils, Laucesa, Ezeriņi, Mīšteļi, Višķi, Naujene, Šengeida, Saliena
For the main travel overview: Daugavpils Novads.
