Birdwatching takes centre stage at Lake Tāšu; the 8.5-kilometre route can be tackled in different ways, depending on your chosen mode of transport. The area around Medze also features varied landscapes, historic manors and notable stones. You can shape your discoveries according to your interest in nature or culture.

Landscape and views across the coastal plain

The Medze area includes dry and moderately moist meadows, fragments of woodland and agricultural land. The Medze area was established to protect a former shoreline formation of the Baltic Ice Lake. Numerous rare and specially protected plant species have been recorded there.

Near Medze, the steep bank of the former Baltic Ice Lake extends for about 12 kilometres across the entire administrative territory of Medze Parish. In some places, it reaches a height of around 30 metres. From the steep bank, you can look across the coastal plain towards the Baltic Sea. Its approximate length and locally varying height provide two different points of reference for this landscape feature.

Birdwatching at Lake Tāšu

Lake Tāšu is included on the Important Bird Areas list. An 8.5-kilometre birdwatching route runs along the lake. According to the route description, bicycles and cars are particularly suitable for the journey. Those travelling on foot can walk it in shorter sections. The options therefore differ mainly in whether you tackle the route as a longer journey or in separate sections.

Near Medze, Maztāši provides a shelter by Lake Tāšu for undisturbed birdwatching and protection from unfavourable weather. Visits should be arranged in advance. Maztāši also provides prepared boats for fishing there; you should arrange your visit in advance for this as well. The shelter and boats offer different reasons to visit the lake, while the route description explains how to get around on the birdwatching route.

Manors and surviving architectural heritage

The Medze windmills nearby were built in 1868. Only the masonry remains survive today, and they have been fitted with a roof. Tāšu (Telse) Manor near Medze was first mentioned in written sources in 1501. Baroque fireplaces and a stone main portal have been preserved there. If you would like to learn more about the restoration work and the manor’s history, you can find out more by arranging a visit in advance.

Medze Manor is also nearby: it is situated on Medze Castle Hill, within the area of the steep bank of the former Baltic Ice Lake. The manor building was constructed in the 19th century. Kapsēde Manor, meanwhile, was first mentioned in a document on 30 November 1404. These recorded dates therefore mark different points of reference in the history of buildings and places around Medze.

Natural monuments and archaeological traces

Kapsēdes dižakmens is a protected natural monument near Medze and is 4.3 metres high. Another stone, Kapsēdes Rudais akmens, is known as an archaeologically significant cup-marked stone. At least seven cup marks are carved into its surface. The two stones therefore offer different discoveries: the first is notable for its protected status and height, the second for its archaeological classification and the number of cup marks.

Discover more destinations: Dubeņi, Grobiņa, Bārta.

Go to the regional travel overview: Grobiņas Novads.