The Preiļi Park Large Tree Trail connects notable trees with parkland and manor history: stretching about 2.5 kilometres, it passes 16 remarkable trees, and at least an hour and a half should be set aside to explore nature. Meadows, water, forest, old buildings and ruins, as well as Preiļi Palace, are among the sights along the trail. This makes it easier to decide whether you are looking for a longer walk or a shorter nature stop.
Parkland and Trails
The Preiļi manor complex and park cover 48 hectares, including 13 hectares of park ponds and canals. The Preiļi Municipality Tourism and Information Centre offers a guided tour of the complex and park. The palace, chapel, stables, gates, gatekeeper’s lodge and park are classified as architectural monuments of national significance. So if you would like to take in architectural history as you walk, you will find more than green spaces here: the historic park features and buildings are part of the area’s character.
Upursala offers a different combination of nature and culture. Its nature trail lies in the protected zone of the “Cirīša ezers” Nature Park and passes the “Upursalas pilskalns” archaeological site, a cultural monument of national significance. Upursala can only be reached by boat. The Upurkalns hillfort on the island was a central pagan place of worship from the 1st millennium BC; from 1920 to 1930, Upursala was an important venue for folk festivals and gatherings, and it already had a tourist trail at that time.
At Lake Pelēči, the 102-metre-long bog trail, with a boat landing and a large observation tower, is located in a Natura 2000 nature reserve. Compared with the Large Tree Trail, which takes at least an hour and a half, this is a short nature trail option. At Lake Salmejs, the setting is shaped by a 28-metre-high observation tower and the specially protected “Kaučers” landscape area. The recreation area there has a lakeside pavilion, a fire pit, a 12-metre-long pier and a boat landing.
Museums, Manor History and Architecture
The Preiļi Museum of History and Applied Art holds more than 20,000 objects relating to the municipality’s history and its economic, educational and cultural development. Art exhibitions and guided tours of the Preiļi manor chapel and sculpture garden round out a visit to the museum. In Galēni, the permanent exhibition at the Roberta Mūks Museum displays Robert Mūks’s personal belongings, photographs and manuscripts. The museum also offers a trip to his nearby birthplace and access to the Philosophy Trail dedicated to Robert Mūks in Galēni Park; exhibitions and events are held in the exhibition hall.
The Raiņa Museum “Jasmuiža” brings together restored manor buildings, a ceramics workshop with a kiln, an open-air stage and more than five hectares of grounds with a park. The exhibition of Latgalian ceramics is particularly extensive: it features more than 200 household vessels and decorative ceramic objects made by potters from the region. The Vārkava Local History Museum also offers different ways to explore the past: its main exhibition covers the first national school for peasant children in Latgale, while another displays historic tools and household objects. Visitors can also try their hand at calligraphy there.
Several architectural and cultural monuments are highlights in Vārkava. The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity was built between 1873 and 1877 and has three altars with images of saints; its organ is an art monument of national significance. Vārkava Manor Palace is on Latvia’s list of state-protected immovable cultural monuments, and its park is a natural monument. The “Vecvītoli” open-air activity park was created alongside the historic park. In Aglona, the WW2 Museum displays weapons and equipment from both sides in the war, as well as soldiers’ personal belongings and letters; visitors can also try on a Second World War uniform and take a photo.
Crafts, Flavours and Activities
Ceramics enthusiasts have two options at “Jašas podi”: the workshop makes functional stoneware and porcelain vessels, as well as porcelain earrings; in individual or group workshops, participants of all skill levels can use a real potter’s wheel. The Nester Custom Design Art Gallery takes a different approach, showcasing home furnishings and sculptures made from car and motorcycle parts. It also offers workshops, a design café and themed events.
Local produce can also be paired with an activity. At the Z/S “Juri” farm, cheese is made by hand from the organic milk of its ten cows. During a visit, you can learn more about the traditions of cheesemaking and sample the farm’s own cheeses and other products. The “Ošu mājas” snail farm shares information about Roman snails and offers tastings of snail meat prepared using its own recipes; it also sells snail meat, game-meat delicacies and souvenirs. The Aglona Bread Museum presents grain and bread traditions through sayings, folklore, stories, old games, grain milling and bread tastings. Visits are possible by prior arrangement.
If you prefer outdoor activities, you can try wakesurfing, wakeboarding or waterskiing on Lake Rušons with Wake Surf Latgale; rides on inflatable water toys and rentals of personal watercraft and motorboats are also available. At Aglona Deer Garden, visitors can watch and feed deer with the owner. The garden is home to Père David’s deer, red deer and fallow deer; shed antlers and handmade antler jewellery are also on display.
Getting There and the Regional Setting
Private transport and intercity buses are possible ways to get to Preiļi. The town is about 210 kilometres, or around a three-hour drive, from Riga; the route follows the Riga–Daugavpils highway and regional roads. These details apply to Preiļi, not to every place in the municipality. As a regional setting, Preiļi Municipality lies in the centre of Latgale, the “Land of Blue Lakes”. Boat and SUP trips on one of the many lakes are offered in connection with seminars or conferences.
Discover more destinations: Preiļi, Babri, Jaunpils, Saulkrasti Municipality, Riebiņi Municipality, Salaspils Municipality, Jēkabpils, Vecpiebalga Municipality.
Go to the main travel overview: Latvia.
