Peter’s Cave is hidden on the left bank of the Vējupīte valley. It is a narrow, high fissure formed in the red sandstones of the Gauja Suite, high above the level of the river. It can almost be seen as a cross between a small gorge and a cave. The cave is 6,5 metres long, 2,2 metres wide and 5,3 metres high. On the right side of the cave there is a transverse spillway, almost 2 m long and 0,5 m wide.

The cave is reached by a staircase and a platform with handrails. The cave is linked to several ancient stories. One of them tells about the origin of the cave’s name: during the Swedish war, the farmer Peter was hiding here from being taken by the soldiers. Another story says that in the same Swedish times, the old owner of the Grotai house hid in the cave with his wife and young son. When there was a shortage of bread and his family was starving, Peter went to the nearby Sigulda rectory to ask for bread. There was a famine in the area, so he was refused. In desperation, Pēteris grabbed the hot loaf of bread he had just pulled out of the oven and disappeared into the forest at lightning speed, fleeing from his pursuers. The third story says that a local pastor hid here from the dangers of war and baptised children in the cave.

IMPORTANT

Remember that Latvian caves are protected – it is forbidden to scratch inscriptions on the cave walls! Be careful if you visit the cave in winter – bats tend to hibernate here, their sharp claws caught in the cave walls.

Photos from Sigulda TIC archive.