Visitors to Līgatne are given the opportunity to get to know the history of Līgatne and see the most beautiful places in the centre of Līgatne, as well as to get acquainted with the historical lifestyle of Līgatne residents by taking a guided tour of the historical centre of the Līgatne Paper

Village. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, guests will be able to tour the Līgatne Paper Mill, see the residential buildings and public institutions – the House of Culture, hospital, maternity hospital, pharmacy, educational institutions, as well as visit the cellar caves built in sandstone outcrops, where local residents store their autumn vegetable harvest.

The management of the paper mill did its best to create favourable living conditions for its employees. At the beginning of the 20th century, the social security of the inhabitants of the town was one of the highest in Europe. If the complex were fenced off, life would go on, because Ligatne produced energy and was completely self-sufficient, as well as the highest quality paper.

The workers’ houses, which were built in the early 20th century for the paper mill workers, have survived to the present day and are still inhabited today, and are the oldest wooden terraced houses in Latvia. The buildings are listed as a national cultural heritage monument. In addition to the workers’ houses, the pharmacy, school, hospital (today a social assistance centre) and the restored paper mill club (cultural centre) have been successfully preserved in Ligatne. The historical centre of the Līgatne Paper Mill Village is a unique European ensemble of workers’ village town-planning, which in 2011 was recognised as Latvia’s winner in the European Destinations of Excellency (EDEN) competition.

Photos from the Līgatne TIC archive