Kartavkalni is a forested hill, through which the small Biktupīte River flows. There are nature trails here, where you can see the huge larch alley, the spruce wind in the hilly terrain, the Karātavu spruce, the mound rampart and the variety of flora with rare trees, as well as both abandoned and new dams made by beavers. Kartavkalns was once an ancient Slavic settlement.

It is believed that the Jaunpils Karātavu Hill could be the Babote mentioned in the Chronicles of the Echoes, as it is the only hillfort with a rampart between Dobele and Kuldīga. The story goes that an old castle sank on the hill, rising up as soon as someone guessed its name, and in its place a new castle, Jaunpils, built by the Crusaders, sank underground. This tale inspired the poet Auseklis to write his poem “The Castle of Light” in the mid-19th century.

Photo: Aija Neilande, Tukums TIC