Līgatne (; ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Līgatne Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the

Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...

region of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. It is situated on the Gauja River. The village of Līgatne was built around the paper mill, still extant, on the River

Līgatne Līgatne (; ) is a town in Līgatne Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is situated on the Gauja, Gauja River. The village of Līgatne was built around the paper mill, still extant, on the River Ligatne (river), Līg ...

in the 19th century. Later it grew into a town and was then awarded city status in 1993.

Līgatne Nature Trails

The reserve known as the Līgatne Nature Trails is also located here, in the Gauja National Park, in the forest on the left bank of the Gauja River downstream from the paper mill. There are extensive paths through the nature reserve both for walking and for cycling, and there is a separate route for cars. There are also facilities for horse-riding and camping. The reserve was set up in 1975 for the protection and display of the diversity of species, both plant and animal, which are characteristic of Latvia. The animals here have been rescued from all over Latvia, either because they were injured, or because they had been tamed and could not survive on their own in the wild. The reserve contains

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

, elk,

European bison The European bison (: bison) (''Bison bonasus'') or the European wood bison, also known as the wisent ( or ), the zubr (), or sometimes colloquially as the European buffalo, is a European species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bi ...

, roe deer and

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...

. The Gauja river valley contains distinctive geological formations, forests and meadow plants. Particularly significant places are Jumpraviezis rock, Katrīniezis rock, Gūdu cliffs and one of the country's rare sandstone canyons: Paparžu grava ("Fern Glen"), known for its

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s. Līgatne has numerous caves in vertical sandstone banks, that were dug as cellars for paper mill workers during the time of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

Nearby places of interest

* Ferry across the Gauja River (closed in winter) * Līgatne, with peculiar 19th century wooden architecture (30 unique row dwelling houses for paper mill workers) * Līgatne paper mill, in operation 1816–2016, now available for industrial tourism * Zvārtes rock, forest trail and Witches' Meadow on the banks of the Amata River * Ķempji village church and water mill * Skaļupes nature trails * Vienkoči Park

References

External links

Gauja National Park website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ligatne Cities and towns in Vidzeme Populated places established in 1993 Populated places in Cēsis Municipality