Turaida Museum Reserve BannerThe origin of estates in Latvia dates back to the time when the first stone castles were built in Livonia and the first cloisters were established, and they needed revenues.  So-called castle districts were established around the castle of the archbishop in Turaida and around all of Livonia's important castles.  The point to these was to collect fees.  The Turaida Castle was a fortress, but also an economic centre where the fees were collected and stored. The term "turaida" means "Garden of God" in the language of the Gauja Livs, the original settlers of the region.


Turaida ManorTuraida CastleThe Turaida Estate gradually developed from the castle's operations. The first written information about the estate--its ancillary buildings and land--is found in an audit conducted by the Poles in 1582 and again in 1590.  The document from the latter date shows that there was an estate near the Turaida Castle which was based on fees and indentured servitude in the entire castle district. The Turaida Museum Reserve, a protected cultural monument, was established in 1988, with an aim of understanding and popularizing the cultural history of this region from its origins in the 11th century through the 20th century. It covers an area 43.63 hectares (1 hectare is 100 square meters) and has 39 preserved historical buildings. It is dedicated to the preservation of the region's cultural heritage and artifacts as well as the maintenance of national memory. The two focal points of the Turaida Reserve are the manor complex (photo to the left) and the Turaida Castle (photo to the right). These are explained in the two tours below.
Virtual Tour of Turaida Museum Reserve

Instructions: This map-based tour features popup windows of the sites identified on the map above and in the table below. Each popup contains a photo and text description. The map lists sites by location, while the table below lists the points of interest by the color-coded categories. In either case, click on the number (map) or title (table) and a window will open, describing that point of interest. When you have finished viewing the point of interest, simply click the "Close" button at the bottom of the popup and you will return to the map. Note: You must have you ad-blocker turned off for this site to use the map or table. Users on mobile devices may find the "Close" button does not work. In this case, simply use your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.Path of MaraFather of SongsTuraida CastleGardener's HouseApple StorehouseTuraida ChurchRose of TuraidaKiln HouseNew Estate Manager's HouseOld Estate Manager's HouseCattle ShedKennelsCart HouseSmithyBath HouseFish CellarServant's House/CorveeGranaryOverseer's HouseTuraida Entrance
1. Entrance
 2. Overseer's House
 3. Granary
 4. Servant's House/Corvee
 5. Fish Cellar
6. Bath House
 7. Smithy
 8. Cart House
 9. Kennels
 10. Cattle Shed and Stable
11. Old Estate Manager's House
 12. New Estate Manager's House
 13. Kiln House
 14. Tomb of the Rose of Turaida
 15. Turaida Church
16. Apple Storehouse
 17. Gardener's House
 18. Turaida Castle
 19. Folk Song Park
 20. Path of Mara


VR Tour of Turaida Castle
Northern ForecourtSnap Content
Virtual Reality Tour for VR Headsets:

QR CodeThere is also a version of this tour designed specifically for VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, and it works with both iPhone and Android devices. It may be access by scanning on the QR code to the left. If you are viewing this on a mobile phone, you may access the VR tour by following this link.



For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]

For Android devices: Open the camera app and use the built-in scanner to scan the QR code above. Confirm that you want to open the website, and wait for it to load--it should load in stereo view. Select the fullscreen ("X" option) from the menu at the bottom. Turn the device to landscape mode and you are ready to go. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]






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