12 Strangest Places in Latvia

From the Unique Northern Fronts, to the mysterious Rundale Palace; These are 12 STRANGEST Places in Latvia !

12. Hospitalis

11.Kemeri Bog

10. Karosta Prison

9. Skrunda-1

8. Mask Tradition Festival, Riga

7.Northern Forts

6. Black Cats of Riga
Located in Riga’s old town, you might be curious what the heck a black cat is doing on top of this old looking building! Does this cat have extremely good balance or does someone need to go up there and save him! Turns out it’s not a real cat but a sculpture that seems quite realistic from a distance. Most people believe that a man who once lived here wanted statues of black cats to face towards a guild that he was not accepted into . The wealthy inhabitant of Riga was refused access to the Tradesman guild and felt like having a black cat facing in the direction of the guild’s location would bring it bad luck. He had also placed another black cat facing Riga’s town hall which burnt down during world war II.

5. Ventspils Radio Telescope
The Soviet Union had a few tricks up their sleeve when it came to conducting espionage on Western Europe. This radio telescope remained top secret when it was constructed in 1974 out 600 tonnes of material by the Ukrainian Navy. This would be used to pick up radio signals from Nato and for covert eavesdropping operations. This is found in western Latvia, right off the coast of the Baltic Sea. When Latvia gained their independence, the Soviets tried their best to destroy as much of it as possible but Latvian scholars were able to restore much of it so they can use it for studying astronomy.

4. Rundale Palace
With some of the chaos that’s happened in Latvia throughout the years, you might not expect to see such a large beautiful palace is this kind of condition! It’s been nicknamed the “Latvian Versailles” and was the masterpiece of the architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli who was also an architect of the winter Palace in St. Petersburg.; It’s situated about 72 kilometers south from the capital of Riga and was finally finished after 8 years of construction in 1768. However, the palace has been transformed into many different things. It was used as a hospital for Napoleon’s army, and as used a s a school in the 1930’s. It suffered serious damage during the Latvian war of Independence in 1919 but was eventually restored in 1972. In modern times, it can even be used to house notable guests to the country of Latvia!

3. Koknese Castle
In case you were wondering what a 13th century castle looks like that was completely blown up, check out the ruins of the Koknese castle. This was built as a defensive structure in the 1209 along the Daugava trade route. Many different nations sought to control the fortress including the Polish, Swedish and Russians. Finally the thing was just blown up in 1701 and was never rebuilt. The ruins are now under protection from a local park and people might even find it to be a romantic place to have weddings, strangely enough.

2. Daugavpils Fortress
This large fortress complex southern Latvia is located near the border with Lithuania and it occupies 2 square miles of space. The inside of the fort, almost became like it’s own small city with 10 roads, and about 80 buildings. Within the ramparts, this is now basically a pretty well preserved ghost town and it originally constructed to defend against Napoleon’s strong army that was taking over Europe at that time. Construction began and it was indeed successful against Napoleon. It seems like a pretty creepy place if you’re able to come here and do some urban exploring.

1.The House of Blackheads
It’s almost impossible to search Riga on the internet without this iconic building showing up. It’s known as the house of blackheads and it was originally constructed in the 14th century by a guild of unmarried German merchants who inhabited the area. The striking facade displays many different styles of architecture. The building was partially destroyed by the germans ironically, during world war II but it was fully rebuilt in 1999. You will be just as impressed by the inside as the outside and it features many medieval treasures! The history of Latvia and it’s mysterious places make it certainly a unique place to explore!

[ivans]

I'm from Latvia and that festival isn't scary it's fun

[im_out_of_toiletpaper]

im latvian my self but its kinda funny how you say ventspils liepaja koknese

[whostolemysocks]

Nice video Latvia seems reely cool I WHANT TO GO THERE!!

[puikinsh_]

Visi nosaukumi ir izrunāti normāli, beidziet piepisties kādam, kuram tā nav dzimtā valoda.



Ā Un nevienam neinteresē, ka tu esi no Latvijas.

[jefflindeman]

My father was a Latvian refugee who made his way to the US when Russia invaded Latvia around 1906. He was born in 1889, and watched the Incoming Russians hang his parents in the street, escaping with his younger sister in tow. In 1938 he met my mother in Seattle, Washington. He was in the hospital undergoing a hernia operation (I had the same operation in my 30's). My mother was his surgical scrub nurse and ward RN at the hospital. They were married in 1939 - he at 50 and she a scandalous 22. My older brother was born in 1944. I was born in 1954, somewhat of an accident, as at 65, they wrongfully assumed... ahhh....the gun was firing blanks, and I can attest to being the product of a decidedly live round, if you catch my drift. My mother was 37, very late and dangerous for a pregnancy in 1954, so I arrived undercooked, almost 2 months premature, with a birth weight of 2.9 lbs. I call myself a Technology Baby, because if not for the first incubator at Providence Hospital, I would not be writing this today. Both my parents have passed -my father in 1976 at 87, when I was 22 and my mother in 1997, after the birth of my first of two daughters. I can hear my father's accent to this day, from the way he rolled his "r"s to the 'zzhhh' sound of his "j"s when he would say my name (Jeff) when he woke me for school, "Zzhheff! rrrise and shine!" He told me many stories of his youth in Latvia and filled my head with his adventures after arriving in New York City in 1906, from driving a team of mules delivering wagons full of beer kegs to the sidewalk-chalk language used by men riding the rail looking for work during the Great Depression, to inform others where they could get a meal or work for one. It set me on a path of a few years of roaming the world myself, though I never made it to my ancestral home... I'm hoping to make that journey to Latvia in the next few years, so I really enjoyed the travelogue. Thanks and Cheers

[lo]

Now make something for Estonia, so that we will have the whole Baltic

[zeusmaylor]

90% no skatītājiem ir Latvieši xD
Sveiki tauta!

[mikusklavins]

amazing video! i'm from Latvia and from now i know lot of new information.

[esterei]

i just love how he butchered our language...😂😂

[maijaanspoka]

I'm Latvian and I was laughing at the pronunciation so much! I liked the video, tho!

[rihardsberzins]

Thank you for making this video. Your channel is awesome.

[canvizia]

1. There is place in Latvia called "Devil's lake" (velnezers), which is really bizarre place. You can see it in map, but I've heard that it's hard to find it in real life. What's more - it says it has weird energy and it's pretty easy to get lost there.
2. There is a small town in east Latvia where almost in every family someone has seen ghosts or claimed suicide. It says that town it self was build on graves or surrounded by them.
3. There is a house in Riga calls "The Corner House" (Stūra Māja), that even some people who lives in Riga are affraid to cross paths with. I has never been destructed or none has ever considered to rest or buy the building because of it's scary origins. Mostly because during SSR they kept people there who they thougt was a threat to society (just normal people) or didn't seem to think eye to eye with SSr comunity.
4. On northern part of Latvia there is Ligatne's bonker which was build under sanatorium in secret. Now it serves as tourism attraction but I've been there - and it gave me scarry chills.

Over all I think these places are way scarier than House of Blackheads, Mask festival, Hospitals or even Black cats of Riga.. :)

[pokemilfhunter]

we call theese mask tradition veļū laiks

[ivitadudina]

I have visited Rundāle castle and there is a very beautiful rooms and huge master garden and beautiful especially when the roses bloom and I live in Latvia

[randomstyle]

Anyone 2018? Im from latvija cau visiem

[vissparkristoferu]

Lol ja daudzi ir no Latvijas tad kādēļ mēs rakstam angliski?

[hanahakislip]

Thank you for making about our contry LATVIA!
paldies kad jūs uztaisījāt par mūsu valsit LATVIJA!

[ompenezolite]

Labs video Es esmu no liepājas like ja esi no latvias

[FrostyBae]

Those who are latvian Like this comment, love you my peepz.

[snowbloodapple]

my ex is from Latvia... I still love her until now