Zemgale invites to get to know its pearls of cultural and historical heritage by using digital technologies.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get into the everyday life of a real nobleman? To meet a legendary ghost? To visit an old synagogue or walk through the labyrinths of a historic palace, even if these grandiose buildings no longer exist? Modern digital solutions in Zemgale region have made all this possible, allowing you to travel through several centuries even in one weekend and get to know both the preserved and already lost objects of cultural and historical heritage.
New digital solutions have been developed for tourist attractions in Jēkabpils, Aizkraukle, Bauska and Jelgava municipalities. These solutions provide an opportunity to go back to the past and see what those historic buildings — of which only ruins have survived — looked like, to meet legendary characters and get to know their stories.
For the convenience of travellers, a special map has also been developed, which summarizes tourist attractions of all Zemgale and Northern Lithuania regions offering various digital solutions. They allow you to interactively and excitingly "recover lost history" by getting to know the cultural and historical heritage of the region. The digital tours, available around the clock and in several languages, allows you to enjoy an individual travel experience and choose the time of the tour yourself. Digital version of the map - HERE.
Look into the past and see the lost landscapes / Aizkraukle Municipality
One of the largest and most significant medieval castles in the territory of Latvia was Koknese Castle. Its story begins with a wooden structure, which was burned and abandoned by its ruler Vesceke. Later, a stone castle was built on this site, which survived several wars and various hosts until it was blown up. Nowadays, Koknese Medieval Castle Ruins, one of the most scenic places in Latvia, stand at the confluence of two rivers. Next to the castle ruins, a new digital stand has been unveiled, where you can get to know the history of Koknese Castle in motion with the help of 3D animated video – from its grandeur to modern ruins, allowing you to see how Koknese Castle has changed over the centuries. Thus, it is possible to be present at the construction of the castle and observe the life of the court, its repeated reconstruction, bombing and the later flooding of the mound. The video is visually engaging, easy to perceive and interesting for history buffs of all ages.
Five stands with 3D visualizations have also been created in the vicinity of Koknese Castle Ruins, which, with the help of augmented reality, allow you to see the lost landscapes at five different stops — by scanning QR codes, old photographs, 3D visualizations and descriptions of these places are visible.
And that's not all. A digital tour with 30 different and interesting cultural, historical and natural objects has also been created in Aizkraukle Municipality. QR codes act as a digital guide, offering descriptions, photos, videos, and 360-degree tours of all these places.
Go on a unique ghost hunting adventure / Jēkabpils Municipality
In Jēkabpils Municipality, guests are met by Gārsene and its pride – the castle built by Baron fon Budberg. From the greatness of the former manor, today only shadows of history and fragments of memories remain, but with the help of augmented reality and artificial intelligence, everyone can now encounter them very personally.
An interactive touch screen has been installed near Gārsene Castle, which serves as a digital guide at any time of the day, inviting you to turn the pages of the history of this place. At the stand, with the help of an audio guide, it is possible to walk the paths of Gārsene, participate in a game of erudition, and most exciting – to meet the former gardener of the manor, Hermanis, who, as a reliable companion, leads through the history of the manor, helping to perceive information.
An audio guide is also available in Gārsene for a better understanding of the village. It leads on a walk along the trails for more than four kilometres, stopping at 20 most significant natural, architectural and historical objects.
In turn, by downloading the augmented reality app to your smart device and following the instructions, you can also go on a unique ghost-hunting adventure and see the legend-wrapped, good-natured Blue Lady Ghost of Gārsene Castle in the garden.
"Revived" duke, castle, synagogue and bath house / Bauska Municipality
Also in Bauska Municipality, digital solutions provide an opportunity to see four historical objects that have no longer been preserved in nature. Iecava Manor is brought to life in Iecava Park, Gotthard Kettler, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, can be "met" in Bauska Castle Park, the historic Bauska Synagogue building can be seen from the Town Hall Square, and the Bārbele Sulphur Spring bath house is reborn at the Barbele Sulphur Spring.
The history of all the mentioned objects is long and rich in legends, but now – with the help of a smartphone and the application "Bauska AR" – historical buildings and images come to life before your eyes! Just follow the directions, and you will be able not only to see the old buildings in a modern environment, but also to realize their former dimensions and, thanks to the sound effects, feel the appropriate mood.
Also, a modern digital stand equipped with a touch screen has been installed in the Bauska Tourism Information Centre, which offers visitors a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the history and cultural and historical objects of Bauska Municipality through exploratory games and interactive experiences. The games are available to anyone interested – from the smallest researchers to experienced gourmets of culture and history.
Music of old pianos and "window" to the past / Jelgava Municipality
Jelgava Municipality is known for several luxurious, historical manors, and two of them now invite you to travel into the past with the help of modern technologies.
Lielplatone Manor offers a unique opportunity to experience the 18th century world of music — here table pianos are brought to life, offering the same experience of musical sounds as several hundred years ago. Guests of the manor have the opportunity to listen to three compositions by Franz Liszt, which shine in a new light. Digital playback allows to preserve the authentic timbre of the instrument while creating a sense of presence and revealing how rich and subtle the sound of the time was.
Meanwhile, in Lielvircava Manor, everyone has the opportunity to look through a special "window" into the scenes of everyday life of the 19th century manor, and to explore the remarkable range of deposited interior items of Baron von Klopman in detail on the digital stand. The Baron's deposit is historically significant not only in Latvia, but in the whole of the Baltics, because so far, such large-scale historical values have not been deposited in any of the cultural and historical objects.
Autumn is the right time when the vastness of the Zemgale plains allows you to experience the grandeur of manors and castles in their former glory. By touring them, you will also be able to get to know the richness of the cultural and historical heritage of this region and taste the local seasonal flavours, which have been discovered by modern masters of cooking to a new level. All you have to do is take the new map, choose one of the objects and go on a tour – it will be a journey both in time and in space!