Varakļāni Municipality: Castle, Nature and Culture

Varakļāni Municipality combines heritage from its castle history with protected marshlands and regional culture. Varakļāni Castle was built between 1783 and 1789 for Count Michael Jan von der Borch. At the same time as the castle was being built, the park was established at the end of the 18th century; it is one of the first landscape parks in the Romantic style in Latvia to have a documented date.

Culture and Castle History

Since 1997, the Varakļāni Local History Museum has been housed in Varakļāni Castle. Several exhibitions and thematic displays can be viewed there. The modernized permanent exhibition focuses on the life and scientific activities of M. Borch, as well as the history of the town of Varakļāni and Varakļāni Municipality. The museum complex also includes 18th- and 19th-century wall and ceiling paintings, the castle interiors and a chapel, all of which can be visited.

The local history museum regularly organizes exhibitions and thematic events. Its offerings include museum education, environmental research and entertainment programs. The museum also houses a tourist information center that offers guided tours and organizes excursions through Varakļāni Municipality. Historical information, changing programs and regional orientation are therefore available in one shared location.

Further architectural and religious heritage can be found in the Chapel of Saint Victor and the Roman Catholic Church of Varakļāni. The chapel was built in 1814 in the Classicist style; its architectural model was the Pantheon in ancient Rome. The church interior contains three altars, most of which are clad in colored Italian marble. The church also houses relics of Saint Victor. The Lutheran cemetery complex includes an Art Deco-style entrance gate, the family chapel of the P. Mucenieks family, several architecturally interesting monuments, and a monument to the parish members who fell in the First World War and in the Latvian War of Independence.

Nature and Protected Landscapes

Within Varakļāni Municipality, the Teiči Strict Nature Reserve extends across the rural municipalities of Murmastiene and Varakļāni. The area is designated as an Important Bird Area, a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and a Natura 2000 site. Varakļāni Municipality also includes the Lubāna wetland and Lielais Pelečāres bog nature reserves.

A designated way to visit the Teiči Nature Reserve is the Sildas (Krastmaļi)–Siksala visitor route, which organizes legal visitor access through the reserve. Siksala itself is a mainland island surrounded by marshes in Varakļāni Municipality. It can only be visited accompanied by a guide from the Teiči Nature Reserve. The protected areas mentioned and the route therefore each have their own geographical and organizational context.

Activities and Regional Experiences

The “Count Borch’s Secret” escape room game involves tasks to be solved step by step. The focus is on logical thinking, attentiveness and recognizing details and connections. Workshops in sculpture, clay work, wood carving, art, music and graphics are also offered.

Regional production is also represented by a specific offering: A tasting at VARA KLĀNU includes nine drinks with different flavors, snacks, a visit to the production facility and the family history behind the company. The connection to local culture thus ranges from the history of castles and churches to a closer look at the history of a company.

Location and Further Orientation

Varakļāni Municipality is located on the Latvian national highway in the Riga–Jēkabpils–Rēzekne corridor. For further orientation within the directly linked subdivisions, Murmastienes Parish, Varakļāni Parish, Varakļāni Town are available for selection.

For the higher-level travel overview: Latvia.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Inčukalna Municipality, Amata Municipality, Rucava Municipality, Rēzekne Municipality, Babīte Municipality.