Vēveri – ethnographic open-air exposition
Time has stood still here for at least the last 100 years, respectfully not changing either the environment cultivated and cherished by the local Latvians, or the crafts, traditions and way of life.
For families
For groups (11+)
History and culture
In winter
Landscape and nature
People and location
Urban environment
The place is endowed with a wide and cultivated natural and rural territory. The overall view of Vēveri and the distance of Piebalga can be seen perfectly from the gallery of the mill and the upper floor. You can see the nearby Slieķi lake with a huge beaver house and a single log boat. A specially designed path leads through meadows of lesser butterfly-orchids to Slieķi Lake, which is one and a half kilometers away.
A rural exposure of the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum has been open in Vēveri since the 1980s. This place preserves the historically formed cultural landscape with ancient homesteads, buildings, roads and tree plantations. It also preserves the buildings, which are the monuments of the work and life of Piebalga farmers in the environment and in the place where they originated. Six of the old farms are under the museum's control, while Lejasvēveri and Jaunvēveri are the private property of the heirs. The Vēveri ethnographic building complex has been granted the status of a cultural monument of national importance.
The exhibition includes weavers' work tools from spinning frames to looms, various fabrics, craftsman's tools and farmer's tools, household objects and things unusual for modern people.
The place is perfect for visitors of different ages.
The place is accessible to a wide range of visitors.
Vēveri was first mentioned in documents of the Swedish auditors of 1601 as one farm. It was marked on the map at the end of the 18th century. During the long period of peace after the Northern War, the population grew. In the "times of the surveyors" - in 1878, when the peasants bought the land from the manor in the family ownership, there were already eight homesteads in Vēveri. The mutual arrangement and construction of homesteads, now visible in nature, was formed. In the agricultural census of 1928, there were a total of around 40 buildings of various types on 8 farms.
In Piebalga and also in Vēveri, the land could not feed the large families. To make a living, people traditionally learned local crafts – weaving linen cloths and making spinning carts for near and far markets. These skills are also widely represented in the museum exhibition.
"Vēveri" is a building complex of a group of authentic houses of farmers and craftsmen typical of the rural landscape of Piebalga in the 19th century. In 1880, the owner of Vēveru kalns, Ansis Vientiesis, built a mill at the highest point of Vēveru hill (226m above sea level). In 2008, with the participation of the local construction company Balga, the mill was restored to its previous appearance.
The complex is available at any time of the year, with prior application during the snowy season.
Working time
Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr, Sa, Su: 10am – 5pm