Turaida means 鈥楪od鈥檚 Garden鈥 in ancient Livonian, and this green knoll capped with a fairy-tale castle is certainly a heavenly place. The red-brick castle with its tall cylindrical tower was built in 1214 on the site of a Liv stronghold. A museum inside the castle鈥檚 15th-century granary offers an interesting account of the Livonian state from 1319 to 1561; additional exhibitions can be viewed in the 42m-high Donjon Tower and the castle鈥檚 western and southern towers.
The rest of the reserve features a variety of buildings that have been transformed into small galleries and exhibits. It鈥檚 worth stopping by the smith house, where you can try forging metal. There is a real blacksmith on hand who sells his crafts, and guests can try pounding Liv pagan symbols into small chunks of iron.
In the graveyard of the pretty wooden church (1750) is the grave of Maija Roze, an ill-fated beauty known as the 'Rose of Turaida' and the subject of a tragic legend. Look for the onyx headstone bearing the inscription 鈥楾uraidas Roze 1601鈥1620鈥.
The nearby Folk Song Garden is dotted with 26 sculptures dedicated to epic Latvian heroes immortalised in the dainas, poetic folk songs that are a major Latvian tradition.
