Interactive Map

In the interactive map, you can easily and visibly look at the Latvian and Estonian industrial heritage sites, you will find information about industrial heritage objects that are open to visitors and offer special tours, educational expositions and other exciting activities. The map provides information about the exact location of the objects, their description and photo galleries. Most sites also offer several virtual tours that will allow you to discover more about this destination.
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Industrial heritage

Industrial heritage is a part of our cultural heritage. It demonstrates the development of industrial technology, the changing production methods and working conditions, and helps us to understand the history and development of society more broadly.
The oldest preserved industrial heritage in Estonia and Latvia goes back to the 18th century, when the two countries were under the power of the Russian Empire, and major businesses and land holdings were in the hands of the privileged Baltic German aristocracy. In the countryside, the right to engage in commerce belonged to the manor lords; in the cities – to the guilds and shops.

Nowadays, industrial heritage can be seen in the form of historic factories, water towers, mills, railways, lighthouses, other buildings of that age as well as historic documents.

Industrial heritage tourism is a growing trend, and an excellent opportunity to preserve and present old production facilities, equipment, and the skills of using them.

Topicalities and news

Airīte station n receives the Kurzeme Tourism Award 2022

On 16 September, Kurzeme tourism entrepreneurs and tourism industry professionals met at the "Latvia" Concert Hall in Ventspils for the award ceremony of the Tourism Award "Lielais Jēkabs 2022"....

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Monograph on the 600 mm railway in Selia during WWI

The 600 mm railway in Selija is an important part of Latvia's industrial cultural heritage during World War I. The aim of the research team was not only to investigate the construction process, operational objectives and impact of the 600 mm railway in Selija on the development of the region, analysing it as broadly as possible both thematically and chronologically, and in some places including it in a territorially wide area defined by its nature as part of the military infrastructure of World War I, but also to obtain as accurate as possible information about the location of the railway tracks in nature using the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) dataset of land surface aerial laser scanning. Researchers Toms Altbergs (Mg. Eng., Industrial Heritage Expert, SJSC "Latvijas dzelzceļš"), Kārlis Dambītis (Dr. Hist., Historian, Latvian Museum of Occupation), Aivars Markots (Dr. Geol., Assistant Professor, University of Latvia) and Ilze Freiberga (Mg. Hist., Curator of Exposition and Exhibitions, Latvian Railway History Museum Jelgava)...

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