THE SITE
The project will take place at the Turaida Historical Centre, located in the Vidzeme region of Latvia within the Gauja River Valley and the territory of Gauja National Park. The Turaida Museum Reserve was established in 1988 to preserve and interpret the natural, cultural, and historical values of the historical centre of Turaida. After the restoration of Latvian independence, the legal framework for heritage protection was reorganised, and in 1994 the Turaida Museum Reserve was formally designated as a specially protected cultural monument of national significance.
The Turaida Historical Centre comprises a complex cultural landscape extending across approximately 57 hectares. Within this territory are preserved elements typical of Latvian cultural and historical centres, including a hill fort with the remains of an early wooden castle, a medieval stone castle, a historic church and cemetery, manor buildings, park structures, ponds, green areas, and an interconnected system of roads and paths. These elements form an exemplary and historically multi-faceted landscape modelled by centuries of settlement, land use, and social transformation.
The site reflects the long-term interaction between human communities and the natural environment, where agricultural practices, estate management, and regional trade routes contributed to the development of a distinctive park-like landscape. The meadows, pastures, and managed grasslands surrounding the manor ensemble form an integral part of this cultural environment, representing both tangible and intangible heritage traditions linked to rural craftsmanship, land stewardship, and seasonal agricultural rhythms.
On June 13th, 2022, the Turaida Museum Reserve was awarded the European Heritage Label. This designation is granted to sites that have played an important role in European history and integration, highlighting their contribution to shared European values and historical processes. The label emphasises preservation together with interpretation and public engagement, encouraging sites to communicate their European dimension and encourage dialogue across borders.
The Turaida Museum Reserve conducts scientific research, maintains and develops its museum collection as part of the National Museum Collection of Latvia, restores and conserves cultural monuments within its territory, and ensures public accessibility to heritage assets. Through its research, conservation, and educational activities, the museum reserve positions the Turaida Historical Centre as both a protected monument complex and a living cultural landscape.
THE PROJECT
The European Heritage Volunteers Project focuses on the revival and practical application of historical grassland management methods within the cultural landscape of the Turaida Historical Centre. The project supports the long-term objectives of the Turaida Museum Reserve Development Strategy 2024–2028 and contributes to the implementation of the Museum Reserve Grassland Restoration and Management Plan (2024–2029), integrating heritage conservation with biodiversity-oriented land stewardship.
Practical work will take place primarily within the historic manor meadows and pastures located in the northern section of the museum reserve. Participants will engage in the full cycle of traditional haymaking, including manual mowing with scythes, turning, raking, and stacking hay in accordance with historical techniques. The work will be organised in sectors to accommodate natural drying processes and seasonal rhythms, reflecting the temporal structure historically associated with agricultural labour.
In addition to hay harvesting, participants will take part in the making and maintenance of traditional hay-gathering tools and structures. This will include workshops dedicated to the crafting and repair of wooden rakes, scythes, forks, and the assembly of temporary hay-drying structures based on historical local models. Seed-rich hay harvesting and plant seed collection will also be undertaken to support natural reseeding processes and to enhance species diversity across the museum reserve’s grasslands. These activities connect traditional meadow management practices with contemporary ecological conservation, contributing to the preservation of both cultural and natural heritage.
The practical work will be guided by qualified specialists of the Turaida Museum Reserve, including professionals with expertise in landscape architecture, arboriculture, monument conservation, restoration practice, and ethnographic heritage. Their academic and professional backgrounds ensure that the techniques demonstrated and applied are grounded in both historical knowledge and current conservation standards.
The educational component of the project complements the fieldwork through thematic workshops and practical sessions addressing ethnographic knowledge related to mowing tools, hay-stacking techniques, rope-making for hay bundling, and the preparation of traditional hay-based materials used in museum education. Sessions dedicated to meadow plants will explore their historical applications in folk medicine, textile dyeing, food preservation, and ritual practices, connecting biodiversity with intangible heritage traditions.
A further component will introduce participants to the research and conservation of historic wall paintings within one of the manor’s historic structures, under the supervision of a certified monument restorer. This element provides insight into the relationship between agricultural life, estate architecture, and decorative heritage within the broader Turaida landscape.
Excursions and contextual visits within the Sigulda region will situate the Turaida Historical Centre within its wider cultural and historical framework, including its position along ancient road networks and within Baltic manor history. These visits will serve to widen the understanding of the spatial and historical relationships that structure the landscape.
An integral element of the educational programme is the participants’ presentations. Each participant is required to prepare and deliver a presentation related to the thematic focus of the activities on site, introducing a case study from their country of origin. This component connects the practical work undertaken during the programme with comparable heritage practices in different cultural and institutional contexts. Through this structured exchange, participants reflect on conservation approaches, management frameworks, and current challenges, contributing to a broader comparative understanding of heritage preservation. The presentations are intended to encourage critical dialogue, intercultural exchange, and the articulation of informed professional perspectives within an international group of emerging heritage practitioners.
The project will take place from July 19th to August 1st, 2026, and is organised by European Heritage Volunteers and the Turaida Museum Reserve, in collaboration with the European Heritage Label Bureau.
