Limbaži

Limbaži is a small town of about 6900 inhabitants (as of 2021) in northern Latvia, in what's defined by Wikivoyage as the Riga region. A former Hanseatic city with a residence of the Archbishop of Riga in the Middle Ages, most attractions are from a later times, still relatively few visitors find their way here.

Understand
Limbaži started off as a settlement by the Livonian people named Lemisele, translating to something like "an island in a swampy forest". In 1223, during the Livonian Crusades, the Archbishop of Riga had a castle built on the site of the settlement, and a new town with the German name Lemsale started growing around it. In those days the Svētupe River provided access to the Baltic Sea, Lemsale became part of the Hanseatic League, and ships from other Hanseatic cities sailed into the town making it an important trading center.

The 16th century marked the decline of the town, and it was ravaged by wars over the following centuries with the city being burned down on multiple occasions, the last time in 1747. The grand castle was destroyed in 1602 when Swedes and Poles fought for control over the city. For a long time Limbaži was subordinated to Riga, which meant the town was hardly developed. This changed in 1877 when Limbaži became an independent city and industries sprung up, most notably a factory for felt boots. The present-day city was built in the late 19th and early 20th century, and in the 1930s it was a stop on the now-dismantled railway between Riga and Tallinn.

After World War II, during Soviet times, Limbaži remained an industrial town focusing on food industry which still plays a role in the town. Boot manufacturing has closed down long ago, and Limbaži is today a rather sleepy town.

Get in
Limbaži used to be on the Tallinn-Riga railway – not only have the trains stopped running but the tracks have been dismantled. This may change in the future if the Rail Baltica project is completed and is routed through Limbaži. Until that, bus and car are the ways of getting in.



There are buses from Riga (10 daily buses, 1.5 hr), Cēsis (3 daily buses, 1 hr), Valmiera (5 daily buses, 1 hr), Saulkrasti, Salacgrīva and Ainaži on the Estonian border - though no buses into Estonia.

By car, Limbaži could be a sidetrip from the Riga-Tallinn highway; the town is 17 km east of the highway on the P11.

Get around
It's a small town, so you can get around on foot.

See
Walking along Jūras iela you can see the variety of the town's architecture - brick and wooden buildings from different eras and built for different purposes - side by side.







Eat and Drink




Sleep


In addition to these, Airbnb accommodation may be available. For a larger selection of hotels, head to Cesis, Valmiera or the coast.

Go next

 * North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve - the region around Limbaži all the way to the Estonian border and the Baltic Sea
 * - Near Cesis and Sigulda, this is the biggest national park in Latvia. The park protects the Gauja river valley with its cliffs, caves and historical sites.