Starptautisks forums “Vēsturiskie dārzi un dārzi vēsturiskā vidē”

Kuldīga, one of the most beautiful small towns in Latvia, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2023, stands out with its special historical atmosphere or genius loci. Historically, the tradition of maintaining backyard gardens has also been important in the old town, which has significantly decreased nowadays, changing the environment characteristic of the old town. To strengthen and restore the traditions of backyard garden maintenance, the Kuldīgas Restaurācijas centrs in 2024 created an example of a traditional garden in the courtyard of the building at Baznīcas ielā 30 and in cooperation with local residents is creating the garden route “Kuldīgas vecpilsētas dārzs”, which is regularly supplemented by educational lectures and workshops.

An international forum, which will be attended by experienced Latvian and foreign specialists, invites you to share experiences on the maintenance, restoration of historical gardens and the creation of new gardens in a historical environment.

Participation in the forum is free of charge, to confirm participation a ticket must be purchased, the price of which includes lunch and a coffee/tea break. Ticket price 20 euros, they can be purchased at the Biļešu paradīze box office …

The holding of this forum is included in the program “Liepāja 2027 European Capital of Culture”. The forum is organized with the financial support of the foundation “Nodibinājums Liepāja 2027”, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the Kuldīga Municipality.

Further detailed info about lecturers and the course of the event:

Facebook/Kuldīgas vecpilsētas dārzs

Event program

10:00-10:30 Opening speeches

10:30-11:00 Liepāja gardens before parks. Nora Driķe, journalist, cultural history researcher.

11:00 – 11:30 Creation of the 1905 park reconstruction concept in Kuldīga old town. Helēna Gūtmane, landscape architect at “ALPS ainavu darbnīca”.

11:30 – 12:00 Hardwick Besa's Garden in 2026 – planning a modern future for a historic garden. Nikki Waters, General Manager at Hardwick Hall and Stainsby Mill, United Kingdom.

12:00-12:30 A new and unique “Oulu Red Birch Forest” telling local historical stories. Kaisa Salmi, MA, environmental artist, light designer and researcher at Aalto University, Finland.

12:30-13:00. Creation of a sensory garden in the territory of the former Iļģi Manor, now the social care center “Kurzeme”. Linda Balode, landscape architect, Dr.arch.

13:00-14:00 Lunch: sustainable nutrition and traditional garden. Andris Ūpis, project chef.

14:00 – 15:30 lecture in the urban environment “The idea of Kuldīga old town garden from conception to realization” (7 groups with the same route, different perspectives): Kristīne Abika; Ilze Zariņa; Dace Jansone; Solveiga Zīle, Ieva Krauze, Laura Zariņa-Skapste; Krista Jansone.

15:30 – 16:00 Awakening significance: how a historic botanical garden reconnects people and nature. Tom De Corel, Head of Public Greenery Department at Leuven Municipality, Belgium.

16:00-16:30 Green as the future: how Leuven's Green Plan brings new strength to historical sites. Sarah Luyten, landscape architect, Belgium.

16:30-17:00 Traditional Japanese gardens and their historical context. The example of Kyoto. Yuri Ugaya, landscape architect, Japan.

17:00-17:30 The presence of Edo today: the historic garden city of Tokyo. Makoto Suzuki, Director of Tokyo Green Academy, Prof. emer.

During the event, the library-reading room of the last 5 years' issues of the magazine “Mans dārzs” will operate.

During the event, the “Celms maize” cafe and tea room will operate.

Admission by ticket only. The ticket price includes light lunch and one coffee/tea break.