The city is located on the Venta River, which has been an important trade route in Latvia since ancient times. There were many towns and defensive fortifications of the indigenous people of Curonians.
Already in 1378 the city became a part of the Hanseatic League. At the beginning of the XVII century it was the main city of Courland. In 1615, after a flood, a large fire broke out, destroying most of the old wooden buildings.
The development of the town began in the second half of the XIX century: in Goldingen, as it was then called, there appeared the production of sewing needles, a tannery, a match factory, cigars, soap, vodka, mineral water and liquor factories.
In 1874 one of the longest bridges with brick vaults in Europe was built.
In 1886, the Baltic Teachers’ Seminary was transferred from Riga, an important place for the formation of Latvian science.
The cultural, industrial, aristocratic and educational history of this small but rich in attractions town can be illustrated in several architectural monuments.
Bridge
One of the longest brick arch bridges in Europe. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the famous Rumba Falls. It was designed and built in 1873–1874 under the supervision of architect Otto Dietze, one of the popularizers of neo-Gothic architecture in Latvia. An interesting detail—it is decorated with lanterns with fish-shaped bases.
Latvian Venice
A small river Alekšupīte flows through the historical center of Kuldīga. It winds between the walls of historical buildings and is crossed by a number of small bridges. The highest waterfall in the country is also located here. Above the waterfall there is a bridge and a mill dam, which used to power the first paper mill in the Kurzeme region.
Needle Factory
The needle factory, once the only one in the Russian Empire, was opened in the second half of the 19th century. Today, there is an exhibition dedicated to the history of production, and from the window of the tower at the top you can enjoy the panorama of the city. In 2022 an educational, artistic and cultural center was opened on the territory of the factory.
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Metropol Hotel
The hotel was built in 1910 in the then popular Art Nouveau style by architect Maksis Teodors Berči. The lower floor housed stores and residential rooms, while the upper floor contained spacious apartments.
Villa Bangert
A wonderful example of wooden architecture stands on the banks of the Venta River. The villa was once the administrative building of the Russian exposition at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris. There the beautiful building in the style of national romanticism was noticed by a certain captain Bangert, who bought it as a gift for his bride.
At first the house was moved to Liepāja, and only in 1906 it was moved to its present location. Since 1940, the building has housed the Kuldīga District Museum. After the reconstruction, the museum has restored unique wall paintings and other interior details, arranged an exposition—the apartment of the Bangert’s family, which allows you to learn how the rich residents of Kuldīga lived in the early XX century.
Kuldīga Technology and tourism technical school
Kuldīga has a remarkable history of educational institutions. In 1870, the first Baltic Teachers’ Seminary in Latvia was founded in Riga—the prototype of today’s higher pedagogical institutions.
Already in 1886 the seminary moved to Kuldīga, to a neoclassical building built in 1879. From 1924 to 1964, the Kuldīga State High School was located here. Now it is the Technology and tourism technical school, for which the historical building was reconstructed in 2024, adding two new buildings.
Stafenhagen House
The building was built in the XVII century as a dwelling house of the Kuldīga burgomaster. In 1702, King Charles XII of Sweden was a guest here, who is said to have left a huge chest (2 x 2.5 meters), which has survived to this day.
Virkas Manor
The manor was originally built as a summer residence, with architecture based on the stylistic examples of Swiss houses. Later it became part of the city’s development. Earlier the Virkas Manor (formerly called Althof—Old Manor) owned 372 hectares of land, but only the park in front of the main building, created in the XIX century, has survived to this day.
For some time there was an expressive concrete fountain in the park, which was created in 1952 by Ramona Zomerfelde, a student of the Kuldīga Art School. Unfortunately, the fountain was dismantled in the 70s and its parts are now used as flower pots.
Town Hall
Restored in 2015. It is home to the Kuldīga recreation center and on holidays fairs where folk artisans sell their products. Near the building there is a monument to a prominent local resident — actor Ēvalds Valters.
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Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Built in 1640 as a proof of the Duke’s loyalty to the Polish king. Of high artistic value is the 16th century sculpture “Madonna and Child”. Also worth noting is the Rococo ambon with two naves of the XVIII century.
