Kocēni and Rubene Villages
Kocēni and Rubene Villages
Area: 184,8 km2
Population: 3049 (Data of Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs as of 01.07.2017.)
Center of Kocēni Parish is located 0.5 km from the Inčukalns-Valmiera motorway, 2 km from Valmiera, and 110 km from Rīga.
Kocēni, as the former Kokmuiža Parish, developed after the Second World War, bringing together the Kokmuiža, Ķieģeļu and Mujāni Parishes. Later Kocēni added Rubene Village.
Kocēni Parish has developed on the territory of Kokmuiža, and its name connected to the fact that manor houses were built from wood until the end of the 16th century. In the 11th - 12th centuries, the Latgalian lived in the present parish territory, who had their own small independent of Tālava land Imera from 1208 to 1223, on which the Catholic monk Indriķis, the latest author of the Latvian chronicle of Indriķis, first began to preach the Christian faith. The most famous sacred place of the ancient Imerians was Zilaiskalns.
According to historical records, farmers of Kokmuiža and Mujāni have been one of the most active participants in the Kauguru disorders. On October 9, 1802, the farmers gathered in the Beste Pub in the Kocēni Parish to decide on how to release members seized in the armed conflicts. Very important cultural and historical objects are still extant: the Kokmuiža Manor building, the Beste pub and the houses of several insurgents.
The Kokmuiža construction ensemble developed at the end of the 18th century – the end of the 19th century. The Kokmuiža Manor, which was probably built in the 17th century, is a neo-baroque building. The manor complex included a barn, a mill, a dairy, and brewery for an industrial brewery was built in the 19th century that was famous throughout Latvia and operated until the Second World War. Since 1937, the Kocēni Elementary School has been operating in the manor castle. In 2012, with the financing of the municipality, the castle partyer was renovated, creating greenery corresponding to the architectural style of the castle and gravel path network with spherical sundial at the point of intersection. Since September 2015, the Kokmuiža Festival has been gorgeously celebrated in the historic Kokmuiža Manor, offering rich and varied event program for visitors.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the founder and Imera Catholic priest Indriķis wrote the Livonian chronicle of Indrikis (Indriķis) in one of the oldest Christian congregations in Latvia - Rubene. "The Chronicle of Indriķis" is the oldest chronicle developed in the territory of Latvia. It is the main historical record describing the appearance of the Christian faith, personalities, and relationships between nations, fights and everyday life in the territory of present Latvia and Estonia from 1180 to 1227. Rubene Evangelic Lutheran Church was built in the 13th century. Originally, it was a wooden building, but the present appearance the church acquired in 1739, by including altar part of the church built in the 14th century. In 2000, when changing the floor of the altar part of the church, the long-forgotten crypts were discovered. Most likely, they are ancient Baltic tribes - Patkuļu crypts. Patkuļu tribe owned the nearby Vaidava (Waidau), Ķieģeļu (Kegel), Podzēnu (Podsem), also the Vecate (Alt-Ottenhof) and other manors. There are three, probably made in the 18th century, written text fragments in German from the Book of Ijab and John's Gospel on the wall plaster. Since July 2015, the Kocēni County Council, in collaboration with the Rubene Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Academy, is organizing events dedicated to the Day of Indriķis to draw attention to historical testimonies and the cultural heritage.
About 100 enterprises operate in Kocēni Parish. The largest of them are VTU Valmiera (domestic and international passenger transportation), SIA "AK12" (car service), SIA "MILDA KM" (food processing), Latvian-Icelandic woodworking joint venture "BIKO-LAT", SIA "Venden" (water production), SIA" Latmet "(metal working), etc.
The widespread business sector is agriculture and animal farming. The dairy farm "Mazdzērvītes" has established the "Latvian Steak Club" and is organizing educational practical steak cooking courses.
Cultural life in Kocēni is concentrated in the local culture house, also in the Kocēni stage during the summer season, capable to accept more than 2000 people at a time.
A number of amateur groups as well as scout organization work in Kocēni Parish. Both Kocēni and Rubene have libraries - information centers and public Internet access points. There are two elementary schools in Kocēni parish - Kocēni and Rubene. There is also a kindergarten "Auseklītis" in Kocēni with branch office in Rubene. Sports activities are available to the public in two sport clubs - in Kocēni and Rubene, as well as in renovated outdoor sports grounds.
"Kocēni sport club" was built in 2000 with the support of the parish; the priority of its activity is the development of the floorball in the region. The floorball team “Rubene” annually participates in the Latvian Championship in all age groups, winning the prizes. "Kocēni sport club" is the only floorball club in Latvia, whose team "Rubene" is represented in all age groups in Latvian championship, from children and young people to veterans.
International floorball competitions and various national sports teams’ camps take place in Kocēni sport club. "Astras" Kocēni Parish is a local and international scale equestrian and carting competition organized by "Zirgaudzētava Kocēni" Ltd. Take place in „Astras” of Koceni Parish.
You can visit BMX Supercross track located in Rubene of Koceni Parish and built by the foundation "Māra Štromberga Agency", which was designed as a copy of the BMX Track of Summer Olympics 2012, where the best Latvian BMX cyclists were preparing for participation in the Olympic Games.