Vaidava Village

Vaidavas Village

Area: 71,9 km2

Population: 972 (Data of Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs as of 01.07.2017.)

Vaidava Parish was created in 1894, combining Podzēni, Veļķi, Briņķi and Vaidava Parishes. Territories around Lake Vaidava and Gauja near Sietiņiezis have beautiful landscape; therefore, they attract the interest of tourists. There is a popular and well-equipped swimming place with an open-air stage, tent area and fireplaces in the center of the village near Lake Vaidava.

The Vaidava hill fort is located on the 22nd-meter-long northeast coast of Vaidava Lake, in the Gauja National Park's restricted and together with the Cimpenu hill fort in Kocēnu Parish, was one of the former centers of the Imera region. Wooden fragments of buildings, jewelry and dishes fragments found in archaeological excavations show that people lived here before the 13th century. Near the entrance to the hill fort there is a hollow stone on the about 30 stones area. Perhaps the "devil's dwelling place" - an ancient cult place - was located on the Vaidava hill fort or near it. The hollow stone found at the rock shelf in the Briņķu pine forest, the sacred place and traditional place of Midsummer evening celebration on the hill fort could confirm this opinion.

There are two larch alleys in the Vaidava Parish, which are included in the list of state protected cultural monuments - Podzēnu larch alley, which is the longest alley of this kind in Latvia, and Palmenu larch alley. The most popular Vaidava ceramics is also produced in this parish, using Latvian red clay.

There is Vaidava Culture and Crafts Center with a hall (350 seats), library, Vaidava boarding school, post office, feldsher’s point and grocery store "Jancis" operate in the Vaidava Parish.

Long ago craftsmen have been actively working in the Vaidavas parish, you can see exposition of old chairs in the "Lejas Bregžu" farm, in farmstead "Meldri" is a museum of antiquities and agricultural machinery with a rich collection of exhibits.

The largest companies of the parish are cattle combined feed production enterprise “P.A.B.”, the wood processing company - joinery IU "LEO", farm "Elzes", horse-breeding farm "Dzērves", and rural tourism companies: "Denderi", "Ezergribieši", "Rāceņi", artistic ceramic manufacturing factory "Rebeka".

Since the year 1982, annual 11.7 km long running marathon "Around Vaidava Lake" is taking place, as well as active lifestyle enthusiasts participate in the Vaidava triathlon competition. In 2011, Vaidavas novuss club has started its activities and regularly organizes local and regional novuss competitions, as well as participates in the Latvian championship in both children and youth, and adult groups.