Valmiera is a town in Vidzeme, Latvia, on both sides of the river Gauja.
Located on the river Gauja, the city has about 25,000 inhabitants (2027), making it the largest of the county of Vidzeme. It is also the main industrial centre.
Valmiera grow around a castle of the Order of the Sword Brothers. In 1323, it received city rights and became a Hanseatic city in 1365. It has been destroyed more than once over the last centuries, so there are not many old buildings left.
- Swedish Simon's Church, Bruņinieku iela 2, +371 22148904 (pastor), +371 64200333 (church). Tu–F 11:00–18:00, Sa 11:00–17:00, Su 11:00–13:00. Medieval church in Gothic style.
- Castle Ruins. The remains of the castle of the Order of the Sword Brothers.
- Valmiera Museum, Bruņinieku iela 3, +371 64223620. Tu–Sa 10:00–17:00.
Swedish Simon's Church, Bruņinieku iela 2, +371 22148904 (pastor), +371 64200333 (church). Tu–F 11:00–18:00, Sa 11:00–17:00, Su 11:00–13:00. Medieval church in Gothic style.
Castle Ruins. The remains of the castle of the Order of the Sword Brothers.
Valmiera Museum, Bruņinieku iela 3, +371 64223620. Tu–Sa 10:00–17:00.
- Theatre, Lāčplēša 4, +371 64 224 943. The only professional theatre of the region Vidzeme, established in 1919. Almost all plays are in Latvian only.
- Cinema Gaisma, Rīgas iela 19, +371 64 222 641. The only cinema of Valmiera and in the wide region. Often shows international movies, but check if they are not dubbed. Tickets are rather cheap.
Theatre, Lāčplēša 4, +371 64 224 943. The only professional theatre of the region Vidzeme, established in 1919. Almost all plays are in Latvian only.
Cinema Gaisma, Rīgas iela 19, +371 64 222 641. The only cinema of Valmiera and in the wide region. Often shows international movies, but check if they are not dubbed. Tickets are rather cheap.
- Valleta, Rīgas iela 4, +371 26 665 000. However rather small this is the only shopping mall of its kind in Valmiera. Several international chains are represented here.
Valleta, Rīgas iela 4, +371 26 665 000. However rather small this is the only shopping mall of its kind in Valmiera. Several international chains are represented here.
- Seda – Founded in 1953 in an uninhabited area, it still embodies the pomp of Communist and Stalinist shock-work aka architecture. Nearby a vast man-made peat bogs nature area can be found, and is not to be missed. Both occurrences are historically tied to each other.
- Smiltene – Features a manor, some castle ruins, and a watch tower over the surrounding area. Not very interesting, but quite cosy and slightly larger than Valka, and not far from the Pskov highway.
- Cēsis – One of the country's oldest towns. It has an impressive castle complex of Livonian Order origin, a charming city centre with some cobblestoned streets, and historic wooden buildings.
- Ligatne – A village fairly well known for its nature trails, with a great natural park with wildlife animals and "fairy tale" forests with characters from famous Latvian fairy tales. Nearby, also an old Soviet bunker complex can be visited, which was built in case of a nuclear war.