Gutmanis Cave Spring - Sigulda, Latvia - Natural Springs on Waymarking.com

"Gutman's Cave (Latvian: Gutmana ala) is the widest and highest cave in the Baltic countries, located on the Gauja River in the National Park of Sigulda, Latvia. It started forming more than 10 000 years ago when meltwater eroded the sandstone rock after the Ice Age. It is the oldest tourist attraction in Latvia. On the walls of the cave are inscriptions from the 17th century.

Description

Gutman's Cave is the widest and highest cave in the Baltics. It is 18.8 meters deep, 12 meters wide and 10 meters high. The cave was formed from the yellow-brown sandstone rock of the Gauja river bank; its formation is due to a millennium long interaction between the river and an underground spring.

The cave is considered the oldest tourist attraction in Latvia because visitors, from even the earliest days, have left “decorations” such as names, initials and the dates of their visits engraved on the walls of the cave. Inside the cave are coats-of-arms and the names of various barons and estate owners. These were made to order for a fee by local craftsmen who would wait for wealthy visitors near the cave armed with tools, stepladders and templates. Writing on the cave walls is no longer permitted as the site is a protected archeological and geological monument.

According to local folk legend, the waters of the spring flowing out of the cave are the tears of the wife of the Liv chief, Rindaugs. The story tells that the chief buried his unfaithful wife in the sandy bank of the Gauja river. The poor woman, distraught by her guilty conscience, cried so hard that her tears flowed out of the large cave. To this day, the spring’s waters are said to have healing properties. Another tale explains how the cave got its name: a long time ago there was a good man who lived in the cave and used the spring water to heal people. Gut mann in German means "good man".

Gutman's Cave is a place of ancient worship. Until the 19th century, people would come to make their offerings to the deities. The place is also renowned for a number of enduring legends."

--Wikipedia (visit link)

Public or Private Land?: Public Public Land Fees?: Free except for a small parking fee Private Land access?: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   03/29/2023 dzeih visited it 09/30/2021 davidb11 visited it

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