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General information

Foundation year- 1185

Town status-  1992

Area: 2,2km2 (town),

129,89km2 (rural territory)

Population- 8287 ( 2008)

Distance to Riga  28km

Distance to Ogre 7km

Railroad station, along the Riga- Krustpils line, the distance to the Ikšķile station is 28 km.

Would you like to know the place where history of Latvia started?- You have to come to Ikšķile! Here is the place where everybody can feel his belonging to history of whole the world.

Ikšķile is one of the most ancient areas of Latvia, lying along the shores of the Daugava River and being populated several thousand years before the birth of Christ. This is a place where important historical actions of Latvia and even of Europe started over 800 year ago.

Ikšķile is one of the oldest populated places. From the 9^th century there was a liv's village near the river Daugava.

·  The word Ikšķile (or the german Üxküll, Uexküll) becomes from the meaning of (Finno-ugrian) Livonian word ükskül (yksikylä in Finnish). Ükskül (üks = one, kül = village) means simply just village number one, one village or The Village.

·  Ikšķile has been one of the first German crusaders' support points in the Baltics. In 1185 the first stone building in the Latvia was built here. It was the chapel of the church of the Livonian Bishop's castle. The castle was built near the church in 1186 under the canon Meinard's control. When Meinard was appointed the first Bishop of Livonia it became the center of  Christianitypropagation in Latvia. During the later wars the castle and the church were destroyed and after the Riga hydroelectric power station reservoir rising, the conserved ruins of the church were left standing on the island in the middle of the river Daugava.

·  Later the territory of Ikšķile castle was rented and around 1638 there were eight manors. The richest of them were Ikšķile and Tīnūži manors. Ikšķile was placed at the crossroads of two important transit roads: east- west direction  along the river Daugava from Riga to Koknese and further. It was Polotska road. North- south direction was the old Zemgale- Kurzeme road. Than began in Bauska, through Iecava, Baldone across the river Daugava through Tīnūži, Ropaži to Turaida and further to Estonia.

·  The castle mounds and old graveyards in the rural territory confirm that Tīnūži and the territory around was inhabited a long time ago. Of course, the river Daugava as an important waterway played the major role.

·  In written documents Tīnūži was first time mentioned in 1576 but the manor of Tīnūži was established in 1638.From 1684 the manor became the Tiesenhausen's family property and  from them comes the name Tīnūži.

·  In 19^th century the lands of Ikšķile civil parish were also on the left bank of Daugava- the Barkava manor, Meža manor. But its territory gradually lessened when the town of Ogre, which in those times belonged to Ikšķile civil parish, started to grow.

·  Both banks of the Daugava were connected with a ferry. In the beginning of the 19^th century it was improved with a wire rope by the licence of owner J.Ķīselis and that was the first crossing of such a structure in Latvia.

·  After the opening of Riga- Dinaburga (Daugavpils) railway in 1861 started not only the development of the town Ogre but the building of Ikšķile, too. On the site of the former Tsar's army camps (between Peldu and Rīgas streets) building sites for summer cottages were alloted.

·  World War I brought misery and disaster to Ikšķile. Being at the main battle line for a long time it was almost completely destroyed.

·  In 1930ies Ikšķile Culture House, Lutheran church and Orthodox church were built.

·  1920- 1930ies saw the last of the Latvian horse- drawn trams from Ikšķile station to Baldone. The 25km long tram line built during World War I by the German army then ran along the present Ozolu street and it took 3 hours to reach the Baldone health resort.

·   After WWI and especially after the electrification of Rīga- Ogre railway, Ikšķile continued to develop as a typical summer cottage district of Riga. In 1968 it was granted the rights of a township. The highway built in 1970ies after construction of Riga Hydroelectric power station, divided Ikšķile in two parts: at the Daugava private house construction continued, but at the railway multi - stored houses for land amelioration specialists were built. Across the railway production buildings for "Juglas zieds" were erected. In 1980ies the development of individual residential areas in Jaunikšķile and Ādamlauks continued.

·   On 17 December 1992 Ikšķile received the rights of the town.

·   In 1997 merging the functionally connected Ikšķile and Tīnūži autonomies, a new administrative unit- Ikšķile town with rural territory- was formed.In October 1988, the Ikšķile branch of  the Latvian Cultural Fund dedicated   a memorial stone on the bank of the

Daugava, opposite the ruins of the old  Ikšķile church. The name of Ikšķile was  carved into the stone in three languages-  Latin, German and Latvian.

Ikšķile of  now a days is one of the most prestigious residental districts in the outskirts of Riga, standing out with its hight intellectual potential.

·  Ikšķile is very sporty town You can take a chance to show your skills in voley ball, tennis, sence of orientation, basket ball and even in ice  hokey.

·  If  you like wild nature and adventure, you can travel by boat along the river M.Jugla or fly by airplane over our beautiful town. You are welcome in Ikšķile!

Objects of interest

·  The ruins of the first stone building in the Baltic region on a man- build in 1185,on an island in the Daugava.In 1970ies, before rising the water level of Daugava river for needs of Riga Hydro Electric   Power Station, the church ruins were preserved and the surrounding  territory strengthened.

·  Lutheran church, build in 1933.

·  The cottage of artist Jānis Kuga.

In this house the Latvian artist, stage designer and professor of the Latvian Art Academy Jānis Kuga lived (born in 1878 in Ikšķile civil parish, died in 1969 in Toronto, Canada).

·  The former home of the baronial estate manager at Tīnūži.

·  The park of "800- years" and memorial stone of Ikšķile, unveiled in 1985.Author -  sculptor Jānis Karlovs.

·  The Mazā Jugla battlefield with several military cemeteries.

·  The cemetery of the brethren (Latvian riflemen) at the Ikšķile cemetery. Monument to the Latvian soldiers killed during World War I and 2 tombstones which are art monument of state importance.

·  The castle mound of Lejaskalns, the Kābeļu hill of Liv.

·  The oak-  tree of Turbas.

·  Memorial stone opposite the ruins of church on the bank of the Daugava,with the name of Ikšķile in the Liv, German and Latvian languages (unveiled in 1988).

Churches

 Lutheran church - Kalēju ielā 1.

Build in 1933.

Orthodox church - in Ikšķile Orthodoh churchyard.

Build in 1936.

Administrative institution

Ikšķile town with rural territory -

Strēlnieku ielā 10,Ikšķile,tel.65030322,

Tīnūži "Kraujas", T.65068952

The local police department - Dainu ielā 1, T.65030140