Lazdukalni Dendrological Park/Špakovskis Park

The Lazdukalni Dendrological Park – colloquially more often called Špakovskis Park after its creator – is a wonderful recreation spot that delights with its natural scenery, beautiful views and areas of diverse trees and decorative plants.

The park is located in Pārogre and covers an area of 5.9ha. Jānis Špakovskis (1935–2014) and his wife Benita had the idea of creating a park in this part of Ogre in 1975 when they settled down here. The scenic terrain of the area and the old manor pond on the hill seemed as if made for the idea to come true. Parallel to cleaning up and restoring the area, Špakovskis also started planting trees, mainly opting for more valuable tree varieties – oaks, northern red oaks, European hornbeams, walnut trees, Murray pines, and others. Dendrologist Aija Kaškure and Dr. biol. Raimonds Cinovskis advised the park’s designers. The Ogre City Council decided to grant the park the status of place of public importance in 1993.

Špakovskis Park boasts more than 7,000 plants. This includes 412 varieties of trees, ornamental shrubs and other plants from Western Europe, Siberia and even further East as well as the Pacific coast. Rare varieties such as, amongst others, the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba L.), the common medlar (Mespilus germanica), the Oriental hornbeam (Carpinus orientalis), the Manchurian walnut (Juglans mandshurica), the Manchurian thorn tree (Aralia mandshurica) and the Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) can also be found here.

Špakovskis Park is best enjoyed by walking along its 1.8km-long trails. A statue of a mermaid by sculptor Kārlis Zemdegs greets visitors at the entrance of the park. In the park is a pond surrounded by hills that is full of multi-coloured water lilies and has a picturesque little Love Island in the middle of it covered in rhododendrons. 100 steps lead to the park’s highest point. From the observation tower here, a magnificent view of the River Daugava opens up across the treetops. At the foot of the hill is a fireplace made from millstones. In 2002, 2.2ha of marshland were added to the park’s territory and a 70m-long marsh trail was created. Walking along the trail you can see a 2m-deep natural quagmire.

Entrance to the park is free. Excursions, weddings and campfire sites can be booked prior to your visit and paid for by donation.

Additional info

Audio-guide available.