Ranka Manor Park

The pride of the restored Ranka Manor Park is its magnificent stately trees, picturesque ponds with water lilies and its trails and recreational facilities. Built in the mid-18th century, Ranka Manor had already almost completely collapsed by the end of the 20th century, but in 2003 it came into the private ownership of entrepreneur Andis Ābols’ family. The manor has since been restored and has gained new life together with the beautiful, old manor park.

Ranka Manor Park was cultivated in the 19th century as an open-plan park where large areas of woody plants alternate with scenic glades. The plants are complemented by picturesque ponds. The 8.4ha park is home to a wide variety of trees: indigenous varieties of woody plants include maples, oaks, linden trees, elms, hazel trees, rowan trees, etc. You can find several stately trees among them: an elm (3.1m circumference), a thuja (1.3m), an oak (4.8m), an ash tree (3.5m) and two larch trees (2.7m and 2.2m). The park’s oldest oak is estimated to be about 180 years old. There are also many exotic plants in Ranka Manor Park, including the Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana), the European yew (Taxus baccata), and the cork oak (Quercus suber), also sometimes called “the velvet tree”, because its bark feels as soft as a wine cork.

There are three ponds in the park – the Romantic Pond, the Landscape Pond and the Panoramic Pond – that are covered with water lilies all summer long. The old Love Island in the Romantic Pond, which can be reached by a wooden footbridge with white railings, has been renewed. It is the best way in which to enjoy the water lilies.

The restored manor park is equipped with an accessible system of paths and trails, including the 1km-long Health Trail, as well as several recreation areas with benches and tables.

Additional info

Guided tours of the manor estate.