Summary

The Valmiera municipality in north-western Latvia created a coordinated tourist offer in the Zilaiskalns (Blue Mountain) village based on the area’s natural and industrial heritage. The municipality recently established the Local History and Culture Centre which presents the life and history of this small community. 

To complement the cultural centre, the municipality developed an innovative service, consisting of a railbike that allows visitors to enjoy a four km long journey along an old narrow-gauge railway which is part of the village’s industrial heritage.

 

Results

The railbike complements the existing tourist offer in the Zilaiskalns village and attracts new people who are interested in learning about the history of the place in an active way. In the season, from May till October 2021, a total of 2 136 tourists visited Zilaiskalns and more than 1 500 of them used the railbikes.