Former estate land and park
Buildings that shape the centre of former Dole manor complex (dwelling house established in 1898 and an older steward’s house apart from the Museum today) are culture heritage objects protected by state.
The park situated on the river bank having some 3-4m dolomite rocks along it was laid around 1776 by a famous patron of fine arts Otto Hermann von Vietinghoff-Scheel (1722-1792) also being owner of the Dole manor then who decided to create an open-air theatre stage here following example of the famous Hofgarten in Weimar. During the 19th century, however, the Dole manor park was reshaped into a landscape garden typical for the age of historicism in arts and architecture.
In 2005 landscape architect Ilze Māra Janelis designed a reconstruction project for the park including both the preservation cultural heritage features and the present-day functional use of the territory.
The park is a peculiar open-air exposition with various sight worthy objects:
• Open-air farm “Mellupi”;
• Reconstruction of salmon and lamprey weirs ;
• Stone obelisk devoted to Löwis of Menar family;
• Stone vase of sculptor J. G. Shadov;
• Cannons of 17th and 19th centuries;
• The fallen Doles Grand Oak;
• Lime-tree planted by the president Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga in 2004;
• Lime-tree planted by the president of Ireland Mary McAleese in 2007;
• Oak trees planted by Salaspils County Council;
• Pine tree planted by poet Knuts Skujenieks in 2006;
• Flood stone;
• Architectural elements from flooded territories;
• Cult and border stones from archaeological excavations.
The Dole Island
Before the construction of Riga hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in 1975 the Dole Island was the largest island of the River Daugava estuary part counting 9.2 km in length and an overage width 3 km. The power station was built across the island cutting it in two parts. Along the Dole Island several smaller islands were situated being inhabited since the Bronze Age a nowadays covered by the reservoir of Riga HPP. Today the Dole Island belongs to the county of Salaspils.
Approximately half of the island is covered by a nice pine wood while there are also residential buildings, a hatchery and some cultural heritage objects like the ruins of an early-13th century castle of Vecdole/Alt-Dahlen and the archaeological site Jāņkalns, probably used for sacral rituals before the Christianization of the local inhabitants in the 13th century, and the relicts of fortification system built in the early 19th century near farmstead Solāži.