The view over Lativa - Jurmala Observation Tower

After a day of strolling around in the beautiful traditional Jurmala, a coast town in Latvia just half an hour from Riga, we finally reached Dzintaru Mezapark with its oberservation tower.

Surrounded by traditional wooden architecture, abandoned houses, orthodox churches and lots and lots of trees, there was a park with Grcic-park-benches, with mirrored containers used as cafés and where a very modern observation tower had been built in 2010.

Originally Arhis Architects developed the design for Ragakapa Park (another park half an hour away) and then adjusted it in colour and dimension when the location was changed. Instead of on a hill, the tower was now being planned onto a forested flat, requiring the new height of 38m to still overlook the trees.

The rest of the design stayed as planned: A tower, that appears light due to the use of a metallic structure and was covered with parallel wooden elements.

Along the facade, there are 12 small balconies, which appear to be randomly spread, for a little break while climbing up.

At the top, you will reach a small observation “cage”, from where you can overlook the trees and even see the ocean.

Due to the use of metal and wood, the tower blends in with it's surrounding completely, almost not being visible through the trees around it.

The floors on all levels are built from a metal grid, letting you look down on the trees while walking up the stairs (hello vertigo!)

Standing on top of the tower, I realized how much of Latvia is covered in trees, a fact that is much less apparent from a ground perspective.

This little park is definitely worth a trip since it is so different from it's surroundings and still fits in perfectly.

Where:

Dzintaru Mezapark Observation Tower

Jurmala, Latvia

How to get there:

take a train to Majori and walk for about 20min from there (or take a taxi)

How much:

free!