Saulgriežu nakts Stirnu buks

During the Summer Solstice, on June 21st, Stirnu buki will visit the Abava Ancient Valley Nature Park to joyfully and energetically celebrate this year’s longest day and jointly perform the Fire Ignition Ritual in the evening.

Glacial meltwaters formed the Abava Valley, its width reaching 2–2.5 km, with depths exceeding 30 meters in some places. Since ancient times, a trade and military route passed through the Abava Valley from the Livonians to the Prussians, along which towns developed, castles, churches, and taverns were built. In some areas, the slopes have been cultivated for agricultural purposes. Over the last ten thousand years, nature and people have created a magnificent landscape that travelers already admired in the 19th century.

The race center and the fire ritual will be located at one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the Abava Ancient Valley Nature Park—a specially developed tourist area near the Buses (Matkule) Curonian hillfort. The hillfort is gracefully surrounded by one of the most picturesque left-bank tributaries of the Abava River, the small but swift Imula River.

The hillfort is believed to have been a significant political and economic center of the ancient Vanema land. Its habitation began as early as the Bronze Age and continued until the 14th century. The hillfort is exceptionally scenic, with a total length of about 200 meters and a height of 27 meters. The surrounding area is well-maintained, and from the hillfort, there is a breathtaking view of the Imula Valley. It is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the Abava Ancient Valley Nature Park. For its natural beauty, it has been awarded two European Cultural Heritage Flags, seen at the house "Buses," long managed by Kārlis Busenbergs (1928–2010). Today, the family estate is continued by his sons, Ivars and Jānis Busenbergs.

The Matkule (Busu) hillfort has been mentioned in almost all guidebooks dedicated to Kurzeme, especially the Abava Valley, since the 1920s. However, the place has been known in the context of tourism even earlier. It is believed that the Buses house hosted the oldest tourist accommodation in Latvia, owned by Jānis Busenbergs. The Busenbergs family, who have lived there since at least the second half of the 18th century, began a guestbook for the house and hillfort visitors on July 16, 1911.

Let’s meet in the Midsummer mystery, where the earth dances with the water!

Buses Hillfort: Home page