LATVIA – Seda
Seda is a town in the historical region of Vidzeme, administratively part of the Valmiera Region. One of the most unusual cities in Latvia, which as a peat factory town was formed in 50-60 years of the 20th century.
It was planned according to the «bright» model of Soviet architecture, with a central square (with a monument to the leader) and radial-looking streets. The House of Culture (at the end of Uzvaras Street), an example of Stalinist classicist architecture, is worth seeing.
Almost 70 years ago, the area of Seda was covered by dense forest, with only ‘Salaan’ houses standing in the middle of the forest. The area was quickly developed due to the nearby bog and the construction of the Seda peat factory.
Seda became a kind of paradise on earth, with about 4000 inhabitants, and everything necessary for life from a hospital to a specially adapted ski track was available there. Nowaday Seda is a compact star-shaped town with 1200 inhabitants and a rich historical heritage.
As peatland development diminished and the existing state authority changed, Seda’s population shrank significantly. Fewer and fewer inhabitants populated a smaller and smaller part of the urban area, and over time, uninhabited, unmanaged and/or seriously deteriorated buildings or areas characterised by a disorderly and/or environmentally degraded appearance appeared in derelict buildings. in the territory of Seda.
Often such abandoned structures provoke people’s interest in exploring and documenting them, a phenomenon called derelict tourism.
11 out of 28 city-owned houses,
100 empty flats, have been turned off,
about 200 euros for heating in winter for a 60-metre flat,
about 4 cents per square metre rent in houses disconnected from heating,
3,500 euros for a 3-bedroom flat of 75 square metres in a Stalinist building.
For excursions, please contact the Valmiera Tourist Information Centre.
CONTACTS:
Valmiera,
Rīgas iela 10
Tel.: +371 26332213
info@entergauja.com; tic@valmierasnovads.lv
