Kemeri is a district of the seaside city of Jurmala, where a resort was founded already in the 18th century thanks to the healing properties of sulfur water from numerous springs in the surrounding area. Now only architectural monuments remind of the former glory of the Kemeri resort, although sulfur water and mud are still available.

Kemeri is located half an hour from Riga. The area is quiet and calm, ideal for a family holiday.

Attractions in Kemeri

Kemeri Landscape Park. The park was created in the mid-19th century and is a network of winding paths interspersed with architectural objects - pavilions, rotundas, bridges over artificial canals fed by the Versupite River flowing through the park. The Sulfur Water Pavilion, built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, is located in the southeastern part of the park. Next to it is the sulfur spring Kirzatsina (Lizard), one of the most popular in Latvia. Its water can be used both inside and outside. Other interesting objects in the park include the Love Island Pavilion, a rotunda built in 1928 in the classicist style; Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the oldest of the churches in Kemeri, built in 1893 in the wooden church style typical of Northern Russia; monuments to the founders of the Kemeri resort, the first doctors who worked there, and the soldiers who died in the First and Second World Wars.

Former hotel “Kemeri”. The hotel was designed by the outstanding Latvian architect of Baltic German origin Eisens Laube (1880–1967). The white building is a striking example of neoclassicism in Latvian architecture. The majestic silhouette of the building earned the nickname “White Liner”, rich in elements of classicism - columns, balustrades, pilasters and cornices. Effectively located in a landscaped park, the massive building takes on the appearance of a palace. At the end of the 1930s, Kemeri was one of the most modern hotels in Europe and could accommodate more than 100 guests, offering therapeutic services not only in the summer season, but all year round. During Soviet times, the hotel was converted into the Ķemeri sanatorium with rooms for 300 patients. It was the main medical institution in the area, using advanced medical equipment and the latest treatment methods. Currently, visitors can admire the “White Liner” only from the outside.

History of the Kemeri resort

Kemeri sulfur springs were used in folk medicine already in the second half of the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th century, when sick nobles of Kurzeme came here for treatment and stayed with local foresters. Chemical analysis of the waters of the Kemeri spring was first carried out in St. Petersburg in 1801.

The first public bathing establishment in Kemeri was built in 1838 on a state plot of land allocated for treatment with sulfur water by Emperor Nicholas I This year is considered the year of the founding of the resort, which was very popular in the Russian Empire, and a direct railway line between Moscow and Kemeri was opened in 1921.

During the First World War in the area of ​​Kemeri and Tirelpurvs. There was active fighting and the resort was seriously damaged. But it quickly recovered after the war and received city status in 1928. Like Sigulda, Kemeri was a favorite destination for holidaymakers from Riga.

The electric train line to Kemeri was opened in October 1951. In 1959, Kemeri became part of the city of Jurmala. During Soviet times, the resort was significantly expanded and received the status of a resort of USSR significance. However, the thriving resort fell into disrepair in the 1990s, when the economic situation changed after Latvia regained its independence.