OGRE CITY HILLS
Although at first glance, upon a traveler’s arrival in Ogre, the terrain might seem quite flat, a closer look reveals larger and smaller hills. In the press 20th century 30. in earlier years, Ogre was even compared to Davos in Switzerland. The picturesque hills were one of the reasons why in the 19th century century, […]
Although at first glance, upon a traveler’s arrival in Ogre, the terrain might seem quite flat, a closer look reveals larger and smaller hills. In the press 20th century 30. in earlier years, Ogre was even compared to Davos in Switzerland. The picturesque hills were one of the reasons why in the 19th century century, Ogre became a popular resort. The hills protected from the wind, and their sandy soil easily absorbed moisture, drying the air. Favorable climatic conditions, the scent of conifers, and the silence of the forest attracted residents of Riga, tired of the city bustle. Since the city’s inception, the hills were used as walking areas offering beautiful views, and in ancient times, they served as fortifications.
The Ogre hills, or Kangari, formed approximately 12 thousand years ago when a 1-2 km thick glacier was located here. As it melted, water currents created pebble and sand deposits, which geologists call eskers. In Swedish, this word is written “ås” and pronounced [o:s]. In Latvian, it means “ridge”. The word “kangari” comes from the Livonian (Līvu) word “kāngar”, pronounced [ka:ngar], which also means “ridge” or “rampart” in Latvian. In legend, the glacier transformed into a giant who carried bags of sand to Riga, and sand spilled out through a hole in the bag, thus forming the mountain ranges.
The Ogre Kangari in the city of Ogre comprise several mountain ranges — in Pārogre, there are Ķentes Hill, Lazdu Hills, and Grantskalni; in the central part of Ogre city, there are Vilku Hills and Sērķīšu Hills; and in Jaunogre, there are Zilie Hills, which extend all the way to Ikšķile and Tīnūži, where they transform into Liepu Hills. Each of these mountain ranges also has individual peaks with names and historical stories.
PĀROGRE
ĶENTE HILL
In the eastern part of Ogre city, near the current Ķentes Street, until the 1950s, there was a mountain range known as Ķentes Hill. Once, the highest point of this hill reached 69 meters above sea level, and it was said that even the towers of Riga could be seen from it. Various literary sources mention several names for the peak: Ķenckalns, Ķences kalns, Ķenču kalns, Kanča kalns, Ķēniņu kalns. In legend, it was also ancient Riga. The first Ogre summer residents called it the Peak of Three Emperors (in German — “Drei Kaiser Spitzen”) or Camel’s Back (in German — “Kameelsrucken”), because once there were three conical, artificially formed peaks next to each other.
In the second half of the 19th century, Ķentes Hill attracted the interest of historians. Initially small (first time in the 1880s), but later extensive archaeological excavations and topographical measurements were carried out on the hill between 1954 and 1958. These works took place before the hill was excavated for gravel. Archaeological excavations were conducted in the hillfort area discovered on Ķentes Hill and at its foot, where a settlement once existed. The oldest artifacts found during the excavations — flint tools — are dated to 9500–8300 BC and indicate that reindeer hunters temporarily resided on the hill long before the castle was built. A fortified dwelling was established here in the 1st millennium BC. The hillfort’s period of prosperity is associated with the 5th–9th centuries, when it became an important center in the lower Daugava region. During this time, the castle was destroyed three times. 9. century, the hillfort was abandoned.
During World War I, the Russian army built a concrete blindage (bunker) on one of the hillfort’s ramparts, and trenches were dug on the hill. As Ogre city developed, Ķentes Hill became a popular walking area. Many images from that period have been preserved. During the Soviet occupation, the city’s development priorities significantly changed. 1953. In [year], a gravel quarry was established near the hillfort, and it was excavated in the following decade. In place of the hill, a silicate brick block factory was built, and later — the Ogre building plastics factory. 1970. In January of [year], in the factory area, on the southeastern slope of Ķentes Hill, which had survived the excavation of Ķentes Hill itself, the Ogre luge track was opened. It was 275 meters long, and a water pipeline was laid along its entire length, allowing for the creation of a high-quality ice surface. When the artificial ice track in Sigulda was opened in 1986, the Ogre luge track was no longer used. 20. century 80. a slalom track was established on the southern edge of the former Ķente Hill, and a starting point was built up to a height of 63 meters.
LAZDU HILLS AND GRANTSKALNI
Between Ķentes Hill and the Ogre River are Lazdu Hills and Grantskalni. In Lazdu Hills is Špakovskis Dendrological Park “Lazdukalni”, created by Jānis and Benita Špakovskis. 20. At the beginning of the 20th century, the “Mariņmuiža” (in German — “Marinhaus”) was located in this area, where the Mīlbergs family lived. The small manor was destroyed during World War I, and its owners left for Germany. After that, the property became overgrown with bushes and trees. The idea for a park arose for the Špakovskis family in 1975. The wooded area had to be cleared, and gradually various valuable tree species were planted: red oaks, hornbeams, walnuts, Murray pines, ginkgo. 1993. by a decision of the Ogre City Council, the dendrological park was granted the status of an object of public importance. Currently, the park boasts over 400 species of shrubs and trees from Western Europe, Siberia, the Far East, and the Pacific coast. A viewing tower is located at the highest point of the park.
Near Pārogre station, next to the Urga stream, is Urgas Hill. During the Soviet era, a pioneer camp site was established at the top of the hill. A little lower, at the intersection of Andreja and Indrānu streets, is Rotskalniņš, where a memorial plaque was unveiled in 1978 in connection with the Ikšķile parish people’s assembly held on October 31, 1905. During the Soviet occupation, a bomb shelter for the Baltic Railway command post was also located near this place.
The former sanatorium “Saulstari” was built on Kazaku Hill. It began operating in 1931, and once it was surrounded by a well-maintained terraced walking garden (a separate article about sanatoriums is available on the museum’s website). Meanwhile, the hill on whose slope the current Ogre open-air stage was built in 1967 is Bākas Hill. In ancient times — Kazaku Hill. 1898. In [year], the Ikšķile forestry established a fire observation tower at the top of the hill, which resembled a lighthouse. From the tower, the entire Ogre surroundings were clearly visible, and there was also a forestry summer house with a croquet court. 1911. In [year], the tower was demolished. The new fire observation tower was built on the Jaunogre side — in the Zilie Hills.
CENTRAL PART OF OGRE CITY
The Kangari hill ranges located in the very center of the city are the Vilku Hills, while outside the city limits, in the forest along Turkalnes Street towards Ogre cemetery, lie the Sērķīši Hills. According to eyewitness accounts from that time, before the Ogre resort was established, it was a rather wild place where wolves howled. The Sērķīši Hills got their name from the animals that lived there. Perhaps they were hares, as another name for this hill range is Zaķu Hills (Hare Hills).
Between Ogre’s St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and Ogre’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, on the bank of the Ogre River, is Love Hill (Mīlas Hill). At the foot of this hill, in the current Krasta Square, at the end of the 19th century, one of the first social event venues, known as the Playground, was located. Concerts, open-air dances, and other cultural events took place there. The hill was named Love Hill, possibly because it allowed couples to escape the everyday hustle and bustle for a romantic walk. In the 1920s–30s, Love Hill offered a wide view of the Ogre River’s footbridges and swimming area, and it was also a popular spot for photography.
School Hill, where Ogre 1st Secondary School has been located since 1960, forms one of the largest elevations in the city center. It was once called Krēģeris Hill, because in the 19th century century, H. Krēģeris, the guard of the Ogresparks villa colony, lived there. As many initially stayed in Ogre only during the warmer season, someone was needed to look after the summer houses in winter.
Near St. Meinard’s Roman Catholic Church on Upes Prospekts is Slotiņkalns. It is gentle and wide, partially excavated and leveled over time. From 1861, a forestry was located there, and in the 20th century 40. century, a forestry school was established, and later — a vocational technical school.
From Vilku Hills to Sērķīši Hills, one could reach by crossing Zvaigžņu Hill, walking along the current Zvaigžņu Street, which connects Ogre Music and Art School and Ogre State Gymnasium. Sērķīši Hills were once one of the most popular places for skiers, and there was a luge track there. Now, a sports complex and a ski jumping hill are gradually being developed in Sērķīši Hills.
JAUNOGRE HILLS
The origin of the name Zilie Hills (Blue Hills) can be found both in the legend of a giant who smoked blue smoke and in more mundane observations — the heather cover in the Zilie Hills was once richer than it is now, and the hills appeared bluer. Now, the Zilie Hills are part of the nature park “Ogres Zilie kalni”.
In Ernests Brastiņš’s 1930 publication “Latvian Hillforts in Vidzeme”, alongside Ķentes Hillfort, Zilais Hill (Blue Hill) is also described, now marked on maps as Skatu Hill (View Hill). It was located opposite the current Zilokalnu Prospekts. The nature of this hillfort’s fortifications and its thin cultural layer suggest that the hillfort was used for a relatively short period. The hill’s plateau once served as a highway to Tīnūži. During World War II, trenches were dug there, and in 1960, a motocross track was located in this area. All of this significantly damaged the ancient site, but small artificial elevations have survived to this day. Shortly before World War I, a fire observation tower relocated from Pārogre was situated on the hillfort site, which is why this hill was for a time called Bākas Hill (Lighthouse Hill). Currently, the “traveling” Bākas Hill (and simultaneously, the firefighters’ observation tower) is located between Tīnūži and Ogre, near the highway. On the southeastern slope of the former hillfort, a modern ski jump was located from 1934, which was later demolished at the request of monument protection authorities.
The foothills of Zilie Hills on the Jaunogre side were once called Mālukalns. 1927. In [year], a sanatorium for children was built there, whose original name “Mālkalne” is preserved in the name of Jaunogre’s central street — Mālkalnes Prospekts. The clay has now been excavated for economic needs, and in place of the former marshy meadows and clayey hills, there is now a residential area created by the “Ogre” knitwear factory.
A little further from the Zilie Hills, near Jaunogre railway station, is a large mound called Saules Hill (Sun Hill). It was cut in half for the railway tracks. Once, when development was not yet so dense, this hill offered a wide view of the Ogre River’s confluence with the Daugava. This hill is also part of the Ogre Kangari range, a testament to the former glacier.
“OGRE KANGARI” HIKING TRAIL
We invite you to explore the hiking trail to better discover the hills of Ogre. View the photo gallery and read the story on the museum's website or Facebook page. By looking at historical images, you can compare how the city has changed over time. We have marked the route in the "BalticMaps" map browser. The “GPX” file is convenient to use with the LVM GEO mobile app. The total length of the hiking trail marked on the map is 14 kilometers (7 kilometers in Pārogre and 7 kilometers in Ogre center and Jaunogre). The hiking trail winds through both the urban part of the city (with asphalt, cobblestone, and gravel surfaces) and green areas (park paths and pedestrian-trodden forest trails without special amenities).
