In the north-eastern corner of the Vidzeme province is the town of Aluksne, nestling on the shore of the Aluksne lake. In the town centre, between the lake and Pils Street, is Aluksne's Lutheran church, built between 1781 and 1788 on a foundation of natural rock. Unusually for a Latvian church, the walls are not plastered but of rubble. As you go towards Pils Street you'll come across the E. Gluck Bible
Museum, named after the man who first translated the Bible into Latvian: until the 19th century spiritual books were the only ones available to Latvians. This museum contains a fascinating collection of sermons, texts and hymnbooks. Only a kilometre out of town, along the lakeshore, is the entrance to the Aluksne park, created at the end of the 18th century. A wooden bridge will take you across o Pilssala ('Castle Island'), with its castle ruins and open-air theatre.
The town got its name from an ancient Baltic word "alūksna"
which means a humid spot with many springs in the forest. On the town's
coat of arms there are two swords crossed on the purple shield with the
picture of the Bible and the date "A.D. 1689" above them. The
coat of arms seems to portray the tragedy of ancient Alūksne, a place
ravaged by medieval wars, but also spiritual light kept alive by a young
German pastor Ernst Glück in Maliena, the remotest part of Vidzeme.
Ernst Glück lived in Alūksne between 1685 and 1702. Ernst Glück
translated the Bible into Latvian. In honor of the hard translation work
he planted two oaks in Alūksne (1685 and 1689) which are grow there
today. In 1683 Ernst Glück founded the first three schools in Alūksne
region - in Alūksne, Apekalns and Zeltiņi. In honor of the memory of
Ernst Glück a Bible Museum was opened in Alūksne where the Bibles,
hymnals, and psalters in different languages and of different times can
be seen. In the end of May annual Glück days take place in Alūksne and
once in every three years days of sacral music are organized here
More info at: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.127384/1217/?s=4336127384
Nearly 33 km long railway span Gulbene - Aluksne is
the last general usage narrow gauge railway in Latvia. This railway's
span is the maintained part of the narrow gauge railway line Stukmani-Valka
built in 1903. Almost hundred years long history has one of the
reasons why Gulbene - Aluksne railway line was recognized as cultural
monument of the state significance in 1998.Four pairs of trains provide
regular passenger traffic between Gulbene and Aluksne accordingly to timetable
every day. Diesel locomotive and carriages produced in
60-ties and 80-ties of the 20th century have use for
passenger transportation on the line.Historical railway has become
popular for tourists due to picturesque landscapes as well as natural
and historical sites around this railway line: http://www.banitis.lv/gulbene-aluksnebanisang.htm
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