St Meinard Island in Ikskile, Latvia

St Meinard Island is located in the center of the Daugava River, in the town of Ikskile, within a 30-minute drive from Riga.

In 1150, the famous Catholic missionary Meinard built a church on the island with the assistance of craftsmen from the island of Gotland as at that time there was no brickwork in the Baltic countries. So, the fortified church became the first stone building of its kind in the region.

It was destroyed during the wars of the 17th-20th centuries and used to be repeatedly restored. Only ruins have survived from the oldest church in Latvia to this day.

In summer, when the water level in the reservoir of the hydroelectric power station drops, you can walk to the island on foot along the former alley, where even tree stumps have remained.

This year is the very rare case when due to repair work at the hydroelectric power station you can walk to the island from August to the end of September (30.09).

The rest of the time the island can only be reached by boat.