Amatciems founder Čiris on his dream of a park where people live
The idea behind Amatciems began as a vision of a park combined with a place for people to live, though building it proved far more complex than first imagined. The concept was born while its creator worked at the Cēsis Museum.
Čiris (Zvirbulis), the founder of Amatciems, says his idea for a distinctive village in nature took shape while he was working at the Cēsis Museum. He was captivated by a different notion of a park — not untouched forest, but a deliberately designed landscape where people could also live.
The land that later became Amatciems was once an unremarkable, swampy forest with wetlands. The terrain's varied relief made it appealing to orienteering enthusiasts. Čiris eventually bought around 300 hectares there and gradually began investing in the site.
A dream as a pilot project for Latvia
He describes his vision as creating a place that functions like a park while also being inhabited — something that could serve as a kind of pilot project showing how Latvia might present itself to the world. Čiris believes Latvia has natural advantages for such a lifestyle, being sparsely populated, largely forested, and a country where people generally love nature. Landscape played a central role in his plan, with houses designed so residents would enjoy a beautiful view from their windows, even without nearby water.
Harder to build than expected
Turning the idea into reality proved far more demanding than anticipated. Developing the land required various technical steps and land-use transformation, along with building out utility infrastructure. Water, electricity, and fiber-optic internet had to be brought to residents' properties using private funds, since no co-financing was available for this work. Looking back, Čiris admits with self-irony that he hadn't fully grasped how complex the project would be. Still, the land he once purchased has become what he calls a "golden egg."
