Ilze and Kristaps' Bumbiermuiža: A Log Cabin Rescued from the Brush, Transformed into a Storybook Manor Without Electricity
In Ērgļi countryside, a couple turned an abandoned log house into a unique manor with no electricity, where every object has a tale and a fictional baron resides.
Years ago, Ilze and Kristaps Čabļi cleared an abandoned log house from overgrowth in the Ērgļi region and created a place now known as Bumbiermuiža. It is not a real manor, but the owners invented Baron Bumbieris – a nobleman born in 1773, said to be robust, healthy, and a world traveler who visits the estate only once every 30 years.
Bumbiermuiža has no electricity: hundreds of candles provide light, and a wood stove provides warmth. Every object here has its story. For instance, a rat gnawed a large hole in an old kitchen table, likely because bread was once stored in the drawer. A tsarist-era pan lost its handle after romantic visitors placed it on the large fireplace. Meanwhile, a harmonium with a worn brass pedal now serves as a bed. This place was created for a temporary escape from everyday life.
