With its population of 2,319,200, Latvia covers a small territory,64,589 km², by the Baltic Sea. Any place where anything of note has taken place we mark with a signpost and, within reason, try to visit it. There are 474 known castle mounds belonging to various eras in Latvia; people have lived there from the 10th through the 13th centuries. A bit of statistics: 1233 ancient burial fields, 76 medieval castle sites or ruins, 215 churches ― these are impressive numbers for such a small country. On each spot worth remembering we place a sign, plant an oak, set up a museum ― or at least mention it in a book.

We suggest you take a walk in Latgale where crossroads are marked by wooden crucifixes. We know and recall the places where the Battle of Saule took place in 1236 ― the places where the Zemgalian tribes joined forces with the Lithuanians to defeat the troops of the Order of the Brothers of the Sword. Nāves Island (Island of Death) and Ložmetējkalns (The Machinegun Hill) are the Latvian Calvaries by the Daugava; during World War I the Latvian riflemen held the front against the German invaders there.