Terneja Park

Terneja Park in the centre of Rūjiena is proud of its arboreal diversity and its exotic jewel – a sakura garden.

The park was historically developed as a cemetery and only a relatively small proportion of it is taken up by new plants from the 20th century. Several varieties of both native and non-native woody plants have been planted in the newest part of the park – Amur cork trees, Siberian pines, English elms, English oaks and Siberian firs. Native and non-native varieties of woody plants also grow in the oldest part of the park including larches, European spruces and English oaks, which have reached considerable heights.

In the spring of 2009, about 50 sakuras, or Japanese cherry trees, were planted in Terneja Park. They were a gift from Higashikawa, Rūjiena’s sister city. Thanks to the gardeners’ care in covering the tender sakura seedlings they have survived the harsh winters of northern Latvia and blossom with pale pink flowers in the spring. Every year, the Rūjiena Tourism Information Centre hosts events in Terneja Park at the time the sakuras blossom in the first days of May.

The park is great for walking and ideal for hosting different activities and events. Annual Easter events take place here for the local residents, as well as artists’ workshops in cooperation with students from the Art Academy of Latvia.