Kuldīga is the pearl of Kurzeme, Latvia’s western region. It is an ancient town with unique, distinctive architecture. Kuldīga was first mentioned in 1242. In the 17th century, Kuldīga (along with Jelgava (Mitau)) was one of the capitals of the Duchy of Courland.
The Old Town around the small river itself is unique: it is the only remaining 17th–18th-century ensemble of this kind in the Baltic states. One of most famous places in Kuldīga is the Venta Rapid, a 240-meter wide natural rapid which is the widest in Europe. Not far from the rapid there is the Kuldīga Old Brick bridge built in 1874, one of the longest bridges of this type in Europe.
