You Can Sleep Under the Stars at These Glass-and-Steel Cabins in Latvia
The Ziedlejas Wellness Resort offers an unforgettable glamping experience—and the ultimate introduction to Latvia’s sauna culture.
The Ziedlejas Wellness Resort offers an unforgettable glamping experience—and the ultimate introduction to Latvia’s sauna culture.
If you’re looking for a relaxing retreat once travel picks up again, you might consider a stay at the Ziedlejas Wellness Resort in Krimulda, Latvia. Here, architect Zane Tetere-Sulce of Open AD has woven three 159-square-foot cabins into the idyllic landscape. "The Ziedlejas territory forms a sort of valley, where three hillside cabins overlook ponds in the center," Tetere-Sulce says.
The cabins and sauna that architect Zane Tetere-Sulce designed for the Ziedlejas Wellness Resort are clad with Cor-Ten steel and glass.
Photo by Alvis Rozenbergs
Nestled into a grassy hillside, the cabins overlook ponds and oak, birch, and linden trees that grow on the property.
Photo by Alvis Rozenbergs
The resort is set in a cinematic landscape near Gauja National Park, where old-growth trees and brilliant green grassland surround clear ponds. During the Soviet era, the site hosted a scientific research station that conducted plant experiments—and there was also a sauna.
"In Latvia, before there was running water, the sauna was the bathroom and every farmstead had one," Tetere-Sulce says. "The sauna tradition was, and still is, a cleansing ritual for the body, mind, and soul. As the cleanest spot in the home, it’s where women gave birth, so it holds a hefty amount of symbolic meaning about the beginning of life. One could also say the sauna was our ancestors’ version of therapy."
The cabins feature foldaway beds and glazed walls that create the impression of sleeping outdoors.
Photo by Alvis Rozenbergs
See the full story on Dwell.com: You Can Sleep Under the Stars at These Glass-and-Steel Cabins in Latvia
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