Elkšņi brings together a regional coffee specialty and two clearly distinct sections of the Sēļtaka trail: Kafeja Alīda makes chicory and grain coffee using traditional recipes, while the routes run through meadows and forest paths or along gravel roads. The area also has a church that can only be viewed from the outside, a memorial to the deportation of seven families, and scenic spots nearby. This lets you combine a local focus on coffee and trail choices with cultural-historical and landscape themes when planning your visit.

Chicory coffee and a visit by appointment

Kafeja Alīda in Elkšņi makes an old drink from the Sēlija region—chicory and grain coffee—using traditional recipes. A tour of the chicory coffee factory with a coffee break is available by prior arrangement; call 26582074 to book. If you plan a visit, confirm the details before travelling. At Kafeja ALIDA, small groups of up to ten people can also choose their coffee ingredients. Please arrange this in advance as well.

Two sections of the Sēļtaka trail

The Skārdupītes–Elkšņi section is approximately 9 km long and runs through meadows and forest paths. It ends at the “Alīdas kafeja” factory, a tourist attraction. The Elkšņi–Cīruļi section is approximately 6 km long and follows quiet, scenic gravel roads. The comparison therefore takes into account both approximate distance and terrain: meadows and forest paths define one section, while gravel roads define the other. The end of the Skārdupītes–Elkšņi route has a direct connection to local coffee production; a factory tour is a separate visitor option and requires prior booking.

Church, art and remembrance

The present-day brick Evangelical Lutheran church in Elkšņi was built between 1831 and 1833 and consecrated in 1834. It can only be viewed from the outside. The church’s altarpiece, “Christ on the Cross” by Julius Dērings, is a state-designated art monument. Seven linden trees and a thuja near the church commemorate seven families from Elkšņi who were deported to Siberia on 14 June 1941. The church site has several historical associations, including its construction, religious art and the remembrance of the deported families.

Scenery in the surrounding area

Ormaņkalns is in the Elkšņi area, in Elkšņi Parish, not in the village centre. The hill is the highest point of the Sēlija Upland; it is 167 m high, with a relative height of 86.5 m. Near Ormaņkalns, on Borīši Hill close to Elkšņi in the parish, stands a 20 m-high observation tower. From there, you can see a panorama of Lake Sauka and the extensive forests of Sēlija. Ormaņkalns and the tower are scenic destinations in the surrounding area, not features of the village centre.

The bunker in Elkšņi Forest

The bunker of the Indāna-Grāvelsona group in Elkšņi Forest formed a defensive stronghold that was unique for its time in the winter of 1949–1950. Its construction included surrounding defensive trenches and firing slits. The bunker adds another distinct historical association to the area’s history, separate from the church’s architectural and commemorative history.

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