Gaiziņkalns

Where is Gaiziņkalns?

Gaiziņkalns is part of the Vidzeme Upland.

You will find it in: Latvia.

Summit: 56.870° N, 25.959° E

The story behind it

The Gaiziņkalns is not a rocky summit but a mound of sand, gravel and boulders that glaciers pushed together when the great ice sheet melted away. Pines, spruces and birches grow on its slopes, blueberry bushes fill the gaps between them, and from the top the land spreads out as a patchwork of woods, fields and small lakes. In winter the hill turns into the busiest place for snow sports in Latvia, because the runs, although short, are wide enough for sledges, skis and snowboards. Paths lead up all year round, and the walk from the car park to the top takes only a few minutes, so families often stop on the way to pick berries or listen to woodpeckers. The highest spot itself is marked simply, in the middle of the trees.

Find it on the globe

Gaiziņkalns is there as a small peak with its own shape — a horn, a ridge, a volcano — standing on the surface. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.

It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.