NGO Coordination Center of Cultural Projects transforms a degraded area into a traditional Kuldīga garden; living classroom for sustainability

Kuldīga Goes Green – Traditional Skills for a Sustainable Heritage Future

In Kuldīga, a historic garden is much more than a beautiful green space. It can become a classroom, a meeting place, a source of local knowledge and a starting point for changing the way people think about sustainability.

Kuldīga’s Old Town, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, has preserved much of its historical character. Yet some less visible elements of its cultural landscape have gradually disappeared. Traditional front and courtyard gardens, once an integral part of everyday life, have become increasingly rare. With them, knowledge about traditional plants, composting, garden care and the relationship between houses, courtyards and nature has also begun to disappear.

We decided to ask a simple question: could reviving this forgotten tradition help us create a greener future?

From forgotten courtyards to living classrooms

Our work began by looking at Kuldīga’s historical gardens and the knowledge that surrounded them. Research by landscape specialists and the memories of local residents showed that gardens had always been an important part of the town’s character.

In 2023, together with local residents, the municipality and other partners, NGO Coordination Center of Cultural Projects has transformed a previously degraded area into an example of a traditional Kuldīga garden. The garden reflects the informal character of historical small-town gardens, combining a kitchen and herb garden, a flower and tea garden and a simple front garden.

But the real value of the garden is not only what it looks like.

It is a place where knowledge can be shared and tested in practice.

Residents helped to create the garden, plant it and build its landscape elements. Older residents brought their knowledge of plants, seeds and gardening, while younger generations had an opportunity to learn from them. The garden became a space for learning across generations – and a practical demonstration that sustainability can begin very close to home.

What if climate education started with a garden?

We often talk about climate change through large global challenges. But people also need opportunities to understand what sustainability means in their everyday lives.

That is why our educational activities focus on things people can actually do: preparing soil, making and maintaining compost, propagating plants, choosing appropriate species, supporting biodiversity, reducing waste, reusing materials and caring for green spaces without unnecessary chemicals.

Between 2024 and 2025, we developed a programme of ten lectures and practical demonstrations with Latvian and international experts. Participants explored both the cultural history of gardens and contemporary approaches such as permaculture, community gardens and sensory gardens.

The programme connected Kuldīga with experiences from Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and France, allowing local residents to see that many European communities are asking similar questions: How can historic places adapt to environmental challenges without losing their identity?

Learning happens when people do things together

One of our most successful approaches has been to take education outside the traditional classroom.

During the family event The Garden Speaks , participants could explore plants, insects and biodiversity, learn about waste sorting and environmentally friendly materials, taste garden products, exchange recipes and take part in practical gardening demonstrations. A seedling exchange point, coordinated by Kuldīga Senior School, created another simple way for people to share both plants and knowledge.

The event brought together children, families, seniors, gardeners, heritage professionals, artists and local residents.

This kind of learning is deliberately informal. You can arrive because you are interested in gardening, history, food, crafts or simply spending time with your family – and leave with a new understanding of biodiversity, resource use or climate-conscious living.People do not have to come to us as “environmentalists”. Sustainability meets them where they already are.

Heritage can be a resource for the green transition

Our experience has also changed the way we look at cultural heritage.

The Restoration Centre of Kuldīga works primarily with historic buildings and traditional crafts. This has shown us that sustainability is not a completely new idea. Traditional buildings, materials, tools and practices often embody principles that are highly relevant today: durability, repair rather than replacement, responsible use of natural materials, local knowledge and long-term care.

The same applies to gardens.

A traditional garden can support biodiversity, bring nature into the historic town, create a more pleasant microenvironment and reconnect people with seasonal rhythms. At the same time, it strengthens the cultural identity of the place.

This creates an important connection between cultural heritage and climate education: protecting the past can help communities develop practical responses for the future.

From individual gardens to community responsibility

The next step is to connect individual actions.

By 2027, we aim to develop a Traditional Garden Route through Kuldīga’s Old Town, adding new garden examples in previously degraded areas. Local residents, gardening specialists and artists will work together to create the gardens, while residents will take responsibility for their continued maintenance.

The gardens will then become publicly accessible through guided tours, cultural events and other activities.

The idea is simple: one garden can inspire a neighbour; several gardens can change a street; a network of gardens can change the way a community sees its town.

This is also why community ownership is so important. Sustainability cannot be created only through institutional decisions. It grows when people feel that they have a role, knowledge and responsibility.

Everyone has something to contribute

An important lesson from this work is that inclusive sustainability education does not mean creating one programme that is suitable for everyone.

Instead, we create different ways to participate.

A senior can share knowledge about plants and traditional gardening. A child can discover insects and biodiversity. A family can learn how to grow food. An artist can reinterpret a historical garden tradition. A heritage specialist can explain why old materials and buildings matter. A gardener can demonstrate how to propagate plants and save resources.

Everyone can be both a learner and a contributor.

This is particularly important in Kuldīga’s Old Town, where some residents have limited financial resources and face the pressures associated with the growing attractiveness of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sustainable gardening offers a relatively accessible way to improve the living environment, learn new skills and strengthen connections between neighbours.

A garden is never just a garden

What started as an attempt to revive a disappearing element of Kuldīga’s cultural heritage has developed into something broader.

The garden has become a platform for lifelong learning, intergenerational knowledge exchange, biodiversity, community participation and climate-conscious behaviour.

It reminds us that the green transition does not always have to begin with something new.

Sometimes, the knowledge we need for the future is already rooted in the places and traditions we have almost forgotten.

Our experience in Kuldīga shows that cultural heritage can be more than something we preserve. It can be something we learn from – and something that helps communities imagine and create a more sustainable future.

Videos from the events are available:

watch?v=0Kmz_-coQmI&t=21s (with subtitles in English)

Kuldīga Goes Green – Traditional Skills for a Sustainable Heritage Future

2.1 | Education for Climate priority

develop green skills and competences

SDG (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities

2.4 | GreenComp: sustainability competence focus

1.1 Valuing sustainability (Embodying Sustainability Values)

4.2 | community peer review

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