Mercendarbe Manor Muziejus

Located in Baldones county, 4 km from Baldones, near the highway Iecava – Baldone – Daugmale.

Mercendarbe is one of the manors, not far from which was the Baldones resort, which was the oldest in the territory of Latvia. The history of the manor is complemented by the events of the 1st World War. It was located 7 km away from the active battlefield - Death Island. Mercendarbe manor served the purposes of the German army, and its surroundings became a direct witness to the war.

During the war, railway infrastructure was one of the most important issues in the plans of every army. In 1915, Germany had occupied the territory of Latvia (then part of Russia) and started building new railway lines to quickly transport soldiers, organize supplies and export resources to Germany, such as timber loads. One of the new railway lines connected Mercendarbi with Vecumnieki and further with Jelgava, which was an important place of support for the German army. The mercenary line was used to supply soldiers on Death Island, and it also provided German army units when they attacked Riga, forcing the Daugava.

Today, the manor houses the Baldones Museum and the Tourist Information Point. A Mercendarbe walking trail has been created, which is part of the "Baldone Story Trail". The German army railway embankment can still be seen.