On May 30, 2014, the technical diver of the underwater portal Daivings.lv Valters P. in cooperation with the Alūksne Museum and underwater archaeologist Voldemārs R. performed underwater survey and research works in Alūksne Lake. (Scuba diving works were planned to preserve the history of Alūksne region). The underwater archeology project was developed within the framework of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument of the Estonia-Latvia-Russia Cross-Border Cooperation Program.
For Aluksne residents, however, the news that the lake has an old bridge is not new, because ten years ago some piles could be seen above the water, but there was no confirmation that the bridge is still under water. And for this purpose, the Aluksne Museum invited divers to help.
Divers go to the lake, where in the 14th century there was a 120-meter-long wooden bridge that connected the medieval castle and shore on the island.
The Alūksne Museum was encouraged to carry out research work by what diving enthusiasts told and also by the objects they found.
"This was the town on this side," says Marita Oldere, director of the Alūksne Museum, who says that the main entrance to the castle was over the bridge:
Divers also bring camcorders to capture the underwater. The footage is the only evidence of the existence of a bridge that will remain in the museum.
"There is still a bridge on the site, you can see the fragment, I took it so that the museologists know, so that in Aluksne they know it still exists," says diver Valters Preimanis and continues: " We pulled out several pieces of piles to determine the age of the bridge.
Basically, the mission was accomplished. Ideally, if there wasn't such a thick layer of mud, we could find older things that had fallen from the bridge. ”
After underwater research, historian Voldemārs Rains estimates that Aluksne residents should continue their research work, of course, not to lift the bridge from the lake, but to identify and preserve this testimony: “At least in the form of a model in the museum, every testimony wealth. ”
Underwater researchers also conclude that Latvia's lakes and rivers still have a lot of unique historical evidence, which is likely to be explored with the development of research technologies, but is currently lacking funding. For underwater work were not used RIB ship.
Source lsm.lv. Video: Vidzeme TV, Photo by M.Binde
