Ropazi Municipality
Inhabited since 3,000 BC. Livonian Order castle (1320) recycled into manor stones. Latvia's first balloon landing (1804). Now a Via Baltica Riga suburb.
Ropaži has been inhabited since the Neolithic era (3,000 BC)—four ancient cemeteries and stone objects survive as evidence. When Henry of Livonia mentioned Ropaži in 1205, the inhabitants were Daugava Livs. The Livonian Order built a stone castle around 1320; it was destroyed in the 17th century, and its stones were recycled into Ropaži Manor.
The manor changed hands through noble families: the Bergs in the 18th century, Baron Victor von Wolf in 1855. One of Vidzeme's most important routes passed through here. In 1804, a hot-air balloon launched from Riga and landed at Ropaži—possibly Latvia's first recorded flight.
The 20th century was devastating. Both World Wars damaged the area. In 1949, over 150 inhabitants suffered Soviet deportation. The 2021 reform expanded the municipality significantly by merging in Garkalne, Stopiņi, and Vangaži.
Today the administrative center is Ulbroka, just 14 km from Riga. The Via Baltica (E67) and Riga-Ērgļi railway pass through. By 2026, Ropaži's future is suburban: close enough to Riga for commuting, far enough for some agricultural land. The Livs are gone. The stones of their conquerors' castle became someone else's manor.