“He built a village with no fences—and people are begging to move in.” Hidden deep in Latvia’s forests, this millionaire’s fairytale community feels unreal 🏡🌳 See what life looks like there in the article 👇
Imagine a place so beautiful and harmonious that it feels like a fairytale. For the lucky people who live there, it’s real life.
For years, we’ve read about utopian cities – ideal communities that seem too good to be true. But in Latvia, near the town of Cēsis, one visionary millionaire made this dream a reality by creating a village that looks straight out of a storybook.
Latvian millionaire Aivars Zvirbulis bought 3,000 hectares (around 7,400 acres) of forest in the rolling hills and built what he calls the “City of the Sun” – a place with its own unique way of life and special rules designed to protect both nature and people.
The village, called Amatciems, consists of 300 houses, each built from eco-friendly materials. Every home comes with a private plot of land ranging from 0.4 to 1.3 hectares, including its own small lake and surrounding forest.
All homes have modern amenities: central sewage systems installed without damaging the ancient pine and spruce roots, high-speed internet, and electricity. For heating, residents rely on geothermal pumps with 90-100 meter deep boreholes, efficiently warming the home and water year-round. Fireplaces are only needed during the harshest winter days.
Due to the hilly landscape and careful planning, most houses cannot be seen from each other’s windows, creating privacy without walls.
In this forest town, fences are banned to allow deer and other wildlife to roam freely. For the same reason, dogs are not allowed to be chained up outside, as barking might scare the harmless forest animals. Dogs must stay indoors.
“The idea came to me when I realized I wanted to live in a comfortable home by the water, surrounded by forest,” says Zvirbulis.
“At first, I created Amatciems purely for selfish reasons – I wanted the perfect environment for myself.”
Today, his family, children, grandchildren, friends, and like-minded neighbors live there – people who share his vision of respecting nature and each other.
Strict but meaningful rules keep the community peaceful: no loud noise in the evenings, no fences, and dogs treated as companions, not chained guards. Residents are expected to care for their surroundings and maintain harmony with nature.
“My goal is to preserve the natural environment as much as possible. I don’t want to turn the forest into a city park. That’s why manicured lawns stand next to wildflower meadows. Fireflies don’t live on trimmed lawns, but here, on summer nights, the grass sparkles with hundreds of tiny lights,” he explains.
At night, ponds echo with frog choruses – a sign of a clean, healthy environment. Fallen trees remain in the forest as homes for woodpeckers, squirrels, and foxes.
“Balance between nature, technology, and aesthetics creates a memorable place that proves harmony between humans and the environment truly exists.”
📝 P.S. Remember, by changing our habits and consumption, we can change the world together.
