‘Wilhelm’
In earlier times, there were many footbridges in Līgatne, some of which have been restored today. Several of them have been named after members of the Mentzendorff family, who have been closely associated with the Līgatne Paper Mill since 1865. It all began in 1858, when eight merchants from Riga, including Joachim Alexander Matthias Mentzendorff, founded the joint-stock company ‘Riga Writing Paper Factory Company’. This factory was situated near Jugla. Seven years later, the same joint-stock company purchased the Līgatne Paper Mill. Initially, it was the Jugla Factory where the paper manufactured in Līgatne was sent for final processing and packaging. However, over time, the Līgatne Paper Mill became the principal facility for these purposes.
Three of the five Joachim Alexander Matthias Metzendorff’s sons were involved in the paper mill: Joachim Anton, Alexander Burchard, and Wilhelm Heinrich. It was the efforts of the Mentzendorff family that made it possible to build 23 wooden residential houses and various public buildings in Līgatne, thereby providing workers with unusually good living conditions for that time. The long-standing director of the paper mill, Wilhelm Heinrich Mentzendorff, to whom this footbridge was dedicated, took great care in these matters. Although the bridge was initially named after Wilhelm, it eventually became known as ‘Wilhelmine’, in honour of the innkeeper’s wife.
