​The Sērene mantel chimney

The Sērene mantel chimney once belonged to the former Sērene Manor building, which has not survived to this day. It was built in the 18th century as a small kitchen. The hooded chimney was constructed from flat, small pieces of dolomite, while the upper part of the chimney was finished with red fired clay bricks. The base area of the chimney is 6 m², but it narrows upwards. Around the chimney there was a rectangular wooden structure, and next to it a cellar with two exits. One of them was connected to the kitchen by an underground passage (now sealed), while the other opened to the surface. The cellar maintains a constant temperature of around 6 °C throughout the year. It is believed to have been used as a wine cellar.

Old mantel chimneys, or hooded chimneys, were commonly found in manor houses of the 16th–19th centuries. They were not only functional (heating rooms and serving for cooking), but also formed part of the representative interior of the manor’s kitchen or living quarters. The origin of such chimneys dates back to the Middle Ages, when with the growth of towns and the construction of multi-storey houses, conical hoods began to be placed above fireplaces as protection against fire and sparks.

In Latvia, mantel chimneys appeared in the 16th century along with the development of regional connections under the influence of Baltic Sea cultures, especially from Northern Germany, where they were widely used. They were more common in Kurzeme and Zemgale, including the historical lands of Sēlija.

Most mantel chimneys have a bottle-like shape, though they vary. In kitchen niches, they were smaller, while in manors and castles they could be quite grand, often combined with other functions. From the top of the chimney, hooks with meat were hung on spruce beams, where the smoke slowly cured it over time, giving it a flavor similar to smoked sausage. Suspended high inside the chimney, the products were safely protected not only from dogs and cats but also from mice and rats.