HISTORY AND ART MUSEUM OF AIZKRAUKLE “KALNA ZIEDI”

The museum is located in the singleyard “Kalna Ziedi“ near Daugava. The permanent exhibition is in a building that was erected in 1989 on the foundations of the former home, while the storage building - on the foundations of the barn. The exhibition hall was built where a granary once stood, and the openair exhibition was built in 2014. The only part of the former farm that remains in place is the cellar, but the placement of the buildings is typical for the layout of a farm in Vidzeme. 100 metres from the museum is the Kalna Ziedi Hillfort. The remains of the trunk of the victim oak of “Kalna ziedi”, which was destroyed by humans and natural elements, were moved from the edge of the Pļaviņas  hydroelectric power plant water storage to the museum yard to be preserved for future generations as a historical monument and place of worship in the region of Semigallia. Artefacts of the region’s material culture, which commemorate the Stone and Iron ages, are stored in the museum’s collections. It is a source of research on the material and spiritual culture of the Selonian and other Balts tribes. In the open-air exhibition of the museum, you can see beehives with ownership signs and circular stone crosses, which are rarely seen in Latvia - medieval gravestone. The theme of the permanent exhibition is “The Fate of the Daugava Coast” The museum is actively involved in the history, folk crafts, and art exhibitions, as well as organizing events. Summer solstice events are particularly popular, as well as Blacksmiths’ Day in July, Lāčplēsis Day (a Memorial Day for soldiers who fought for the independence of Latvia) in November and candle-making workshops in February. In museum it is possible to celebrate your own life events as birthday, wedding day or baptism.