Monument to Krišjānis Valdemārs

“Knowledge is a treasure no one can take away from a person” – these words of the distinguished Young Latvian Krišjānis Valdemārs are now engraved in an outdoor artwork that commemorates the time he spent in Ēdole as a young man in the mid-19th century.

In Dzirnavu Garden, the outdoor artwork—a monument to Krišjānis Valdemārs—was created by Artūrs Bruno Štrauss.

Valdemārs’ task in Ēdole was to manage the manor’s accounts and work as a scribe, yet he was far more interested in the condition of the peasants in Ēdole Parish. During his nearly two-year stay, he united curious and eager-to-learn young Latvians, giving them the chance to break free from spiritual and financial poverty.

His sense of humor and resourcefulness are documented by the Baltic Sea Exploitation Society, under whose guise he discussed peasants’ rights.

Valdemārs also had the idea to establish a library in Ēdole. On April 23, 1848, the first library founded by Latvians themselves opened in the Ēdole Church. Books were placed in the church sacristy, with a rental fee of one kopek per book; the poorest readers were allowed to borrow books free of charge.