Hill Dupurkalns and the open-air stage

The hill ‘Dupurkalns’, with its name possibly indicating an ancient sacrificial or worship site, is located on Blaumaņa-Street 3. However, another version suggests that the hill takes its name from the oaks, derived from the Russian word ‘dub’, meaning oaks, which have grown there. Dupurkalns was first described by the local historian Tīcs Dzintarkalns, mentioning that it might have been a hillfort in ancient times, although no archaeological evidence has been found to support this. There is a local legend associated with ‘Dupurkalns’: ‘In earlier days, a wealthy man lived on ‘Dupurkalns’. A gardener lived on the other side of the hill. The son of the wealthy man fell in love with the gardener’s daughter. He asked his father for permission to marry the gardener’s daughter, but his father refused. The young man then left. The girl sat, spun, and wept. She wept until she died of sorrow. Even today, when walking from Valdemārpils toward ‘Dupurkalns’ at the sunrise, one can see a girl sitting by a spinning wheel between the treetops.’

On 17 May 2019, the restored open-air stage of ‘Dupurkalns’ was inaugurated. It was a long-awaited event for the townspeople, as all 400 seats were filled during the opening concert.