Home of the family of Krišjānis Valdemārs

On 12 September 1975, a memorial stone to Krišjānis Valdemārs (1825-1891), a publicist and one of the founders of the Young-Latvian movement, was unveiled on the site of the former “Vecjunkurs” houses. The opening ceremony was attended by such prominent people as poet Imants Ziedonis, doctor, writer and publicist Jānis Liepiņš, writer Egons Līvs, literary scholar, writer Saulcerīte Viese and literary scholar, literary critic Ilgonis Bērsons

Krišjānis Valdemārs was an outstanding economist and publicist, promoter of Russian and Latvian maritime shipping, founder of maritime schools and shipyards. The project “From the Past to the Future” was developed to clean up the site. Visitors can visit the Valdemārs memorial site, which has been landscaped with a bonfire, information stand, landscape planting, etc.

Janne Indriķis Voldemārs (1819-1880) was born in 1819 in the “Vecjunkurs” house. – Kr. Valdemārs’ elder brother, widely known as the first historian of Latvian origin. Johann Heinrich Voldemārs worked as a civil servant in various administrative institutions of the Kurzeme Governorate in Jelgava, but his passion was in the field of historical compilation and research.

The younger sister of both brothers, Maria (Marjane) Anna Valdemar-Naumann-Medinska (1830-1888), was also born here in 1830. She was one of the first Latvian women writers. She opened a small private school in Sasmaka. From 1865 to 1882 Marija managed the school of her brother Kr. She worked at the Valdemārs estate in Novgorod province.

(machine translation)