The waters of the Pļaviņu Reservoir now cover Staburags: the most important part of this natural monument lies beneath the surface. This landscape history shapes how we see Staburadze, but local themes extend beyond it. Vīgantes Park is home to memorial sites and cultural institutions; the family home “Skudras” preserves material relating to the composer Pēteris Barisons. This gives you a clear distinction when choosing what to explore on your trip: the story of Staburags leads to the landscape and its traditions, while the other themes lead to music and cultural history.
The landscape history of Staburags
Staburags was an 18.5-metre-high limestone tufa cliff on the left bank of the Daugava Canyon, formed after the last Ice Age. Its height and rock type give the landscape history a specific geological context. The Liepavots spring is also part of this story: it flowed from Staburags and was later submerged as well. The cliff and spring thus represent two elements of a landscape now shaped by the reservoir waters. Legends and stories told by rafters, associated with Staburags, add to these. They complement the geological history with cultural traditions and offer a different way of understanding the place than descriptions of its formation and submergence.
Memorial sites in Vīgantes Park
Vīgantes Park is home to the “Daina” sculpture, a daylily garden and the Staburags Saieta Nams, which hosts exhibitions. The “Dieva auss” memorial stone, dedicated to the submerged Staburags, is also located there. These features offer different points of focus: the sculpture and garden, the exhibitions and the memorial to the natural monument all contribute to the park’s cultural character. The memorial stone makes a direct connection to the submerged cliff, while the Saieta Nams offers another cultural focus through its exhibitions. If you are interested in the interplay between landscape memory and culture, these sites offer a different theme from the composer’s history at the family home “Skudras”.
Pēteris Barisons and music history
In 1979, a memorial room dedicated to composer Pēteris Barisons and an exhibition opened at his family home “Skudras” in Staburaga pagasts. The exhibition features personal belongings, musical instruments, documents and other contemporary material. Different kinds of mementos are displayed together: personal belongings, instruments and documents. Tours of the family home can be arranged by prior appointment, so please arrange your visit before travelling.
Another way to learn about Barisons and his work is to visit the Pēteris Barisons gazebo in Vīgantes Park. It provides information about the composer, his work and the tradition of song festivals. The first official Staburags Song Festival is dated 24 June 1924; Teodors Reiters was the principal conductor. This specific historical date adds a clearly identified reference point in the history of song to the information at the gazebo.
Which focus suits your trip?
If you are mainly interested in landscape history, focus on Staburags, the Liepavots spring and the rafters’ legends associated with the cliff. For cultural and music history, the main points of interest are Vīgantes Park, the gazebo and the exhibition at the family home. This lets you choose which themes to focus on according to your interests, rather than reducing the different stories to a single attraction. When planning, note that tours of “Skudras” are available by prior appointment.
Discover more destinations: Sece, Jaunjelgava.
Go to the broader travel overview: Jaunjelgavas Novads.
