DIKĻI

Dikļi is a quiet rural village in the northern part of Latvia that is home to around only five hundred people. In Latvia, Dikļi is well-known as the birthplace of the Latvian theatre and song festival traditions.

In 1818 the Dikļi manor was the venue for the performance of Friedrich Schiller's play "The Robbers" translated by Jānis Peitāns, servant of the manor. Local farmers, residents of the vicinity of Dikļi, took to the stage as actors.

During the summer festival of 1864 the first ever song festival organised by clergyman and writer Juris Neikens took place not far from the Dikļi manor park.

Dikļi is rich in various historical objects. The oak tree alley originating from the Dikļi Palace Hotel leads directly to a small wooden church built as a pile building back in 1722. It was transformed into a brick building in 1848 retaining its previous form. From 1857 to 1867 Juris Neikens was the vicar of the church. The church hosts one of the most ornamental church altar of baroque era in Vidzeme (built in 1698) and a pulpit (built in 1699), which was created by J. D. Strauss, a sculptor from the Riga sculptors' workshop, who also worked on the stone figures that feature in the portal of St. Peter's Church in Riga and created the interior elements of the church in Ugāle. The pulpit was further developed from 1730-1750 by A. H. Konciuss who was based in Estonia.

Another well known legend tells that in the 18th century not far from the church in Dikļi, Swedes buried an oak barrel full of gold. It was discovered two centuries later thus allowing its finders launching a successful business.

You can learn more about the village and county of Dikļi, as well as the objects of notable interest located there on the webpage: http://www.dikli.lv.