Sarkaņi – Discover Culture, Crafts and Nature

Sarkaņi brings together regional culture, vibrant craft traditions and protected landscapes to create a destination with an unusually wide range of discoveries. Sarkaņu parish lies in a transitional zone between the Vestienas pauguraine upland and the Aronas paugurlīdzenums hill country. This creates an interesting combination for planning your trip: you can explore Latvian everyday history and crafts or make the natural environment of Kujas Nature Park the focus of your visit.

Regional History at Sarkaņi School

A good way to learn about the area's history is through the ethnographic and everyday-history collection of the Madona Municipality Museum of Local History and Art. It is located at Sarkaņi School, Kalna iela 2, Sarkaņi, Madona Municipality. The collection displays around 3,000 ethnographic objects. These include mainly craft tools and products typical of the period from the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, reflecting the traditions of that time.

Those interested in people and stories from the region will also find an exhibition about the writer Viktors Eglītis, musicologist Jēkabs Vītoliņš, conductor and composer Valdis Breģis, and actress Olga Dreģe. These names give cultural history a personal dimension and provide points of connection for a trip in which regional biographies matter just as much as the landscape.

Weaving, Music and Traditional Techniques

Sarkaņi Crafts School offers kokle master classes, weaving, handicrafts and guided tours. The “Kalnagravas” weaving studio also works on looms more than 100 years old, made by the important Latvian loom master Pēteris Viļumsons. At the same time, warps for eight fabrics are set up. Such details bring the textile tradition to life and show how closely craftsmanship is connected with the region's cultural identity.

A scarf woven at Sarkaņi Crafts School was also displayed in the “Radītprieks” exhibition of the XXVI Song and XVI Dance Festival. In addition, the “Libe” folklore group is actively involved in promoting Latvian traditions in Sarkaņu parish and Madona Municipality. It performs at events in various regions of Latvia. For families, this can become a varied cultural element of their trip: they experience crafts not merely as an exhibit, but as an activity, music and a traditional form of expression.

Kujas Nature Park

The landscape also deserves its own place in your travel plans. Kujas Nature Park is located in Sarkaņu parish and has been included in Latvia's Natura 2000 network of specially protected nature areas. Together with the transitional zone between Vestienas pauguraine and Aronas paugurlīdzenums, it defines the character of the area's landscape. If you would like to combine peace and quiet, nature observation and cultural sightseeing, you can deliberately distribute these highlights across different days of your trip.

The Right Accommodation for Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Sarkaņi, it helps to first decide what kind of trip you want. Those particularly interested in museums, regional personalities and crafts should plan their days around the cultural offerings. For nature-focused days, Kujas Nature Park makes a suitable main focus. It is precisely the combination of landscape, an ethnographic collection, textile art and Latvian traditions that makes Sarkaņi a destination for anyone looking for more than just a place to spend the night.

More Destinations in the Travel Region

If you would like to expand your travel plans, you can find more places here: Kalsnava, Dzelzava, Jaunlubāna, Lautere, Bērzaune, Cesvaine, Stalīdzāni and Tīrumskanuļi.

For the higher-level travel overview: Madona Municipality.