A. Kronvalds and A. Krūklis in Krote

Atis Kronvalds native home place “Lejas-Miķi”
GPS: 56.554645, 21.555200

Every year in May, memorial and remembrance events for the poet take place by the wild apple tree.
For Krote repository of artifacts (Krotes senlietu krātuve) please arrange your visit in advance.

On April 15, 1837, the latvian renowned linguist, publicist, and educator Atis Kronvalds was born in "Lejas Miķi" in Krote. From here, A. Kronvalds' life journey took him far, and his contributions to the Latvian nation are invaluable. The new words coined by the linguist, such as "māksla" (art), "vēsture" (history), "skolotājs"(teacher), "izglītība"(education), "dzeja” (poetry) and others, are used every day. The original home no longer exists—only ruins remain—but a birch grove flourishes there, planted in 2004 by students from Krote and Durbe schools, both of which bear Atis Kronvalds' name. Additionally, a memorial plaque was unveiled in the 1970s.

Alfrēds Krūklis native home place “Būdnieki”
GPS: 56.540728, 21.582840

Alfrēds Krūklis (1921–2003) was a poet and translator. Hundreds of solo, pop, and choir songs have been composed with Alfrēds Krūklis' lyrical and romantic texts, with special recognition and lasting popularity gained by the songs composed by Raimonds Pauls in the 1960s and early 1970s. He also translated the works of many famous authors and song lyrics from English, Russian, Spanish, and German, as well as plays by William Shakespeare and other authors.

A memorial marker in Krote indicates the former location of his home. The poet Alfrēds Krūklis was born on May 11, 1921. A bit further from the former home site stands a large wild apple tree, under whose canopy there is a stone bench and table, just as described in the poet’s poem and song “Mežābele”(apple tree): “Bij’ maijs un mežābeles zieds tik balts, zem tā vecs akmens sols un galds...”(It was May, and the wild apple tree bloomed so white, beneath it an old stone bench and table…) /A. Krūklis/

Wild apple tree
GPS: 56.541133, 21.585321

The family tree of Atis Kronvalds and Alfrēds Krūklis can be viewed at the Krote repository of artifacts.

Krote repository of artifacts