Monument to Miķelis Pankoks

Miķelis Pankoks (1894-1983) was a woodcarver, carpenter, fisherman, and autodidact with an education from a local school. He was born on May 1, 1894, in a fisherman’s family in "Veckupši" in Jūrmalciems, Nīca parish. During his lifetime, he created more than 700 works, demonstrating boundless imagination.

In his youth, in 1919, Miķelis Pankoks joined the military service along with other Jūrmalciems boys. He first participated in the defense of Liepāja and later in the Latvian War of Independence battles on the Latgale front. In one battle, Miķelis was saved from enemy bullets only by the few stumps around him. In 1920, he left the front and was sent to a feldsher course at the Riga Military Hospital, where he gained medical knowledge.

Miķelis completed his studies at Rūce School in Paipu village but always sought to expand his knowledge through self-study, reading books on health care, the structure of the universe, and learning English.

As a child, when accompanying his father to sea, Miķelis didn’t feel truly happy. Everything changed when he found his passion in wood carving and vowed to serve his art. His first carving was "A Woman on the Shore". In 1924, Pankoks attempted to enroll at the Latvian Academy of Arts, but his application failed due to a lack of basic drawing skills. Thus, Miķelis lived an ascetic life dedicated to sculpture. His father was not happy with his son's obsession, considering it a "waste of time" and something that couldn’t earn a living. The locals often mocked Miķelis as well. However, everything changed after his first exhibition in 1925 at the Nīca Church Tavern. After this, the woodcarver gained respect and reverence from both his father and the villagers. His mother, Maiga Pankoka, always believed in him and rejoiced at his success. He traveled across Latvian cities holding exhibitions, becoming increasingly recognized among people.

In October 1944, when war raged in Jūrmalciems, Miķelis Pankoks was last seen in his home village. For many years, people thought he had disappeared without a trace. It wasn’t until 1991 that information was uncovered about his long life dedicated to art in Germany. He had spent time in German refugee camps, later being placed in a Swiss clinic where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. There, he spent the remaining 32 years of his life, continuing to craft wooden figurines. Flowers and birds were recurring motifs in Miķelis Pankoks' work.

Miķelis passed away on January 8, 1983, at the age of 89. He is buried in Switzerland, in a common grave in the Kūra cemetery area.

Miķelis Pankoks' works can be viewed at the Liepāja Museum of History.