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Feliksberg maritime school

The Feliksberg maritime school started operating in 1871 in the state-owned Feliksberg (Pilsberģe) manor. It was one of the 13 maritime schools established on the coast, in the creation of which Krišjānis Valdemārs was actively involved. The school trained both young people and men in their mature years. It was possible to obtain there a coastal helmsman’s diploma. During the school’s existence, around 350 farmers and fishermen had studied there. They were mainly from the immediate vicinity. More than 70 of all passed the cabotage (coastal) helmsman exam.

The activities of the Maritime School in Jūrkalne had a beneficial effect on the development of the local economy and culture. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Jūrkalne residents already owned several two-masted sailing ships – Alexander, Orion, Maria and Felix. The maritime school was closed in 1902.

The state owned manor building, where it was located, was destroyed by German ship artillery during the First World War. In 1989, a memorial was created in its place, according to the project of the wood sculptor Burvis, which consisted of two artistically created wooden poles with the old fishermen’s property signs cut into them and a stylized wooden boat. The construction of the memorial was financed by the Latvian Shipping Company.