Across the river from Sabile the road climbs to the not-to-be-missed Pedvāle Open-Air Art Museum, located about 1.5km south of the tourist office. Founded in 1991 by Ojars Feldbergs, a Latvian sculptor, the museum showcases over 100 jaw-dropping installations on 100 hectares of rolling hills. Many of the sculptures were created by Feldbergs himself, who often collaborates with other artists from all over the globe. Every year the pieces rotate, reflecting a prevalent theme that permeates the museum’s works.
Past themes have included meditations on the Earth’s prime elements and time. Standout works include Muna Muna , a swirling sphere of TV parts; Chair , an enormous seat made from bright blue oil drums; and the iconic Petriflora Pedvalensis , a bouquet of flowers whose petals have been replaced with spiral stones. The handy orange Pedvāle Walk booklet plots all of the sculptures on a neatly drawn map, and provides simple captions with the artists’ names. Additional pieces are on display at Sabile’s former synagogue, which Mr Feldbergs transformed into a contemporary art space.
