Jaunpagasts: Culture and Local History

For your travel planning in Jaunpagasts, culture and local history offer two specific points of interest. One central landmark is the Virbu Cultural Centre at Kalna iela 9 in Jaunpagasts, Virbu parish, Talsu municipality. Other points of interest include the earliest mention of the area in 1237 and the history of the wider Virbu parish. If you are looking for a hotel in Jaunpagasts, these topics can help you shape your stay around a cultural interest or a historical focus.

The Virbu Cultural Centre and its programme

The Virbu Cultural Centre organises national holidays and commemorative days, concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, festivals, competitions, and activities for meaningful leisure time. The programme ranges from official occasions to stage and exhibition events, as well as community leisure activities. If you are considering an event as a reason for your trip, plan around its date.

The cultural centre building was constructed in 1969 and underwent simplified reconstruction in 2009 and 2011. The sequence of years distinguishes the building’s history from its events programme: 1969 marks its construction, while the two later dates mark reconstruction work. Thus, the same location brings together a current cultural programme and a specifically dated building history.

Local history and regional context

Jaunpagasts was first mentioned in a fief register in 1237. This places the area’s early written history alongside the more recent history of a specific cultural institution as distinct points of reference in time.

In the wider Virbu parish, the community developed in connection with the construction of the Moscow–Riga–Ventspils railway at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This development adds a later chapter in the history of the parish to Jaunpagasts’ early mention.

The Jaunpagasta and Lielvirbu manors are also part of the region’s economic history: distilleries had long operated there; there were also mills and a starch factory. These industries extend the cultural and local perspective to include economic topics and several forms of production in Virbu parish. As of 11 February 2026, the congregation of the Old Believer Church in Virbu parish is working to restore its house of worship as far as its means allow.

The church and planning a visit

The Neivakenas (Virbu) Old Believer Church is located at Skolas iela 9 in Jaunpagasts. Check local conditions before visiting if you would like to include the church in your trip.

The addresses of the cultural centre and the church identify two specific places in Jaunpagasts; the railway and manor history belongs to the wider context of Virbu parish. This distinction is useful when planning your visit around a particular theme: you can focus on the local cultural programme or explore Jaunpagasts in the context of the parish’s history.

Discover more destinations: Aklaisciems, Ģibuļi, Sukturi, Upesgrīva, Dižstende, Lielvirbi, Dzedri, Talsi

For the broader travel overview: Talsu Novads.