Dobele is the undiscovered pearl of Semigallia with a long history. Why not explore it in detail at Dobele Local History Museum? Because here you can find out how ancient Semigallians existed in this area, what Dobele Castle looked like, and how the locals lived up to the 1940s. All of that is revealed in the exhibition display “Once Upon a Time in the Dobele”, where you can meet an ancient Semigallian family and get a general picture of the material culture of our ancestors. In addition, visitors can see a reconstructed Semigallian costume, some ancient jewellery and archaeological finds. The brethren of the Livonian Order of knights build their stone castle on a former Semigallian hill hort. When the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was formed, Dobele Castle fell to the Duke. A mock-up of the castle, designed according to a reconstruction plan, shows how the castle looked several centuries ago. In the 15th century, a settlement of merchants and craftsmen grew around Dobele Castle. Dobele was granted city rights at the dawn of the 20th century, when the town really started to boom. The exhibition reflects local history of religious thought and public life, education, medicine and the military. It gives a stylised representation of the environment where farmers and townspeople used to live.

The museum offers a wide range of creative workshops and cultural education programmes. We also give tours of castle ruins and the town where visitors are accompanied by lady of the castle.