Jēkabpils gives closed schools new lives

Closed schools in Jēkabpils municipality have been turned into community meeting places, accommodation and even a hunting house, LSM reported, citing Vidusdaugavas Television. Most of the buildings have found new uses.

Mežzeme School, built 90 years ago, has stood without pupils for more than 30 years. The building was once divided into apartments before the hunting association Vidsalietis took ownership in 2006.

This year, the association renovated two rooms. One was converted for the initial processing and cooling of game, while the other displays hunting trophies. The association has also created an exhibition about the school’s history after finding photographs and interviewing former pupils.

Association chairwoman Velta Belkovska said the research was particularly meaningful because some members had attended the school themselves, while others had parents or relatives who had studied there.

Association member Agris Alans also attended Mežzeme School. The room now used for hunting meetings once contained classrooms. He recalled that the second and fourth grades had shared the space, with the older pupils sitting at the back.

Vidsalietis hopes to restore more rooms so the building does not share the fate of some other closed schools in Jēkabpils municipality.

Asare Primary School, which closed in 2018, remains empty. Attempts to lease its rooms have been unsuccessful.

Jēkabpils municipality council deputy chairwoman Aija Vetere said only a few closed schools remained unused. In those cases, the municipality maintains only the outdoor grounds, as the buildings have neither heating nor electricity connections.

Most closed schools in the municipality remain in use. At Gārsene Castle, where the school closed in 2015, a library and a tourism information facility now operate.