Audio tour Jumurda

The village of Jumurda and the surrounding countryside form a district in the county of Madona in central Latvia, bordering the county of Cēsis, 36 kilometres from Madona and 113 kilometres from Rīga. It covers an area of 131 square kilometres and, as of July 2024, has a population of 248. There are several beautiful lakes, including Pakšēnu Lake, Vidus Lake and Jumurda Lake, which is included in the Natura 2000 Network of nature protection areas in Europe. 

Palšu Bog is also part of the Natura 2000 Network. In 2011, a well preserved World War 2 plane and its pilot were discovered in the bog. The River Valola flows for 17 kilometres through the district, and the highest points are Bākūzis Hill, Egļu Hill and Laktas Hill, where there is a ruined windmill.

Cultural and historical heritage sites in the area include ancient settlements and burial grounds, medieval fortifications, a castle mound and a hunger stone. An 18th-century Russian Empire milestone and a 19th-century farmstead at Kajēni are also on the national heritage protection list. 

Jumurda has connections with several creative personalities, including the poet Andrejs Pumpurs, the writer Ilze Kalnāre, the businessman Roberts Hiršs, who introduced silk manufacturing to Latvia, the artists of the Graši family, the botanist Pēteris Upītis, the poet Jānis Sirmbārdis, the actor Normunds Laizāns, and the watercolour artist Zigmunds Šņore.

Jumurda’s local community centre, built in 2010, houses a library, a healthcare office, and a public service centre. Local businesses include beef and dairy farms, a goat farm that produces award-winning cheese, and a game farm that breeds wild animals and birds. There is a licensed shooting range where sporting competitions are held and a car repair and service shop.