Edvards Treimanis-Zvārgulis Memorial Museum "Leukādijas"

Edvards Treimanis (pseudonym Zvārgulis) was born on 2 October 1866 in Rauguļi, Priekuļi parish. A poet, satirist, actor, civil servant, publisher, and politician, he was one of Latvia’s most popular writers at the turn of the 20th century. His fame declined from the 1930s onward.

In 1900, Treimanis and fellow poet Kārlis Veidenbaums built a summer house near the confluence of the Rauna River and the Gauja, naming it “Leukadia” after the Greek island Lefkada, inspired by the area’s natural beauty.

Initially a wooden summer home, Villa Leukadia was later clad in white dolomite sourced from the nearby Kazu ravine. The house features 10 rooms, including a memorial room with manuscripts, photographs, and personal items of the poet. Treimanis lived here year-round from 1919 until his death in 1950.

He was a close friend and classmate of Eduards Veidenbaums, and the first to publish Veidenbaums’ collected works — an act that led to his brief imprisonment during the Russian Empire.

Honouring his wishes, Treimanis was buried in the garden of the house, where a monument by sculptor Kārlis Jansons now stands. The nearby Rauna-Gauja confluence, described in his poetry, adds to the literary and natural charm of the site.

Villa Leukadia is listed as a State-Protected Cultural Monument.

Visits by prior appointment only.