Description

The narrow winding streets of Tukums old town, the low timber frame buildings with courtyards and cobblestone streets are immortalised in several Latvian feature films: Lielā, Talsu and Dārza streets and Tukums Secondary School No. 3 in the feature film “Rita” (1957), the courtyard behind the gallery “Durvis” in the feature film “Vella kalpi” (1970), Lielā street and the building at 7 Lielā Street (former pharmacy) in the series “Ilgais ceļš kāpās” (1981), and Dārza and Harmonijas streets in the historical drama “Rīgas sargi” (2007).

The most recent movie that was filmed in Tukums is “Tēvs Nakts”. It was filmed in the old town: Brīvības Square, Talsu, Dārza and Lielā streets, as well as in the territory of the former Ferment Factory. The story tells of the life of a Rigan Žanis Lipke and events during the German-occupied Riga in 1941, when more than 25,000 Jews were killed in Rumbula. The Riga Ghetto territory in 1941 was filmed in the streets of Tukums (in Riga, this was the area between Maskavas, Jersikas, Ebreju, Līksnas, Lauvas, Lielā Kalna, Katoļu, Jēkabpils and Lāčplēša streets), whereas on the Lielā Street, the episode in which the Jews were marched to the Rumbula forest. Tukums was the set of one of the largest mass scenes with 50 people from Tukums, Riga, and Jūrmala.