Arnolds Burovs ( 1915-2006), the founder of Latvian puppet animation, had a fine sense of the specificity of puppets, for him a puppet was always an imaginative expression of a thought or idea. Burov was the first Latvian puppet film-maker, inspirer and master of puppet films. In total, Burovs made around 40 puppet films. Each puppet created for the film is a work of art, made by hand. The first puppet film of the Riga Film Studio and the debut of A. Burov was “Ki-ke-ri-gu!” (1966), for which Burov was the scriptwriter, director and artist.

Arnolds Burovs’ puppet exhibition has been nominated Madona Region Cultural Site of the Year 2025.

There is something magical about the characters created by the master that makes you fall in love with them instantly. The tongue-in-cheek dreamboat sailing to the long land of Bimini, the mischievous Si-si-dra or the lyrical poet Chak – these images indelibly form part of the childhood memories of a large part of both the older and younger generations of people.

OFFER

Guided tour “ A. A guided tour through A. Burov’s World of Puppet Films and Heroes. Get acquainted with the art, films and characters of the first Latvian puppet animation master. Suitable for groups, seniors, schoolchildren, preschool children. Group size – up to 25 persons, duration – 1 h.

The Arnolds Burows puppet exhibition is located next to Vestiena Manor. The premises are located in the Vestiena Folk House, which was historically the grain granary of Vestiena Manor.