In Dundaga, there is a whimsical sculpture of a gigantic crocodile standing at the corner of Talsu and Dinsberga streets. It was installed in honor of the most famous native of the area – Arvids Blumentāls, the possible prototype of the main character in the film "Crocodile" Dundee. Arvids Blumentāls was born in 1925 in the Budeni house, Dundaga parish. At the age of 17, Blumentāls dropped out of school and volunteered for the German auxiliary police, lying to recruiters that he was 18. In Ukraine and southern Belarus, he served in the 25th Abava Battalion, known locally as the "Green Devils" both for their persistence and the color of their uniforms. In 1943, he was transferred to the Latvian Legion, a regular combat unit of the German SS troops. After two years of retreating westward, the remnants of his unit ended up near Berlin, where in April 1945 he and several comrades tore off their SS insignia and tried to escape. With the help of a Latvian doctor, he removed the blood group tattoo of the Waffen-SS on his arm and told the Allied authorities that he had been taken to Germany for forced labor to avoid becoming an SS prisoner of war.

Although Blumentāls joined the auxiliary police too late to be one of the Holocaust executioners, he almost certainly served alongside people who were. Some volunteers were ideological, but evidence points to him simply as an adventurer seeking escape from the hardships of farm work and village life. Despite this complex history, he is honored in Dundaga as a native son and local hero. 

Together with about 200 other veterans of the Latvian Legion, Blumentāls joined the French Foreign Legion in 1947 and served for several years before coming to Australia. He participated in the First Indochina War, after which in 1951 he moved to Australia and began hunting in the tropical forests of northern Queensland.

According to his own words, over his lifetime he hunted between 10,000 and 40,000 crocodiles. When the Australian government banned hunting, he moved to an opal mine in the town of Coober Pedy, married, and settled in a mine cave he called the "Crocodile’s Lair." Several documentaries were made about him during his lifetime, his home, the "Crocodile’s Nest," became a set for the film "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," and he himself became a living legend. Additionally, a small exhibition dedicated to Blumentāls is organized in the dungeons of Dundaga Castle:

The 1986 film "Crocodile" Dundee. In the USSR, the film was shown in cinemas in 1988 and became the leader of Soviet box office. Worldwide, director Peter Faiman’s film grossed $330 million, becoming one of the most successful projects in Australian cinema. It ranked 2nd in worldwide box office revenue in 1986 and 104th in the history of cinema. It received a Golden Globe award for Best Actor (Paul Hogan). The film tells the story of crocodile hunter and naturalist Mick Dundee, nicknamed "Crocodile," who lives in the Australian savanna.

According to some sources, the prototype of the main character is Arvid Blumentāls, while others claim it is Rodney Ansell. Arvid Blumentāls, a native of the Latvian town of Dundaga, arrived in Australia after World War II, hunted crocodiles, and mined precious stones – opals. He lived in a cave arranged to his own taste. People recount his last years as follows: "He was a rich man and an eccentric. For example, he could order a helicopter just to fly to the neighboring town for a beer."

In 2006, Arvid Blumentāls died in his bed, in his cave home in the town of Coober Pedy, which had become his second homeland. This town still benefits from the fame of its honorary citizen – the tourist trail to the Crocodile’s Nest remains popular. Friends and neighbors of Harry plan to turn this place into his museum and also start breeding crocodiles there, which the famous hunter missed so much in his later years. Today, every fifth Australian knows Crocodile Harry.

The von Blumentāls cave is now a museum. It is maintained and guarded by a former servant. Colorful paintings hang on the walls, and lace women's lingerie (gifts from admirers who visited Crocodile) dangle from the ceiling.

Few people from Latvia make it to Australia, but in the dungeons of the medieval castle in Latvian Dundaga, crocodiles swim! There is also a photo exhibition dedicated to Blumentāls’ life. Thus, my desire to visit this place was fueled not only by my interest in castles but also by interest in this unique story. And, of course, to see the crocodile monument near the castle. The two-ton monument was installed in Dundaga back in 1995. Note – judging by the inscription on the stone, it is dedicated not only to the famous compatriot but also to the history of the Latvian region of Kurzeme! It was a gift from the Latvian consul in Chicago, Norbert Klaucens.

Sources:

http://www.ambermarks.com/_Pieminekli/GarieApraksti/TalsuRaj/DundagasPag/EDundagas_vid_pils.htm

https://medium.com/the-awl/the-hero-and-the-crocodile-cb4fad180d77