First World War Museum in Medumi

Before World War I, the area around Medumi was a beloved retreat, attracting artists, writers, and actors. Back in 1836, the St. Petersburg–Warsaw postal route, the longest road in the Russian Empire at the time, passed through Medumi. This important route came with its own infrastructure: stations, stables, and support buildings. For example, "stazharkas" were guard posts for road patrols who checked travelers, while "kasharkas" served as homes for road supervisors and soldiers.

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Related objects

World War I battlefields

During the First World War, the so-called "Life and Death" front line was located in Daugavpils region for several years, where a complex system of fortifications was built. To this day, innumerable concrete bunkers, cannon and ammunition depots, trenches and cemeteries of soldiers on both sides of the front have been preserved in the forests of Svente and Medumi parishes.

First World War local history collection in Medumos

It is located in the village of Medumu, Jaunatnes Street 4.

A private collection of historical evidence created by the Stikanis family. A collection of artifacts from the First and Second World War has been created, collected mostly from Medumu Parish and the surrounding area. Both military heritage items and household items, coins, photographs can be viewed.

The private collection can be viewed by contacting us in advance. Entry for donations.

First World War Museum

The fiercest battles of the First World War in Latvia took place near Daugavpils in August and October 1915, in the highlands of Ilūkste and Medumi. The Germans tried to break through to Daugavpils, but the Russians – to push them back. Both sides were unsuccessful and began to build trenches, creating in depth defence positions consisting of three lines.

The First World War Museum in Medumi is dedicated to these battles. The first part of the exhibition presents the history of the vicinity of Medumi, providing testimonies that bear evidence that Medumi was a well-populated and developed area before the war. Part 2 focuses on the events of the First World War in Europe and Latvia. Here, you can learn about the lives of soldiers and the innovations that emerged during the war, as well as examine the weapons used by the German and Russian armies. In the third hall of the exhibition, visitors can put themselves in the shoes of a soldier by experiencing bunker life. In this hall, a replica of a Russian bunker has been created – a fragment of a trench with a small shelter, elements of a battlefield and dummies of soldiers. Since the wooden bunkers of the Russian Army did not survive, they have been reconstructed at the museum, while the concrete bunkers of the German Army can be seen by visiting the International route of WWI Bunkers. The hall, with the imitation of a shelter, audio and video equipment, creates an authentic atmosphere of the battlefield.