Soviet Soldiers’ Cemetery and "Figure of a Mother with a Burning Flame in her Hands”
Memorial site
Located in Inčukalns region, in the territory of Indrāni dendrological park, near the A2 motorway.
The Red Army Cemetery was established during the Soviet occupation after World War II. 224 soldiers have been reburied in the park of Inčukalns manor (the number of casualties may vary). The historical buildings of the manor were destroyed during the Latvian War of Independence.
Most Red Army cemeteries were built after the war, when special groups of people reburied soldiers. It was a difficult and very unpleasant job. Weak organization and low motivation led to a number of errors, such as in the accounting of reburials. Those responsible for the maintenance of the cemetery were identified. Most often they were schools, collective farms and factories. The Soviet farm or state farm "Gauja" had to take care of this cemetery. The goal of Soviet propaganda was to break into all walks of life. An integral part was the Russification of political, economic and cultural life, which was officially called "rapprochement with the great Russian people" or "modernization". The occupying forces became "liberators," and Red Army cemeteries were part of the ideological infrastructure. The memory of the soldiers became a means of theatrical performance and political manipulation.
Today you can see the territory of the cemetery, where there is a sculpture "Mother's image with a burning flame in her hands". Rare and specially protected tree species grow in Indrāni Dendrological Park.
Used sources and references:
The official website of Inčukalns municipality. Available: https://www.incukalns.lv/public/lat/aktualitates/4507/ [Viewed: 29.03. 2021.].
Yearbook of the Latvian Occupation Museum. Liberators as conquerors. Riga: Latvian Occupation Museum Society. 2006