Monument for students of the Cēsis Regiment
Memorial site
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The monument to the soldiers of the Cēsis Regiment Students’ Company who died in the Battles of Cēsis is located in the city of Cēsis, near the intersection of Palasta and Bērzaines streets. The construction of the monument was proposed by the Soldiers’ Association of the Cēsis Regiment Students’ Company. The monument was unveiled on 26 May 1938. The monument is based on the idea sketched by artist Jānis Rozenbergs, a former soldier of the company. Placed on a metre-high limestone pedestal, the 1.8-metre copper sculpture of a soldier dressed in a school student’s uniform was created by sculptor Rūdolfs Āboltiņš and coppersmith Jānis Zibens. An owl, a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, lies at the soldier’s feet, squatting on and protecting the books of a student who went to war. The sculpture was demolished during the Soviet re-occupation in 1952. A monument named the Komsomol Flag Bearer by sculptor Kārlis Jansons was erected near its former location in 1957. Placed near its historic site, the restored monument was unveiled on 11 November 1992. At the same time, in 1992, a monument to the Komsomol, which had been erected by the occupation regime, was taken down.
Used sources and references:
Lismanis, J. 1915-1920. In memory of battles and fallen soldiers: memorial sites of the First World War and the Latvian Liberation Fight. Riga: NIMS, 1999.
Tālis Pumpuriņš, Cēsis Museum of History and Art
https://www.lv100.lv/jaunumi/tapusi-dokumentali-izglitojosa-filma-skoleniem-cesu-kaujas-pagrieziena-punkts-latvijas-vesture/
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