Freedom Monument in Rauna Memorial site
The monument, created by the sculptor Kārlis Zemdega, is dedicated to the memory of the members of Rauna parish who fell in the First World War and the War of Independence.
As one of the unrealized variants of the Riga Freedom Monument project, it was unveiled on August 20, 1933. The 3rd President of the Republic of Latvia, Alberts Kviesis, had attended the opening event.
The original name of the monument was "ES DŪR" - the motto - the spear turns into a coke and the people are saved by the spirit of song. The base of the monument is decorated with the words of the anthem written by Kārlis Baumaņi - “God, holy Latvia”.
Before the unveiling of the monument in 1933, the people of Raunen, during the landscaping of the monument, planted an oak alley and placed a capsule with the name of a fallen soldier under each oak. Later, in 1937, the names of the fighters were engraved on a white marble plaque placed in the church.
During the communist occupation, the inscription "God, holy Latvia" on the pedestal was engraved. It was restored at the beginning of the Awakening in June 1989.
Used sources and references:
https://visit.rauna.lv
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
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Rauna Freedom Monument or Monument to the members of Rauna parish who fell in the First World War and the War of Independence
The origins of the idea of the Rauna Freedom Monument can be traced back to August 21, 1929, when the head of the city of Cēsis and the head of the Cēsis district invited the most prominent public employees of Rauna parish to a meeting, calling to honor the acquisition of freedom and build a monument in Rauna.