Monument to the soldiers who died in the War of Independence
Memorial site
Located in Valka on Varoņu Street next to the Forest Cemetery.
A monument to 30 soldiers of the 1st (4th) Valmiera Infantry Regiment who died in the Latvian War of Independence can be seen.
The monument was unveiled on October 1, 1922. It consists of the figure of an ancient Latvian warrior ("Ancestor") carved in local pink granite, placed on a two-part pedestal made of gray granite. The sketch of the sculptor Emil Melder (Miller) has been chosen for the monument. Along with Melder, the sculptor Wilhelm Trey also participated in the forging of the monument.
It is the first monument of the Latvian War of Independence created by a professional sculptor, as well as the only one in the interwar period, made in the style of modernism, using elements of Cubism.
During the repeated communist occupation in 1951, the sculpture of the monument was demolished, partially damaged and buried. Burials were also leveled.
In 1988, as the centenary of the sculptor E. Melder (1889-1979) approached, the study of his works began.
The restored brothers' cemetery, along with the restored monument, was unveiled on November 11, 1990.
In 2017, eight memorials to the Knights of the Lāčplēsis War Order connected with Valka were erected in the Brothers' Cemetery. They are located on both sides of the monument - on four sides on each side.
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 1999
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