German Army Cemetery in Tukums Memorial site

Located in Tukums, on Kapu Kalns.

The cemetery was established during World War I. Most likely, soldiers who died in Tukums Hospital while being treated for injuries or illnesses sustained in battle are buried there. During the Soviet occupation, the memorial site was destroyed, and therefore research and obtaining information about the soldiers is difficult. Judging by old photographs and indications, the cemetery was about 750 m2 in size and about 100 soldiers are buried there. It is known that there are 2 Finnish jaegers among them. This allows us to conclude that some of them were participants in the Battle of Smārde.

In 1915, the German army completely occupied Courland. Various army units and front-line facilities were located in the cities, where soldiers prepared for war, received treatment and recovered. Most often, cemeteries were established near the fiercest battles or hospitals. After World War I, they were improved with funding from the German government. During the Soviet occupation, most of the German army cemeteries in Latvia were damaged or even destroyed.

The German Army Cemetery is one of the witnesses of history. Today, you can visit the hill, which is part of the Tukums archaeological site complex. Most likely, the hill is an ancient pre-Christian cult site, which later became a place of punishment (also called Gallows Hill).