Iron bridge over the Gauja River in Valmiera
Infrastructure
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Located in Valmiera, near the Ģīme nature trail on Leona Paegles Street.
The steel-framed iron bridge over the Gauja River was built in 1911. It connected the 114 km long route Ainaži-Valmiera-Smiltene, which was last completed in 1971.
After the liberation of Riga on May 22, 1919, parts of the Soviet Latvian army retreated along the entire front without offering any serious resistance. On May 26, the Estonian National Army and the Northern Latvian Brigade led by Colonel Jorgis Zemitāns occupied Valmiera. “The bigwigs blew up the railway bridge at around six o’clock in the afternoon. At 7:50 they also set fire to both wooden bridges. This did not prevent Estonian troops from entering the city from the Valmiera Manor in the evening of the same day* [..]”
Today, the iron bridge is a favorite place for recreation and walking and a section of the "Green Railway" bicycle route.
* The first to arrive was a cadet company of the 6th Estonian Infantry Regiment, accompanied by several armored vehicles.
Used sources and references:
The entry of the national troops into Valmiera. Vidzemnieks [newspaper]. No. 1., 07.06.
