The Christmas Battle museum and outdoor exhibition
Museum
The Christmas Battle Memorial Park and Museum is located in Jelgava municipality, Valgunde parish, in the Mangaļi homestead. This museum is a branch of the Latvian War Museum. It was opened in 2005 and is located in the area where Christmas Battles took place. Unique World War I fortifications still remain in locations where battles took place. The indoor exhibit contains objects found in the battlefield. The open-air exposition has reconstructed fortifications. There are tourist routes and informative trails in the vicinity of the museum. The open-air exposition of World War I fortifications and indoor exhibits are available to visitors every day. Unique evidence of World War I fortifications can still be found in the vicinity of Ložmetējkalns. There is a 27 m tall observation tower that provides a panoramic view of the area where the Christmas Battle took place. The Christmas Battle is probably the best known and most dramatic event of World War I in Latvia. It has a special place in Latvia’s military and cultural history. This engagement is mainly associated with the attack of Latvian Riflemen on the German Army units in extremely harsh and unfavourable conditions. And it was also a unique situation where a large-scale combat operation was started without artillery support.
Used sources and references:
Official website of the Latvian War Museum. Available: http://www.karamuzejs.lv/lv/zm.aspx [Viewed: March 21, 2021].
Bērziņš, V. Latvian Riflemen: Drama and Tragedy. Riga: Publishing House of the Latvian Institute of History, 1995.
Educational programs
Latvian archer in Christmas battles
In the Christmas Battle Museum - an authentic battlefield of World War I, we will create an idea for young people about the role of a person in war conditions, the daily life of soldiers and participation in battles. With an insight into military discipline and various interactive tasks focused on team building, we will create emotions that will make you think. After the lesson, you can use the bonfire site and a 7 km long informative walking trail through the battlefields on the territory of the museum.
Related timeline
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Related stories
An entry in the diary of the moment when soldiers learn about preparing for the Christmas battles.
Latvian riflemen and their officers were informed at the last minute about the start of the battle. Rūdolfs Ivanovs, a non-commissioned officer of the 5th Zemgale Latvian Rifle Regiment, described in the diary the last evening before the start of the battle. A short, but bright and authentic text that shows a very important moment for a soldier - learns about the day of battle.
Creation of defensive positions.
The description looks at the battlefield fortification in general. It is based on the experience of the First World War and the situation when it is necessary to organize extensive work on the fortifications.
About Christmas battles
The Christmas battle ended on January 11. The Latvian riflemen of the heavily fortified position of the German army - Ložmetējkalns - managed to take the battle on the third day. The price of Christmas battles was very high. Hundreds of Latvian and other Russian army soldiers had lost their lives trying to knock the Germans out of position. The narrator vividly describes the scenes on the battlefield after the end of the Christmas battles.