Latvian Riflemen Brothers' Cemetery Memorial site

Located near the Nītaure Orthodox Church, next to the memorial ensemble of Soviet soldiers of World War II.

On September 2, 1934, the Brothers' Grave of the Riflemen and Unknown Soldiers who fell in a clash with the Germans near Nītaure in September 1917 was consecrated.

Chronological order in the creation of graves:

In September 1917, the front line had been strengthened in the section Saulkrasti-Līgatne-Nītaure-Lake Lobes (near Krape)-Koknese. On the road Mālpils-Peļņi-Nītaure, the 6th Tukums and 5th Zemgale regiments had their last clash with the enemy – German troops. Colonel Jukums Vācietis said about it:
“After this battle, silence fell on the front.”
The fallen were buried near the Orthodox church in Nītaure and at various conflict sites on the Mālpils-Peļņi-Nītaure route.

In the 1922 newspaper “Latvijas Kareivis” No. 113.21.05, the article “Historical Battle Memorial Sites” mentions that “the Latvian Riflemen Brothers’ Cemetery is still located in Nītaure, where clashes with the Germans also took place.”

On July 17, 1929, a commission went to Nītauri to inspect the burials, which found that approximately 100 soldiers of the Russian army were buried in Nītauri near the Orthodox church (it is worth noting that the Latvian rifle regiments were founded within the Russian army), but 6 Latvian riflemen were buried near the Lutheran grave: Otto Bērziņš (5th Semigallian Regiment), Kārkliņš (6th Tukums Rifle Regiment), Alfrēds Bedrītis (who fell near Cēsis in the Liberation Wars in 1919), Sviļums (rifleman), Žanis Krūtainis (5th Semigallian Regiment) and an unknown Latvian soldier.

In 1933, the riflemen buried near the Peļņu house were reburied in the Mālpils cemetery, but the remains of soldiers who fell in separate places in More parish were transferred to the Nītaure Brothers' Cemetery near the Nītaure Orthodox Church. 6 fallen soldiers who had been laid to rest in the Lutheran cemetery were also reburied here.

The Cēsis Museum holds a photograph by an unknown author, showing the Brothers' Cemetery in Nītaure before World War II.

After World War II, Soviet soldiers who fell in the battles of Nītaure and More were buried in these cemeteries, and all evidence that the Latvian Riflemen's Brothers' Cemetery was located here was eliminated. In 1984, the currently visible memorial ensemble of Soviet soldiers or Red Army soldiers was created.

Thus, the memorial site of Latvian fighters was wiped off the face of the earth.

In 2017, thanks to the initiative and work of Nītaure local history enthusiast and environmental guide Dace Eipure, a new memorial site was created in the territory of the old Brothers' Cemetery.

You can learn about the memorial site and the history of World War I in Nītaure in the program "Latvian Historical Adventures in Nītaure" by environmental guide Dace Eipure, by calling in advance and booking a visit at +371 29156765!