Awarding of the 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment in bermontiad, awarding of the great soldier Valija Veščūnas with the Lāčplēsis War Order in Alūksne
After the Latvian War of Independence, the great soldier Valija Veščunas was awarded the Lāčplēsis War Order for the November 19, 1919 battles with the Bermontians at the Plan House. Valija Veshchun was one of the first to cross the Lielupe under the fire of the enemy.
"I already knew how to shoot, and it was in 1919 in Spilve meadows. During this time our regiments had multiplied. We hid from enemy bullets behind the hoods of the wall. I don't know if someone was hit or not, but that's not the point. Even with the thought that a Latvian soldier might be injured, my heart was too much. I had already had to see the wounded, and that also provoked my hatred of Bermont and his gossip gang. Unconscious dissatisfaction with the insecure existence, of course, existed in the past, now it has materialized. I also had an understanding of the necessity and significance of the establishment of a permanent Latvian state. Bermont walked ahead of us, looted everything, but every soldier had a wife, children or parents, relatives at home, who had their mouths cut off. The Bermontians, coming to a foreign land, felt responsible only for their existence and their stomachs. We were responsible for the continued existence of our homeland and people, for the future of this small patch of land. Yes, then we drive them to the Stone. We simply did not allow the idea that we could lose, and so we won.
Our 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment had settled near Aluksne. The ceremony itself (presentation of the Lāčplēsis War Order) took place in about this way. The troops had lined up in the square, the order was awarded by the President of Latvia Čakste. I was invited to Alūksne Castle, where a festive lunch was held. After that, we watched the troop debts through the windows of Alūksne Castle. I only remember a few who were with me - Colonel Frickaus, his wife. ”
LNVM virtual exhibition "Knight of the Lāčplēsis War Order - Valerija Valija Veščuna-Jansone" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtOtskNlhZQ
Memories of Valija Valeria Veschun-Jansone. // Ralph Vilands. She was sixteen. Jūrmala, March 30, 1989, No. 13.
Aluksne Museum
LNVM virtual exhibition "Knight of the Lāčplēsis War Order - Valerija Valija Veščuna-Jansone" http://lnvm.lv/?p=12079
https://www.la.lv/skukis-kas-nebijas-naves
Related objects
Sudrabkalniņš hill - memorial for fight against Bermondt army
Located in Riga, Pardaugava, at the intersection of Sloka and Kurzeme Avenue.
At the beginning of November 1919, during the Latvian War of Independence, street battles between the Latvian Army and Bermont troops took place in Pardaugava. A decisive attack on the Bermont army took place in the area. In 1937, according to the project of Kārlis Zāle, a monument was unveiled in Sudrabkalniņa, honoring the fallen soldiers of the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment and highlighting the military features.
Designed as a memorial wall - a symbolic fortification, the gate of which depicts a lion blocking the path of an opponent's attack. Bricked from the stone blocks of the Daugavgrīva fortress protective wall and forged from the remaining granite of the Freedom Monument. The cost of the memorial site was almost 35,000 lats. For comparison, 4 “Ford - Vairogs V8 De Luxe” cars manufactured in Latvia could be purchased for such an amount.
Today you can see one of the most impressive places of remembrance of the War of Independence.
Alūksne Museum
The Alūksne Museum is located in an architectural monument of national significance: the neo-Gothic Alūksne New Castle built in the late 19th century. The museum features an exhibition named ‘Memorial Room for Victims of the Totalitarian Regime’, which tells about the fate of the inhabitants of Alūksne municipality in Siberia and the Far East, while the time periods from prehistory to the present meet in the Alūksne history exhibit ‘Feast of the Ages’. It features a separate section devoted to the contribution of the 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment to the military, culture and public life. The formation of the 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment began on 20 June 1919 in the Naukšēni Manor. Initially, a battle group of 22 officers and 1,580 soldiers was formed from the reserve battalion of the Northern Latvian Brigade, and was named the Dankers Division. It was included in the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Jelgava Regiment. On 23 August, following an increase in the number of companies, it became part of the 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment. Having taken part in the battles against Bermondt, on 5 January 1920, the regiment was transferred to the Latgale front to fight the Bolsheviks. After the signing of the Peace Treaty with Soviet Russia, the regiment guarded Latvia’s eastern border. The Latvian War of Independence saw the deaths of more than 200 soldiers of the regiment, while 85 were awarded the Lāčplēsis War Order. In 1921, the 7th Sigulda Infantry Regiment was stationed in Alūksne. The regiment’s headquarters were set up in the Alūksne New Castle. After World War II, the castle was taken over by Soviet security institutions. As of the late 1950s, the castle housed various cultural institutions: the Culture and Cinematography Department of the Executive Committee, a pioneer house, a library, a cinema and a museum.
Treasure House of the Free State
A unique exposition on the history of military and civil awards of the first free state of Latvia, as well as various organizations related to the activities of state and civil organizations in the period from the Latvian War of Independence to the Second World War.
Several hundred different historical evidences from Latvian and foreign private collections are exhibited in the exhibition house, covering the period from 1918 to 1940, revealing the pages of the history of Latgale and Rēzekne.
