National partisans/ Forest brothers
II WW2, III National partizans

The Forest Brothers’ Bunker is located by the Riga-Pskov (A2) highway 76 kilometres from Riga and 11 kilometres from Cēsis. The Latvian national partisans or Forest Brothers were small, armed groups of local residents who fought their independent battles against the occupation regime of the USSR in the territory of Latvia from 1944 to 1956. Forced to hide in the forests, these were people who could not or did not want to live in the Soviet Union. A total of around 20,193 Forest Brothers operated in Latvia. The bunker was formed based on the stories and memories of former Forest Brothers about life in the forests, hiding and fighting for the independent state of Latvia after 1945. The bunker showcases armaments and household items. The personal belongings, weapons and photos of partisans are on display. The guide’s narration is enriched by a video from interviews with Forest Brothers. There is a place for picnic campfires by the bunker. It is possible to pre-order a soup prepared on the fire or enjoy an evening of outdoor cinema by the fire.

It is located in the Griva forest massif.
Six objects related to the places of national and Soviet partisan battles are under consideration.
In the forest massif of Griva, there are not only the headquarters of the "Purvsaliņi" national partisans, the White Cross in the bunker of the national partisans and the cross to the commander of the resistance movement Andrejas Roskoš, but also the grave of the Soviet partisan brigade commander Artūrs Balož, a monument on the so-called Maiden Hill, where a Soviet partisan died in 1944 the group of young partisans of the brigade, as well as a monument to the Soviet partisans with a five-pointed star and the engraved words "Let's cover ourselves with needles".

It is also possible to view the objects by going for a ride with a two-wheeler on bicycle route no. 785 - "Rhymes of history in the forests of Griva" (route length 34 km, gravel and forest roads). Map for download.

Memorial place for the commander of the national partisan group Andrejas Roskoš (GPS 56.87399, 27.43524)
In the autumn of 1997, the White Cross was discovered in Lielgrivas forest for the commander of the national partisan group Andrejas Roskoš.

Monument to Artūrs Balodis (GPS 56.872926, 27.478121)
Artūrs Balodis was a Soviet partisan, the commander of special tasks of sub-unit A, which was stationed in the Griva forest massif. Fell in the extensive "combing" carried out by the occupiers of Nazi Germany. The comrades carved the letters AB in the birch tree at the place where he died, so that it would not be forgotten. After the war, local researchers found the marked birch and installed a commemorative plaque in its place.

For all those who fell in the forests of Griva (GPS 56.863280, 27.47975)
This commemorative stone in the Griva forest massif has been installed by VAS "Latvijas valsts meži" in honor of the partisans who fought for their homeland. Next to the memorial stone, there is a map-scheme with indications of the partisans' headquarters and places of interest. There is also a rest area. Nearby is the settlement of the national partisans, 1945-1947.

National partisans settlement (GPS 56.863456, 27.481148)
In this place there were settlements of national partisans who fought against the Soviet occupation. The places of individual bunkers have been preserved, by their visual appearance you can judge how big and what shape the dugouts were. National partisans, resisting the Soviet power, operated in the forests of Griva for several years after the end of the Second World War.

Griva forest memorial ensemble, dugout (GPS 56.860665, 27.490439)
It was built in memory of the Soviet partisans who lived in the forests of Griva. Guerrillas blew up the local railway network and trains to disrupt the supply of ammunition, food, etc. to the Nazi German army. Memorial stones have been placed in places where trenches were dug during the war. In the restored dugout you can feel the atmosphere of wartime.

Girls' hill (GPS 56.858187, 27.521526)
In June 1944, the occupiers of Nazi Germany carried out an extensive "combing" of the Griva forests with the intention of destroying the partisans. The soldiers on the hill of Numerne besieged the economic company, which consisted mostly of young girls, and all of them were shot. Since these tragic events, Numerne hill was renamed Meitenu hill by local residents. A memorial stone has been erected at this location.

Honoring the memory of the national partisan commander Pēteras Supes, on May 28, 2005, a monument dedicated to him was unveiled in Vilakas. It is placed near the Viļaka Catholic Church, on the edge of the trenches dug during the war, where the Chekists buried the shot national partisans. A capsule with the names of 386 fallen national partisans, battle descriptions and materials about the partisan commander is placed under the monument dedicated to P.Supem. The words engraved in stone: "I remained faithful to you, Latvia, until my last breath".
The monument was created by Pēteris Kravalis.

Next to it is a memorial place in the Stompaki forest and other places of battle for Latvian freedom fighters who fell and were murdered by the Chekists in 1944-1956.
On June 20, 2008, a granite plaque with the names of 55 fallen partisans arranged in three columns was discovered on the right wall.
The monument was erected in the place where the communist occupation authorities once displayed the remains of the murdered partisans to intimidate the rest of the population.

Words of thanks to Pēteris Supe and a poem by Bronislava Martuževa are engraved on the adjacent plaque:
"Get up, Peter Supe,
Soul, in battle!
Today Your blood sacrifice,
Risen in the nation.
Go out to live forever
In the strength and vigor of the young,
Wraps, flutters, folds
In the rising flag!"

Sērmūkši is home to one of more than a hundred memorials to partisan battles in Latvia. There are more than six hundred partisan battle sites in Latvia. A Latvian national partisan dugout has been built based on historical evidence, and visitors can spend the night in near-authentic conditions with plank beds, lighting provided by kerosene lamps and a heating device similar to the ones used by partisans. Visits must be booked in advance. The fateful moment for the Sērmūkši National Partisan Group came on 29 November 1946 with the deaths of four fighters from the group: Jānis Zīrāks, Reinholds Pētersons, Jānis Pīlands and Anna Zariņa. Alfrēds Suipe survived, endured deportation, returned to Latvia and saw the restoration of a free state. He initiated the idea to establish a memorial site for his fallen companions in Sērmūkši.

Located in "Čūskubirzs", Alsviķi parish, Alūksne district.

The memorial stone was unveiled on August 21, 2018. Akmeņkalis Ainārs Zelčs.

A bunker site has been preserved here in the forest massif, where in June 1947 the head of the communications department of the Latvian National Partisan Association Antons Circāns came to meet with the partisan representatives led by Bruno Bucalder to organize and maintain contacts between certain groups of national partisans. Anton Circan's goal was not achieved, because on July 7, 1947, near Drusti, he died.

Located in Veclaicene parish, Alūksne region.

Opened on October 4, 2019. Akmeņkalis Ainārs Zelčs.
On March 13, 1953, in the forests of Veclaicene, not far from the Koruļi house, the Chekists opened a carefully disguised bunker and arrested Bernhard Ābelkok and Elmārs Tortūze.
Weapons were found in the bunker: 2 German rifles and 95 rounds, 2 Parabellum pistols and 152 rounds.
On November 11, 1949, Czech agents K. Dokti-Doktenieki were shot and his group broke up. After the attack, B. Ābelkoks and E. Tortūzis hid for some time in a bunker near the Maskaļi house, but from the spring of 1951, with the support of Ilona Ābolkalns, they built a bunker in Koruļi, where they lived until their arrest.

The Broņislava Martuževa Museum is situated on the site of the poet’s childhood home in Indrāni parish, Madona municipality. The museum’s exhibit is located in a renovated barn featuring voice and video evidence from the National Resistance Movement and the work of the poet in publishing an underground magazine, as well as composing poetry and songs for national partisans. Broņislava Martuževa was involved with the resistance movement since its inception. Lazdiņas, Martuževa’s home which has not survived, also served as a place of refuge for Pēteris Supe, Head of the Latvian National Partisan Association, and his comrades-in-arms. The poet spent five years hiding in the basement of her home, meeting with partisans, writing poetry (including work dedicated to partisans Pēteris Supe, Vilis Toms, Smilga Group, Laivenieks, Salns, Celmiņš, Bruno Dundurs and others), as well as writing songs and teaching them to partisans. Now, her songs are sung by the ‘Baltie lāči’ group (literally: ‘White Bears’). In 1950, the ‘Dzimtene’ magazine (literally: ‘Motherland’) was published underground together with Vilis Toms. The poet transcribed 11 issues of the magazine, 10 copies each, by hand. The poet, her brother, sister, mother and Vilis Toms were arrested in 1951. Bronislava Martuževa returned from Siberia in 1956. Recognised locally and nationally, the poetry barn is visited by both local residents and guests of the municipality. Learning about the poet’s life gives you the opportunity to discover the fate of Latvia.

Located in Indrāni Parish, Lubāna New Cemetery.

A memorial place to the fallen soldiers of the Latvian Legion and national partisans can be seen

The memorial was opened on July 25, 1992. The memorial stone was created by Andris Briezis.

At the beginning of the Awakening, in October 1990, Kārlis Doropoļskis, a member of the Helsinki 86 human rights group, received permission from the authorities to resume the joint burial of Latvian legionnaires the cemetery of the brothers, which was arranged in the new cemetery of Lubāna. A total of 26 fallen legionnaires and national partisans were buried in the brothers' cemetery.

Located in Ziemera Parish, State Forest Quarter 66.

The memorial site was unveiled on July 10, 2020.
In the second stage of the Latvian national partisan movement, in the middle of 1948, a group of 4 people - Viks Pētersi, Stebers Rolands, Bukāns Ilgmārs and Kangsepa Elvīra separated from J. Bitāna-Liepačs unit in Mālupe-Beja parishes and . The location of the partisans was near the Estonian border, near the Riga-Pskov highway, on a hill in a thoroughly built bunker.
On March 2, 1950, when the Chekists opened the bunker, the partisans hid in a barn made of boulders on the Estonian side of Napke's house. After a long and intense shooting on March 3, 1950, the Chekists managed to set fire to the barn. Ilgmārs Bukāns, Rolands Stebers and Elvira Kangsepa burned down together with their newborn daughter. Peter Wick jumped out of the barn window and hid in the attic of the house, where he was also found and shot. The farm was burned. The bodies of all the fallen partisans were taken to Alūksne. A memorial was erected at the site of the fighters' deaths in the early 1990s. Elvira Kangsep's daughter, born in a burning barn, was given the name Liesma.

The Stompaki Bog Area is a specially protected nature and NATURA 2000 territory located between the cities of Balvi and Viļaka. The eastern part of the bog features a marked 1.5-kilometre trail that crosses the forest and also a small part of the high bog (wooden footbridges), leading to five islands within the bog where the national partisans had built residential bunkers. Information stands along the edges of the trail tell about the local natural values and historical events. There is a rest area by the trail. Directions from the P35 road will help visitors find the trail. In early March 1945, one of the largest national partisan settlements in the Baltic States was established at the Stompaki Camp. About 350 to 360 people lived here, including 40 to 50 women. Starting from January 1945, national partisans carried out regular attacks on the military personnel of the occupation regime and their supporters. The camp had a bakery, a church bunker and 25 residential bunkers, immersed halfway into the ground, for accommodating 8 to 30 people. The bunker sites are still visible today. The Battle of Stompaki, the largest battle in the history of Latvian national partisan battles, took place here on 2-3 March 1945. The anti-partisan forces consisted of a total of about 483 soldiers, including subunits of the 2nd and 3rd Rifle Battalions of the 143rd Rifle Regiment of the NKVD 5th Rifle Division, the rifle platoon (armed with submachine guns), mortar company, reconnaissance and sapper platoons, as well as the so-called ‘istrebitel’ (destruction) fighters.

A 3 m high white plaque with the names of the Latvian national partisans shot on July 2, 1946 can be seen. A nearby dugout has been restored. To make it easier to find this place, there is a sign on the side of Vietalva with the inscription "White Cross".

During the Second World War, there was an active war in the vicinity of Vietalva, and the events after the end of the war were also related to it. In the post-war years, the so-called “Pārupa Group” operated here, led by Rihards Pārups (1914 - 1946).
In 1946, 10 partisans were shot dead in the area due to treason.

A memorial stone to the Pārups group has also been erected in Jēkabpils near the Krustpils Lutheran Church.

The project was implemented by former activists of the Uldis Eiduks youth guard group.
From the side of Pļaviņas, the memorial can be reached by walking on wooden footbridges and in spring and autumn the accessibility of the object can be difficult.

Video story about the exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Rihards Pārups

It is located 15 km from Balvi in the direction of Viļakas, on the right side of the road.

A memorial is visible.

The memorial to the members of the resistance movement, dedicated to the memory of the national partisans of Pēteras Supes who fell in the battles of March 2 and 3, 1945, on the side of the Balva - Viļaka highway opposite the Stompaki swamp, was opened on August 11, 2011, on the day of remembrance of Latvian freedom fighters. At the end of July, a capsule with a message for future generations was embedded in the base of the monument. A document with the names of 28 national partisans who fell in the battles of March 2 and 3, 1945 is placed in the capsule.

"In February 1945, Latvia's largest national partisan camp was established on the islands of the Stompaku swamp, which the people began to call the islands of the Stompaku swamp, 2 km from the Balvu - Viļaka highway, where 360 people lived in 22 dugouts. Among them, some legionnaires who, for the legion division retreating, they had stayed at their father's house with all their weapons. In order to destroy the partisans, on March 2, 1945, the soldiers of two battalions of Czech troops attacked the dugouts together with destroyers, which also had four mortars in their armament. The battles took place all day, the partisans resisted stubbornly, and the attackers suffered suffered great losses, so that they could not capture the camp and destroy the partisans. 28 inhabitants of the Stompaku swamp had also fallen or died after being seriously injured in the battle. The next night, the partisans broke the siege of the camp with a battle and left undefeated" - this is what a member of the national resistance movement of the award department writes about the Stompaku battle chairman of the case commission, Zigfrīds Berķis.

The exhibit ‘Abrene Rooms’ is located near the city centre of Viļaka. It covers the period from 1920 to 1960 when Viļaka was part of Jaunlatgale, Abrene district, and became the centre of Viļaka district and Abrene municipality. The exhibit is located in the building with the most interesting and diverse history in Viļaka. Initially located on the old Marienhausen Market Square, it later housed apartments, offices and various shops and, during World War  II, the Latvian Self-Defence headquarters, the Gestapo and also the Cheka. The exhibit features items from the national partisan camp in the Stompaki Bog, which are related to the national partisan movement in the Latgale region, as well as documents and photos associated with the War of Independence. With a guided tour booked in advance, the owner, Dzintars Dvinskis, will present the testimonies available in the exhibit.

In 2023, an exhibition for military heritage in Northern Latgale was created.

Located in Mālupe Parish, Alūksne District.

The memorial stone was unveiled on October 13, 2017. Akmeņkalis Ainārs Zelčs.

On August 24, 1945, in the Dubna forests of Latgale, the Latvian National Partisan Association (LNPA) was established with the aim of restoring the Republic of Latvia in 1918. Regional headquarters were set up to better coordinate the activities of the guerrilla groups. National partisan groups operating in Beja, Mālupe and Mārkalne parishes united in the Priedolaine sector. The regional headquarters was headed by Jānis Liepacis. Propaganda divisions were established at each regional headquarters. One of them, the commander of which was Jānis Bitāns, was formed in the forest massif of Mālupe parish. Here, in the bunker, from 1946 to 1948, five press publications of the Latvian National Partisan Association “Mazais Latvis”, “Liesma”, “Auseklis”, “Māras Zeme” and “Tautas Sargs” were printed. The youth resistance movement “Dzimtenes Sili” of Alūksne Gymnasium was involved in the preparation and dissemination of information.

Located in Ilzene Parish, Alūksne District.

The memorial stone was unveiled on September 28, 2018. Akmeņkalis Ainārs Zelčs.

From the autumn of 1944, the inhabitants of these Ilzene parish houses supported the national partisans led by Voldemar Anderson ("Old"), whose bunker was located in a thicket near the forest. On November 23, 1945, the bunker was surrounded by NKVD soldiers. Nine fighters were killed in the battle. After it, 2 machine guns, 14 submachine guns, 11 rifles, 10 pistols, 3,500 rounds, 45 grenades, 4 binoculars were found. The destruction of Voldemar Anderson's group was planned in the case of the Czech agency "Chain" ("Цепь").

The group consisted of Voldemārs Pāvels Andersons (“Old”), Gaston Dzelzkalējs, Voldemārs Tonnis, Centis Eizāns, Osvalds Kalējs, Jānis Koemets, Stāvais (“Polis”), Voldemārs Rappa, Eduards Rappa, Elmārs Rappa (survived).

It is located in the premises of the Preiļi Cultural Center.

Preiļi Museum of History and Applied Art (PVLMM) exhibition "Museum stories for Latvia" about the First World War, the War of Independence and the Second World War can be viewed.

The "Story of Drywys" section of the exhibition "Museum Stories for Latvia" (opened in 2018) of the Museum of Preiļi History and Applied Arts is dedicated to the First World War, the War of Independence and the liberation of Latgale, as well as to the knights of the Lāčplešana War Order. The exhibition section "The story of the flag" tells about the difficult events of the Second World War period, during which the people of Preila were affected by deportations, the Holocaust, involvement in the military units of the warring parties, and after the war - in the ranks of national partisans. The "Righteous Among the Nations" medal awarded to Vladislav Vuškānas, the savior of the Jews from Preiliat, can also be viewed.

Upon prior application, a tour is available in Russian and English.

The bunker of the national partisans of Peter Chever is located in Lauciene municipality, about 4 km from the Talsi-Upesgrīva road. A trail covered with wood chips leads to the bunker.  The renovated 31 square metre bunker is made of a concrete frame finished with half-logs of logs to create an authentic feel.

Captain Chever's group completed the bunker in the forest near Vangzene at the end of October 1949. It was planned to survive the winter of 1949-50. On 3 February 1950, the local forester betrayed the partisans and the bunker was attacked by a Cheka unit of more than 300 soldiers. At that time there were 19 people in the bunker - 17 men and two women. Six partisans fell in this unequal battle, but the others managed to break through two chains of Cheka siege by fighting their way through. By the end of the winter the partisans took refuge in surrounding houses with their supporters, but in the spring the group reunited until it was captured and destroyed in November 1950. After an attack by Cheka troops, the bunker was blown up and before it could be rebuilt, only a water-filled pit remained.

The memorial is located near the Zlēki Manor ensemble, in the western part of Karātavkalns.  Around twenty boulders with the names of the people killed form a circle, and in the centre is a black marble obelisk about three metres high.

Some of those killed have been reburied at the Zlēki memorial.

In December 1944, in the vicinity of Zlēki, the German Nazi army carried out a large-scale operation against the civilian population.In the combat action log of Army Group Nord, an entry was made at 17.30 on 9 December 1944 that 161 people belonging to the "Rubens Brigade and units of the Red Arrow" had been killed on the enemy side during the action. In Soviet times, this figure was apparently taken as the total number of victims of the Zlēki tragedy, referring to civilians killed.

The course of the action is partly documented in the report of the head of the counter-intelligence section of the German 16th Army of 31 December 1944. It explains that from 5 to 9 December, under the leadership of the highest SS and police leader in Ostland, SS Oberruppenführer and Police General Friedrich Jekeln, a large-scale operation took place at Eichensumpf ("Oak Swamp") against the "Red Arrows" and the remnants of General Kurel's group at Abava.

The "Duncs Bunker" with the memorial plaque "Patriotic Hawks" is located in Otaņķu municipality, in the place where the first bunker of the partisan group of the national resistance organisation "Patriotic Hawks" was located.

In the winter of 1945/46, in the village of Ķīburi in Barta parish, three patriotic men, led by Alfred Tilib (a former legionary of the 19th SS Division), founded the national resistance movement "Tēvijas Hawks", which soon had about 200 members from different places: Liepāja, Aizpute, Nīca, Dunika, Grobiņa, Barta, Gavieze. This movement fought for the liberation of Latvia.

The size of the bunker in which the partisans were housed was 4 x 4 m and was made of thick, horizontally laid logs. It was entered from above through a trapdoor with a small pine tree growing out of it, under which was a ladder. The hatches were on two floors, each with a place for 7-8 men to sleep. Unfortunately, the bunker was found and blown up in 1947.

Today, a depression can be seen in the ground where the bunker was. The site is located in the forest and can be freely accessed by anyone at any time without prior reservation.

A picnic area with a shelter is available nearby.

The memorial plaque was unveiled on 9 September 2005. The granite stele was erected by the Latvian National Partisans' Association in cooperation with the Municipality of Nīca, the Barta Forestry and the Rudes Primary School.

The object has the status of a cultural and historical monument of the region

The bunker is located in Zebrene municipality, less than 1km from the P104 Biksti - Auce road. 

The largest bunker in the Baltic States was built in 1948 in the forests of Īle by the partisans of the united Latvian-Lithuanian group to continue their fight against the Soviets. The 27-strong group was led by the young commander Kārlis Krauja (real name Visvaldis Brizga).

On 17 March 1949, the 24 partisans, who were in a bunker at the time, fought their last battle against the 760-strong force of the Ministry of State Security, or Cheka. 15 guerrillas were killed, nine were captured and deported to Siberia with their supporters.
 
In 1992, the Home Guards, together with the Daugava Hawks and representatives of patriotic organisations, dug up the bunker, collected the bones of the fallen fighters and buried them in the Virki Cemetery in Dobele. A White Cross, a memorial stone and a granite stele were erected at the bunker.
 
In the mid-1990s, the outline of the bunker was already traced and reinforced with internal walls, but it was not until the 60th anniversary of the battle that the bunker was rebuilt exactly as it was before it was blown up. Many supporters and volunteers helped to make it happen.
 
Inside the bunker you can see a stove, a table and narrow benches on which the partisans slept. There are information boards, memorial stones with the names of the partisans and their supporters. 

There is a resting place and a toilet. 

The memorial is located at the intersection of Striķu and Lauku Street.

The tragically bloody event that took place at this place took place during peacetime on 24 February 1950 in Saldus, on Striķu (then 5. augusta) Street, near the 33rd and 35th houses. In the 33rd house of this street, after the destruction of the Zemgale group of forest brigades with its headquarters bunker in the forests of Īle in March 1949, three forest brigades were still alive and uncaptured, including the group commander himself, Kārlis Krauja (real name Visvaldis Brizga), and his associate Vilis Krusts. They had hoped to spend the winter of 1950 at the Bergmanis' home in Saldus, but they were rounded up and tracked down. The two houses were besieged by about 30 Chekists and a fierce battle took place early in the morning. The Chekists were fired on from both houses, but, losing to overwhelming odds, the two partisans tried to escape to the nearby Veide forest. However, the Chekists shot partisan Krusta already on the stairs of the house, and Krauja - about 80 metres further towards the forest.

Both houses were set on fire, the occupants having been asked to come out beforehand and promised that their lives would be spared. There are reports that people did come out, but they were shot on the spot anyway. Among the people shot or suffocating in the smoke were the father and son Kursinski from House 35, who had supported the partisans, but also Leontine Ezerkalni, a resident of the Kursinski house, who had no knowledge of her landlord's connections with the forest brigades, was shot.

It is located on Rīgas Street near the Krustpils Lutheran Church.

On September 22, 1996, a memorial stone to Rihards Pārups and the group of national partisans led by him was unveiled in Krustpilis. The memorial stone was created by the sculptor Ilgvars Mozulāns, but its creation was financially supported by the speaker of the Saeima, Ilga Kreituse. This event was organized by the board of the National Partisan Association of Latvia.

Rihards Pārupa's national partisans,
who were murdered by the Cheka special group
Rihards Pārups (1914 - 1946 2.VII)

Group commander
Rihards Stulpiņš (1923 - 1946. 2. VII)
Alberts Avotiņš (1912 - 1946. 2. VII)
Eric Juhna (1928. -1946. 2. VII)
Aleksandrs Lācis (1919 - 1946. 2. VII)
Pēteris Lācis (1921 - 1946. 2. VII)
Jānis Ēvalds Zālītis (Āboliņš) (1911 - 1946 2. VII)
Siegfried Bimstein, Theodor Schmidt (... - 1946. 2. VII)
Uldis Šmits (... - 1946. 2. VII)
Pēteris Lazdāns (1926 - 1947. VI)
Eric Konvals (1929 – 1947. VI)
Niklas Ošiņš (1908 – 1954. 12.X) – executed in Riga
Alberts ħiķauka (1911 – 1972. II) – imprisoned in the Mordovian camp

Rihards Pārups was born on June 11, 1914, in "Kakšiš" of Krustpils parish. During the Second World War, he was a sergeant in the anti-tank division of the 15th Latvian Division. Participated in national partisan operations in the vicinity of Jēkabpils and Madonas and was a member of the National Resistance Movement, unit leader in the vicinity of Jēkabpils and Madonas. Rihards Pārups fell in battle with Czech troops on July 2, 1946 in Vietalva parish. Unfortunately, the burial place is unknown. A commemorative plaque has been installed in the Riga Brothers' Cemetery. In the fall of 1945, a group of national partisans, led by R. Pārups, was formed in the Jēkabpils district. During its short existence, it participated in more than twenty armed clashes with units of the then Ministry of the Interior. In the report of Cheka's colonel Kotov to the Riga headquarters, it is stated that the activities of the Soviet authorities in Jēkabpils and Madona districts were effectively paralyzed as a result of the group's activities during this time. The national partisans led by R. Parupa found and destroyed several lists to be sent out, thus saving the lives of many people. The leadership of the Security Committee, unable to destroy the national partisan unit in an open battle, infiltrated into it four people from the Czech special group, who shot ten partisans of the unit, including R. Parup, on the night of July 2, 1945. In 1947, two more were shot near Jaunkalsnava, and in 1951, one member of this unit was shot. After twenty-five years of hard labor in the Mordovia camp, a few days before liberation, the fourteenth partisan of the group led by R. Parupas died.

On 1 January 1946, one of the biggest battles between the national partisans and the Cheka, or Soviet occupation State Security Committee, took place between Kabila and Renda near the "Apūznieki" houses. The partisans, among whom was the commander of the group, Fricis Kārkliņš, went after hay on the horses of the forest brigades. He left Ēvalds Pakulis as commander. The scouts reported that a Cheka unit was approaching the dugouts. Pakulis sent a partisan detachment - 25 well-armed men - to meet them. The bullets of the enemy wiped out the lives of three men - Kārlis Kristolds, Emītis Šmits and Ādolfs Kūrējs - but about 50 men fell on the Cheka side. Two of the fallen men are buried in the forest where these events once took place, and a memorial to them has been created.

Today, new bunkers are being discovered in the forests, which once sheltered almost 20 000 people who did not support the Soviet occupation and were uncooperative, or who hid in the forests for other reasons, such as fear for their lives, safety, etc. 

The Soviet partisan unit was formed on 30 September 1944, when 19 soldiers of the German 283rd Police Battalion, under the leadership of Vladimir Semyonov, deserted with their weapons. The battalion was formed in 1943 from volunteers from the Latgale region and took part in the anti-partisan operations of the German occupation authorities in the territory of Latvia and Belarus.

The unit was called "Semyonov Unit" after its commander and only at the end of the war adopted the name of "Red Arrows", which was already spread by Soviet propaganda after WWII. By December 1944, the unit had 300-400 partisans. Most of them were escaped Red Army soldiers, former Legionnaires, including fighters left after the destruction of General Kurel's group. Although many Red Army reconnaissance groups were active in Kurzeme at this time, they avoided close cooperation because the activities of the commander of the partisan unit and its main core in the ranks of the German police were too suspicious. The Red Arrow's activities were relatively poorly organised and more focused on waiting for the end of the war. During its activities it carried out extensive terrorising of the local population.

Vladimir Semyonov, the first commander of the Red Arrow, drowned on the night of 10 December 1944 while knee deep tried to cross the swollen Abava River. His corpse was found only in the spring of 1945 and buried. He was reburied in Kuldīga in 1961.

The monument is located on the site of the "Red Arrow" and other guerrilla camps in the area (about 50-70 people), which on 7 March 1945 was surrounded and attempted to be destroyed by German troops.

Located in the central part of Anna parish Ezeriņi cemetery.

In the cemetery, where the burials have been made since 1925, there is a monument to the soldiers of Anna Parish who died in the First World War and the Latvian Liberation War, built with the funds collected by the Department of Guard of Anna Parish and unveiled in 1933. Until the Second World War, the guards of Anna Parish took care of the care of the monument, who went to the cemetery every Sunday and laid flowers in honor of the fallen. On November 18, 1940, the monument was shot, and the footprints of the bullets are still visible. Today, the cemetery commemorates Lāčplēsis Day every year.

In 2004, a memorial to the politically repressed in 1941 and 1949 was unveiled in the cemetery, and in 2006 a memorial plaque to the national partisans was unveiled.

The historical exhibit ‘Fire of Conscience’ is located in Cēsis, near the Cēsis Castle Square. Established in a Soviet-era temporary detention facility, it tells about the occupation of Latvia and reveals surprising and heroic stories of resistance from individuals. The yard features a memorial wall with the names of 643 residents of the former Cēsis district who died in Soviet repressions, including national partisans deported in 1941 and 1949 and those shot and sentenced to death. The exhibit’s timeline encourages visitors to study the course of the occupation of Latvia from 1939 to 1957. Arranged by topics, quotes from local newspapers offer a comparison of the political propaganda of the two occupation regimes. The six cells for temporary detention have survived to the present day in their original form from 1940 to 1941 and the post-war years. Here, the residents of Cēsis district, detained for various anti-Soviet activities, including national partisans, their supporters, young people who distributed anti-Soviet leaflets and other ‘traitors of the motherland’, were held for several days during the initial investigation and interrogation before being sent to the main KGB Building in Riga. Everything here is real: cells with iron doors, built-in ‘kormushkas’ (small openings for providing food), plank beds, a latrine for detainees, a small kitchen with an oven, as well as typical Soviet-era oil paint on the walls. In 2019, the exhibit was ranked third in the national design competition, the Latvian Design of the Year Award.

Located in "Daiņkalni", Rauna parish, Rauna district (near Smiltene district, Brantu parish "Mežviju" house.

Getting to the memorial site only once a year - on April 16! The road leads through private property.

The memorial site is located on the site of the former “Daiņkalni” and “Graškalni” houses in Rauna Parish, under which a group of national partisans led by Dailonis Breiks (nickname Edgars, 1911-1952) hid in the bunkers created from 1950 to 1952. The group of D.Breiks' national partisans was established in 1948 and until 1950 they lived in "Jaunvieslavēni" of Gatarta parish with the owner Kārlis Lāčs. In 1950, D.Brixis' partisan group was handed over by his own brother Laimonis, so they were forced to move. During the summer they lived in the forests, but the winters were spent in Rauna parish “Daiņkalni” near the forester Artūrs Pērkons (1907-1952) and in the adjacent “Graškalni” bunkers set up under the house.

Since 2002, the memorial site in Daiņkalns has been gradually improved. Memorial events are held every year on April 16 to commemorate the national partisans led by Dailonis Breiks. In April 2003 and 2004, memorial crosses and plaques were erected near the houses of Daiņkalni and Graškalni. In the autumn of 2016 - in the spring of 2017, with the help of local Raunēni people, the memorial site was reconstructed according to the sketch of the architect Z.Butāns, as well as the site of the former bunker was excavated and strengthened.

Memorial stone to Latvian Legion lieutenant and national partisan Alfred Riekstiņš, who died near the "Dreimaņi" house on September 11, 1952

On September 11, 1952, Alfred Riekstiņš, a lieutenant of the 19th SS Grenadier Division (Latvian No. 2) of the Latvian Legion and a Knight of the Iron Cross, died in the yard of the "Dreimaņi" house. On May 9, 1945, Alfred Riekstiņš from Pāvilosta arrived in Sweden with one of the last boats. On August 30, 1952, Alfrēds Riekstiņš, together with two former Latvian soldiers, landed in Kurzeme on behalf of the US intelligence services. The security services of the USSR knew about the operation and surrounded the intelligence officers in the shed of the "Dreimaņi" house, where Alfred Riekstiņš committed suicide by biting a poison ampoule.

Forest Brother Farm is close to the Latvian border in the village of Vastse-Roosa.

The bunker tourism attraction was opened in 1999, offering visitors a chance to experience the Forest Brothers’ way of life as a chapter in Estonian history. The programme includes searching for Forest Brothers in the hideout, visiting the bunker, learning about real-life events, singing Forest Brother songs with the host and sampling a Forest Brother meal or feast. The main attraction is the bunker, which is lined with narrow pine logs and embedded in the hillside. The bunker is furnished with bunk beds and a small table. These types of bunker were used during the late 1940s and early 1950s by hundreds of brave men in the resistance, burdened by the need to hide from the authorities.

Plans for this Forest Brothers memorial were hatched in early 2013, when the Internal Security Service identified the bodies found in a mass grave in Reedopalo near Võru. With the cooperation of Vastseliina municipality, the Võru regional unit of the Estonian Defence League and the Ministry of Defence, the location in the cemetery was decided upon and the necessary preparations were carried out. The reinterment of the 13 Forest Brothers took place on 21 September 2013. A year later, memorial sculptures designed by Mati Karmin were unveiled here, depicting small spruce trees carved out of stone. On 1 November 2015 a further four Forest Brothers whose bodies had been recovered from the secret mass grave in Reedopalo were reinterred here and more memorial spruces were unveiled in remembrance of those fallen in three different battles. Their actual graves remain unknown to this day.

The Puutlipalo monument and bunker site is situated in the village of Mutsu in Võru County. On 28 March 1953 the last large-scale skirmish took place between the Forest Brothers and the Soviet security forces in Puutlipalo. All eight people hiding in the woods were killed – three women and five men. The bunker was destroyed and the bodies brought out of the forest and buried in an unknown location.

This monument, dedicated to the fallen Forest Brothers, was unveiled on 20 May 1989 near the former site of the bunker. It was the first monument to Estonian resistance fighters erected while the country was still under Soviet occupation and the Forest Brothers were still officially referred to as bandits. Contrary to many similar monuments erected later, which were blown to pieces by the communists, the monument in Puutlipalo remained untouched owing to its hidden location. The original stone tablet is the only feature to have been replaced, as it was mistakenly inscribed (due to years of being kept secret by the state) with the name of a resistance fighter who died in another battle.

DNA tests done during an investigation by the Internal Security Service in January 2013 revealed the identities of the eight Forest Brothers killed in Puutlipalo. On Resistance Fighting Day that year they were reinterred in the cemetery in Vastseliina.

The Battle of Saika Bunker took place on 7 March 1951. The skirmish, which lasted for four hours, was one of the few in the history of the Forest Brothers in which the Soviet forces racked up losses comparable to those of the Forest Brothers themselves. Out of the eight Forest Brothers in the bunker, only two managed to escape. They were killed two years later in the Battle of Puutlipalo.

The memorial was opened on St John's Day in 2007 next to the main road. Avid hikers will also find the site of the bunker if they follow the forest paths south-east of the memorial for 700 metres. Battle site coordinates: 57°39'22.2”, 27°18'49.9" Note: Note that the coordinates carved into the Saika memorial spruce in the cemetery in Vastseliina are inaccurate.

Here, on 28 September 1978, two intelligence officers attempted to capture 69-year-old August Sabbe, who had been hiding from Soviet authorities for almost 30 years. However, capturing him alive proved impossible – following a scuffle, Sabbe threw himself into the Võhandu River and drowned. His body was recovered, taken to Tartu and buried in an unmarked grave in Raadi cemetery on 20 October that year. On the same day two decades later, his grave was marked with a tombstone. In 2002 a memorial to him was placed on the banks of the Võhandu River. Sabbe's pistol is on display in the Forest Brothers section of the main exhibition at Võru County Museum.

Põrgupõhja Bunker is situated in the woods near the village of Tiduvere in Rapla County.

By 1945 anti-Soviet dissent had developed into organised resistance movements in many occupied lands, including Estonia. Attempts were made to unify fighter groups and establish a network. This bunker, built in 1947, was an important stronghold for the Forest Brothers.
Fully reconstructed, Põrgupõhja Bunker was opened in 2015, showcasing the everyday life of the Forest Brothers. Anyone interested can spend the night in the bunker and imagine what it must have been like to live in hiding.

Adjacent to it is the original site of the bunker, which was destroyed by the NKVD on 31 December 1947, plus its surrounding dirt wall and a memorial to the fallen Forest Brothers.

Entry is free and the museum room is open during the library's opening hours. The bunker is situated in an unrestricted part of the Defence Forces training area in Nursipalu. During training, gunfire can be heard in the vicinity. The last section of the road leading there may prove more demanding for drivers, but it is passable most of the time. The ground around the bunker can be wet.

The Battle of Lükka (Nursi) Bunker took place on 28 December 1945. Nine Forest Brothers were killed in the skirmish, and the aboveground bunker burnt down Three men managed to escape. The battle site was discovered after years of searching in 2008. A year later, a memorial to the battle was unveiled by the Võru-Valga road. The first excavations at the bunker site were carried out in 2010 and the museum room dedicated to the battle was opened that same year in the former schoolhouse in Nursi. (The typewriter used by the Forest Brothers is currently on display at Võru County Museum.)

After World War II, 20 men from Ehmja gathered to form a platoon of Forest Brothers. A log bunker was built in late 1945. The bunker was built on the ground and surrounded by a rampart. A shallow ditch surrounding the bunker substituted for a trench during emergencies. Eight metres from the site of the bunker stands a well 80 cm in diameter and 2.3 metres deep. On 20 January 1946, five members of the group were captured in a raid on one of the farms in Ehmja. For some reason, the men hiding in the bunker did not hear of this. The secret location of the bunker was known by the next day and was soon encircled by overwhelming forces. The Forest Brothers refused to surrender and were all killed in the hour-long shoot-out that ensued. Their bodies were taken to Haapsalu and buried in an unknown grave.

In September 2010 the ground beneath the bunker was investigated under the supervision of archaeologist Mati Mandel. They found 60 items: mostly bullet casings and cartridges, but also buttons, household items and more.

On 18 June 2011 a memorial was unveiled at the site of the bunker. This monument was made by the chairman of the Estonian Memento Union and Ungru Paekivi production manager Arnold Aljaste.

In 2020, a forest brother bunker was reopened in Lebavere forest. The bunker was created in 1944–1954 on the model of one of the bunkers of the forest brother Martin Tamme, who hid in the forest, based on the memories of his brother Kaljo Tamme. Martin Tamm lived in such a bunker for the last six years in the forest. In 2001, Väike-Maarja Parish built a bunker for visitors to visit, which was now out of date. Under the leadership of the Väike-Maarja Museum Friends Society, the same bunker and memorial plaque were restored in the forest.

For information and to visit the forest brother's bunker, contact the Väike-Maarja Museum Friends Society with the tour guide. Visiting the bunker with a tour guide is with a fee.

Ennuksemäe forest brothers’ bunker is located in the forest between the villages of Holstre and Mustla. The hiding spot was built by brothers Jaan and Evald Sova who were escaping the Soviet occupation forces in 1944. Later, a dozen of other forest brothers joined.

On 21 February 1945, the members of the NKVD attacked the bunker and seven forest brothers and two attackers were killed and five people taken prisoner in a battle that lasted for six hours. To lure the forest brothers out, the communists set the bunker on fire. The Ennuksemäe bunker is the largest in the history of the Estonian forest brothers.

In 2010, Tarvastu parish restored the bunker to its approximate size, but on 31 October 2016, it was destroyed in fire, just like in 1945. Viljandi Parish Council decided to restore the bunker in 2020 and construction began in November the same year.

The reconstructed bunker has two entrances and exits, six bunk beds, a wooden stove and a tunnel that connects it to the entrance at the foot of the hill. The bunker built in 2021 is safer than the one destroyed in the fire five years prior, as in order to protect wood from damage, concrete walls and a concrete ceiling and floor were built.

The bunker is open 24/7. It is possible to visit and stay over night without prior registration.

This boulder, embellished with three metal crosses, is dedicated to the Forest Brothers Priidu Mäe, Evald Pomerants and August Tuut, who were killed near Emmaste on 23 June 1951. Designed by Jaanus Rohusaar, the memorial was unveiled in Emmaste Cemetery in 2007.

This monument is situated in the village of Luulupe.

It was unveiled in 2020 in memory of the most famous Forest Brother from Saaremaa, Elmar Ilp, and his cohorts.

Ilp was a thorn in the side of the Soviet authorities from 1944 until 12 August 1950, and even intimidated the locals. The names Redese Toomson, Feliks Vahter, Aleksander Tuuling and most famous of all Elmar Ilp are inscribed on the monument, which is located in the centre of Luulupe and adorned with the symbols of the cohorts, who were known as The Flying Death.

This is a memorial to Ants Kaljurand, nicknamed Ants the Terrible, and the mass grave of Forest Brothers at Mihkli church yard.

The grave of the Mihkel Havi group of Forest Brothers is located in the cemetery in Mihkli. From the church in Mihkli, drive 650 metres towards Vanamõisa and turn north onto the road leading to the cemetery. The road runs on for 300 metres. The mass grave is near the main entrance.

Owing to his lively character, Ants Kaljurand was already the hero of many stories, some true and some made up, during his own lifetime and remained so for years after his execution. He took part in attacks against the Red Army in summer 1941, fought on the Eastern Front and continued offering resistance for five years after the second occupation of Estonia as a Forest Brother until he was arrested on St John's Day in 1949. In a court-martial he and his two comrades were sentenced to death. He was executed in Tallinn on 13 March 1951. His gravesite is unknown, as per countless other victims of communism. The cenotaph in his memory was unveiled near the church in Mihkli in 2011. In addition, the court ordered that 18 people associated with Ants the Terrible be deported and sentenced them to 10-25 years in a forced labour camp.

The group of Forest Brothers led by Mihkel Havi was captured in a raid on their bunker on 23 June 1949. Since the bunker was deep in the forest with no roads leading to it, those killed were buried on the spot in an unmarked mass grave that was found in 2001. They were then reinterred in Mihkli cemetery. In 2012 their grave was marked with a tombstone.

This museum is situated in the city centre of Võru.

The exhibition showcases the history of Võru County from the prehistoric era to the mid-20th century.

It also provides an overview of the birth of the Estonian Republic and the events of the War of Independence in the county. Moreover, the museum boasts one of the most detailed displays on the Forest Brothers in Estonia, including a replica of the interior of a Forest Brother bunker.

Exhibitions on a variety of subjects are regularly displayed in the exhibition hall, where history-themed museum courses can be attended.

The Battle of the Bunker in Ertsma took place on 27 February 1949. Constructed near the village of Ertsma, the bunker was home to a large group of Forest Brothers, the leaders of the Union of Armed Struggle and army privates. At 6.00 am that day, NKVD units surrounded the bunker. As many as 15 agents of the Ministry of State Security of the Estonian SSR and 350 soldiers are said to have taken part in the raid. Nine people were killed in the attack. One of the two surviving men was wounded and captured, while the other managed to escape. The wounded Forest Brother, Mihkel Ellermaa, was deported to Siberia. His wife and two-year-old daughter were among those killed. His older daughter had been at her grandmother's at the time.  It is still unknown where the dead were buried.

On 27 February 1994, exactly 45 years after the shootout, this memorial was unveiled by Kodesmaa Bog near the former site of the bunker.

It is located in the Kalna cemetery of Strazde parish, clearly visible from the Ventspils highway. The memorial stone was unveiled on October 1, 2005.

Text carved into the boulder:

SINGLE THOUGHTS FIRE IN OUR HEARTS –
THE LATVIA PEOPLE WILL NOT BE LOST

LUCIJA SAGAMEZE-NAGELE

NATIONAL PARTISANS
J. KALNOZOLA –
T. DAUGAVIESHA
FIGHTED THE COMMUNIST OCCUPIERS IN LEADERSHIP
AND FOR HOME KANGAROOS
STRAZDE, LAUCENES AND LIBAGU PARISHES
FOR A FREE LATVIA
1945 – 1950

IN THEIR MEMORY
2005

Next to the memorial stone is a commemorative plaque inscribed with the following text:

SOVIET CHECKS
ARRESTED, TORTURED, KILLED, SENT OUT
NATIONAL PARTISANS

(Names and birth years of 30 partisans follow.)

FOR THE NATIONAL PARTISANS
I AM BACK AMONG YOU IN LAUNDRY
BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE IT WOULD GO
IN YOUR PARISH AND ON THE WAYS OF YOUR ANCESTORS
EXPECT ME BACK
The year numbers (1945 - 1953) and the names of 36 fallen partisans are engraved on the granite slab at the foot of the monument.

On February 23, 1946, a bloody battle took place in the parish of Tārgale near Vārnuvalkas between the group of Latvian national partisans led by commander Brīvnieks at their camp site and the fighter division of the Soviet occupation army. Six partisans died in the battle, and the local residents secretly buried them right there in the forest. Later, two more shot dead were buried there without trial and verdict. Locally, this corner of the forest was called the Dzelzkalns graves, which for many years only experts knew how to find - by the sign of the cross in the fir tree.
A monument to the memory of the national partisans has been installed in the cemetery. Names engraved in stone for partisans who worked in the Puze-Pilten partisan group. There is also a memorial stone for Lieutenant Robert Ruben next to it.
In the summer of 1989, the members of the Ugāle branch of the LNNK in the Dezkalni area of Zūru meža placed birch crosses on the national burial place of the Puzes-Piltenes group who fell on February 23, 1946, and searched for the relatives of the fallen in Latvia and abroad.
On April 27, 1991, with the participation of relatives of the fallen, representatives of national organizations from several countries, the graves were consecrated by theology professor Roberts Akmentiņš, and they were named the graves of the Iron Brothers.
On June 20, 1992, a monument dedicated by August Adler was opened in the cemetery. The monument was made by Kārlis Stepans according to the design planned by the LNNK Ugāle branch with minor modifications. The expenses were covered by a few people. The monument was installed and the foundations were created by guards of the Ventspils Guards Regiment, members of LNNK and LDV Ugāle branches. The text is engraved in the upper part of the monument:

The memorial stone is located in the territory of Laumu Nature Park. Laumu Nature Park offers diverse recreation for the whole family. It is a nature park created and cared for by the owners of the "Laumas" property, which offers several trails exploring natural processes: a plant trail, a bee trail, a forest trail, and a bird trail. For the most active park visitors, there is also a sports trail with various obstacle courses for testing dexterity, sense of balance, jumping and other skills. The park is well-maintained, it has a cafe, guest house, camping cabins, as well as places for tents, rest and picnics.

The Otanki local museum is located in the yard of the former Rude school.

The guide's narration about the bunker and its creators, their further fate. A model of the bunker created by the students of the former Rude school (according to the partisans' own narrative) and a spatial map of the forest area of those times with marked houses of supporters and contacts can be viewed. Bunker household exhibits collected.

Advance application by phone 26323014 or email lelde.jagmina@gmail.com.

The burial place of Cheka victims is located near the Chumalu lake in Lībagu parish, near the Talsu - Laucienes road. In 1946-1947, 14 people were shot here. There is a version that among the shot dead are supporters of the Forest Brothers.

Talsi prosecutor's office has information about this case. Further research is required.

The railway line Ventspils - Mazirbe, as well as the Stende - Dundaga extension to Mazirbe with a branch to Pitrags, were intended only for strategic military needs. During the construction of these lines, and afterwards, all civilians were evacuated from the region. The main task of the military railways in the Irbe Strait area was to provide the German army's coastal defence positions with guns and ammunition.

These military-only military railways also connected the three most important lighthouses, located in Oviši, Mikeltornis and Šlītere.

Nevertheless, passenger transport was also provided as early as the years of World War I.

A memorial stone (1989) to the deported Latvians of 1941 and 1949 is located at the Stende railway station.

On 30 October 1919, Stende railway station was occupied by Bermont troops. On 17 November, soldiers of the Latvian army led by K. Šnēbergs attacked the station, driving away a wagon with weapons, war materials and grain. 6 soldiers were awarded the Order of the Order for these battles: K. Bumovskis (1891-1976), P. Strautiņš (1883-1969), R. Plotnieks (1891-1965), E. Jansons (1894-1977).

Rubenis’ Battalion Museum is located in Ugāle. It is dedicated to the Battalion of R. Rubenis, who served and fought under General J. Kurelis in Kurzeme in 1944, the activities of the Kurelians and the national resistance movement. Museum has an exhibit on the activities of the Latvian Central Council (LCC) and its Ventspils group, as well as the LCC Memorandum with 188 signatures and photographs of signatories that is included in the Latvian National Register of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. The LCC was a joint centre of Latvia's highest political leadership with an underground government that operated during the occupation of Latvia from 1943 to 1994. It was formed with the aim of coordinating the activities of various Latvian resistance movements in order to restore Latvia's national independence. The museum also offers a trip to places significant to the history of the battalion (settlement with a reconstructed bunker in the Usma parish, battlefields in Renda and Zlēkas parishes, etc.).