Soviet Republic of Latvia, 1919-1920
I Wars of Independence

Located in the historical center of Gulbene, opposite the Gulbene Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Monument to the victims of the 1905 riots, the members of the Gulbene congregation who fell in World War I and the Latvian War of Independence, and the victims of the Maliena Tribunal. The monument was designed by E. Ābeltīns and was unveiled in 1929 opposite the Gulbene Evangelical Lutheran Church. After World War II, a five-pointed star was placed on the monument, then - on its base - a plaster image of a Soviet soldier painted in bronze, and a cemetery for fallen Soviet soldiers was established behind the monument. When in 1969 the new cemetery for Soviet soldiers who fell in World War II was opened in Spārīte Park, the remains of the fallen were transferred there, but the site of the monument was leveled with the ground. In the autumn of 1989, the foundations of the monument were excavated and the capsule with the text, which had been walled in them in 1928, was brought out. The monument was restored in 1992 (sculptor O. Feldbergs).

Between December 24, 1918 and May 31, 1919, when the 1st (4th) Valmiera Infantry Regiment liberated Gulbene from the Bolsheviks, the church housed the Maliena (Vecgulbene) Revolutionary Military Tribunal and Workers' Club. Its activities were notable for the severity of its decisions and the large number of death sentences, often for minor offenses - 349 cases were investigated, in which 606 persons were accused.

A memorial sculpture is visible.

Located in Mārupe municipality, on the side of the road between the golf club “Viesturi” and the Boži reservoir.

The memorial was unveiled in 2013. The history of the area is connected to the battle of the Latvian Army against Bermont's troops in 1919. Near the Adienņi house, Latvian Army units were deployed in battle positions.

During the War of Independence, due to the difficult situation, the Latvian government lacked the opportunity to supply the army with what was needed. The appearance and armament of the soldiers varied. Most often, the supply was based on the soldiers' ability to provide for themselves. At the end of September and the beginning of October 1919, a Latvian military order arrived from Great Britain to eliminate the shortages. A month later, a delivery of English armaments was also received. With the first cargoes, it was clear that Great Britain was getting rid of unnecessary supplies. Dirty, worn-out clothes and shoes were also received, which were often too small. When soldiers wore inappropriate shoes, health problems were created, which affected their combat capabilities. Clothing was repaired and sewn. The main unifying symbol was the 11-ray sun sign on the cap and a red-and-white bandage around the left arm.

Today, several memorial sites can be visited here. The sites are part of a scenic, specially designed historical and nature hiking route.

Guide Mikķelis Jakunovs, +371 28353679.

The Oskars Kalpaks Museum and Memorial Site Airītes is located between Saldus and Skrunda near the A9 highway. The exhibit has extensive information about Colonel Oskars Kalpaks and his battalion, and shows the history of the Latvian National Army and the memorial site Airītes. The exhibit reveals Colonel Oskars Kalpaks as a personality, as a soldier and as a fighter for Latvia's independence. Audio logs in Latvian, English and German are also available as part of the exhibit. They emphasize the importance of the historic events of 1918/1919 in the protecting the statehood of Latvia. The museum building has been restored.

Entry is free; guided tour – for a fee. The complex has a recreation area, a park, an obstacle course, it is possible to take various classes, and there is a seminar hall for up to 30 people.

Located in the village of Meža Strodi, Murmastiene parish, Madona region, 6km from Varakļāni.

The Freedom Struggle Monument can be seen at the site of the battle of the 1st Liepāja Infantry Regiment, where they fought against the “red” army in 1919. Not far from this place, a local resident Aleksandrs Lakstīgala was seriously wounded in battle. He was found dead near a nearby house. That is why the location of this monument was chosen.

On August 16, 1936, a granite Victory Monument (as it was called in the press of the time) was unveiled in memory of the Freedom Struggles, on which the words were engraved: "The place of the battles, sacrifices and victories of the 1st Liepāja Infantry Regiment in Latgale, on August 26, 1919, we bought every corner of our native land with our blood - it is now ours." It was erected by the leadership of the Rēzekne Guards Regiment, consecrated by the senior priest of the Rēzekne Guards Regiment, Vincents Tomašūnas, with the local parish priest Kalinkas. The opening parade was hosted by the commander of the Zemgale Division, Cavalier of the Lāčplēsis Order, Žanis Bachs. In 1950, it was demolished and destroyed. On November 16, 1996, the restored monument was solemnly unveiled, also in honor of the 78th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia.

Located in Rūjiena Center Square.

The three-meter-high image of an ancient Latvian guard soldier, carved from gray Finnish granite, called the “Tālavas trumpeter”, is placed on a three-meter-high granite pedestal, but the total height of the monument reaches 7.5 meters. In the initial sketches and models, K. Zemdega had placed a sword in the warrior’s hands, which was later replaced with a trumpet. The monument was unveiled on August 15, 1937.

This monument reflects the difficult situation in the formation of our state and army, as well as the assessment of these events. Immediately after the proclamation of the Latvian state, the Red Army invasion began and the provisional government of Kārlis Ulmanis found refuge in Liepāja. In February 1919, with the help of the Estonian army, the liberation of Latvia from the north began and the first mobilizations of the Latvian troops being formed in Tērbatas took place in the Rūjiena area, which, under the command of Colonel Jorģis Zemitāns, became the North Latvian Brigade. The North Latvian Brigade fought not only against the Bolsheviks, but also against the Landeswehr and the Iron Division in the battles of Cēsis. The North Latvian soldiers mobilized in the Rūjiena area also fought in subsequent battles of the War of Independence. After the war, the main laurels of victory went to General Jānis Balodis and the South Latvian Brigade commanded by him, but the North Latvian Brigade was often forgotten. The planned monument to the North Latvian Brigade in Rūjiena also took a long time to be created, and the monument, unveiled in 1937, was officially promoted as a monument to the liberation of the Rūjiena region and in memory of the fallen soldiers, without mentioning that all the regiments that were part of the North Latvian Brigade had their beginnings in Rūjiena.

The monument is not only a popular tourist attraction for Latvian and Estonian tourists, which is to some extent a starting point for visiting several other War of Independence memorial sites in Rūjiena, but the "Tālavas tauretājs" is also a stopping point for visits by Estonian and Latvian state and local government officials of various levels.

The Rūjiena Liberation and Fallen Soldiers Monument, more commonly known as the "Tālavas tauretājs" (Far-away Horner), was included in the list of state-protected cultural monuments on October 29, 1998 as an art monument of national importance (monument protection registration number 4522).

The Karosta is the largest historical military territory in the Baltics and occupies almost one third of the entire territory of Liepāja. The Karosta is a unique compound of military and fortification buildings on the shores of the Baltic Sea with a special meaning in the history and architecture of Latvia and the world. The Karosta features such military heritage sites as the North Pier and forts, the Redan, Karosta Prison, Karosta Water Tower, St. Nicholas Orthodox Maritime Cathedral, Oskars Kalpaks Bridge and others.