Lielais pārrobežu maršruts - militārais mantojums Latvijas un Igaunijas 100 neatkarības garos

In the tower of the St. Trinity Church in Jelgava, which was destroyed in the Soviet-German war in July-August 1944, on October 12, 1952, Egons Užkurelis, who was only 14 years old at the time, together with his friend Jānis Ģēģeris, who was a year older, hung a homemade Latvian national flag. This date was chosen because it was a Sunday when the Jelgava championship motorcycle racing took place in Pārlielupe, where many people gathered and from there the church tower could be clearly seen. The flag was made from a bed sheet, painted with watercolors. The way it was made later allowed the Chekists to guess that the flag-raisers should be sought among the students.

E. Užkurelis and J. Ģēģeri were arrested on October 23, 1952, followed by interrogation in Jelgava and at the Ministry of State Security of the Latvian SSR in Riga at the Corner House. The Criminal Court of the Riga Regional Court accused E. Užkurelis and J. Ģēģeri of anti-Soviet propaganda and agitation and participation in a counter-revolutionary organization. On January 10, 1953, E. Užkurelis was sentenced to five years in prison, and J. Ģēģeris to 15 years. E. Užkurelis was detained in Riga Central Prison for seven months until April 12, 1953, when he was released on the basis of an amnesty.

Located in the building – Academia Petrina, Jelgava.

In 1818, a private organization – the Kurzeme Literature and Art Society – established the Kurzeme Provincial Museum. At the end of 1898, it moved to a building specially designed for the museum, which was destroyed in the battles for Jelgava in the summer of 1944.

In December 1952, the museum was housed in the renovated Academia Petrina building, built as the first university in Latvia (1775). This is one of the few public buildings in Jelgava that has survived and been renovated after World War II.

In 1975, the museum, which considers itself the spiritual heir of the Courland Provincial Museum, was named after Gēderts Elias.

The museum features exhibitions about the history of Jelgava from prehistory to the present day and the great master of Latvian painting, Ģederts Elias.

The museum's exhibition "Wars and a Soldier through the Ages of Jelgava" is just a small glimpse into the wars that affected Jelgava up until World War II.

The exhibition "Life Continues Under Foreign Power" introduces life in Jelgava under Soviet and German occupation.

Jelgava lost almost everything in the summer of 1944 – a large part of its population and the city's historical buildings, which were hardly restored after World War II. The museum's exhibits allow you to see how beautiful Jelgava was and how life in the city went.

Located in Jelgava, in the Station Park, opposite the Railway Station building.

The monument to the liberated people of Jelgava “Lāčplēsis” was opened on June 22, 1932, with the participation of the President of Latvia A.Kviesis, it was erected in honor of the liberation of Jelgava on November 21, 1919, during the Latvian War of Independence. In 1940, during the first period of the Soviet occupation, the monument was not affected by changes. In 1941, when the Soviet occupiers were replaced by German occupation forces, the head of the occupation administration von Mēdem (his ancestors were the original builders of Jelgava Castle), who had returned to Jelgava, did not like the clear symbolism. On October 31, 1942, by order of the German occupation authorities, the author of the monument was ordered to carve the image of a German knight. The carving of the knight was assigned to the author of the monument – K. Jansons. In 1950, by order of the Soviet occupation authorities, the monument was destroyed. With the help of a tractor, Lāčplēsis was knocked down from the pedestal, smashed and an attempt was made to completely destroy it in a stone crusher. But Lāčplēsis turned out to be so hard that the stone crusher broke. Then the undestroyed middle part of the Lāčplēsis statue was secretly buried in the ground in the territory of a kindergarten. A fragment of the monument was found in 1988 and is currently located at Ģ. Elias in the Jelgava History and Art Museum. The monument was restored and unveiled on November 21, 1992. Its author is sculptor Andrejs Jansons, who restored the monument created by his father K. Jansons.

Located near Svēte School, Jelgava region.

In 1991, a monument to the Daugavgrīva National Guardsmen, who stopped the German army's attack on Jelgava at the end of April 1915, was unveiled near the Svēte School. In early May 1915, a large demonstration was dedicated to this event in Jelgava. The fact that the Latvian National Guardsmen managed to stop the German attack was used by J. Čakste and his associates to justify the idea of establishing Latvian rifle units in the First World War. The sculptor of the monument is Alina Veibaha (1923-2011).

The text carved into the monument reads: “I tell you, strangers – do not come to this land;

"Sing to me the golden nightingale at the tip of the sword!"

Located in Eley, in the old railway station building.

The “Zemgales strēlnieks” association has established the Eleja War Museum in the old railway station building in Eleja. The exposition of the Eleja War Museum mainly relates to the Second World War. The museum exposition features uniforms, equipment, weapons and photographs from that time. The museum also features exhibits related to the region and Eleja, its military history and individuals. It is possible to take photos in the museum in military uniforms of different periods and armies. The small two-story building contains several hundred exhibits that will interest those interested in military heritage. Representatives of the association educate the public in the museum using expositions, exhibitions and educational programs.

Joniškis Museum of History and Culture is located in the center of Joniškis. The museum has been operating since 1989, it presents expositions representing the historical and archeological values of the region, the heritage of ethnic culture and sacred art.

On the initiative of Darius Vičas, a historian and museologist, researcher of the partisan movement, an exposition dedicated to the partisans of the Joniškis region was installed in the museum. In a separate room, the personalities of the partisans who fought for the freedom of Lithuania and their struggle against the Soviet occupation authorities are presented.

The exhibition presents an authentic typewriter "Olympia", which served the last partisans of Joniškis region, Kostas Lyuberskis-Žvainis and Steponas Erstikiis-Patašonas: it was used to print the issues of the partisans' periodical "Echo of Partisan Shots". "Echo of Partisan Shots" - an underground newspaper, published in 1952-1957. In the territory of Juozapavičius' homeland (at the borders of Akmenė, Joniškis, Žagarė and Kuršėnai districts). This is the latest partisan periodical.

The printing press is adapted for interactive learning - by pressing its keys, the visitor sees photos and hears stories of partisan resistance. The exposed radio also allows you to listen to songs created by partisans.