Lielais pārrobežu maršruts – militārais mantojums Latvijas un Igaunijas 100 gados

Atrodas Jelgavas novadā, Valgundes pagastā, “Mangaļu” mājās.

Ziemassvētku kauju muzejs ir Latvijas Kara muzeja filiāle. Atklāts 2005. gadā un atrodas vietā, kur apkārtnē norisinājās Ziemassvētku kaujas. Cīņu vietās joprojām ir saglabājušies unikāli 1. pasaules kara nocietinājumi.

Ziemassvētku kaujas, iespējams, ir zināmākais un dramatiskākais  1. pasaules kara notikums Latvijas vēsturē. Tas ieņem īpašu vietu latviešu militārajā un kultūras vēsturē. Cīņas galvenokārt asociējas ar latviešu strēlnieku uzbrukumu Vācijas armijas vienībām, kas notika īpaši skarbos un nelabvēlīgos apstākļos. Nebijis gadījums, kad vērienīga kaujas operācija bija sākusies bez artilērijas atbalsta.

Mūsdienās var aplūkot izstādi, kur redzami kauju vietās atrasti priekšmeti. Muzeja iekštelpu ekspozīcijai ir noteikts darba laiks, savukārt brīvdabas 1.pasaules kara fortifikāciju ekspozīcija un izstādes apskatei pieejamas apmeklētājiem katru dienu. Muzeja apkārtnē ir izveidoti tūrisma maršruti un izziņas takas.

Atrodas Tukuma novadā, Lestenē, līdzās baznīcai.

Brāļu kapu izveide Lestenē aizsākās 1998. gadā. Tā ir otra lielākā karavīru kapsēta Latvijā, kur vienkopus apglabāti vairāk nekā 1300 latviešu leģionāri. Tikai pēc Latvijas Republikas atjaunošanas bija iespēja no dažādām vietām pārapbedīt 2. pasaules karā kritušos latviešu karavīrus.

Latviešu leģions bija Vācijas armijas kaujas vienība, kas formēta galvenokārt no pretlikumīgi mobilizētiem Latvijas iedzīvotājiem. Karavīri savu atrašanos leģionā uztvēra kā cīņu par Latvijas neatkarības atjaunošanu, neraugoties uz to, ka tā notika Vācijas bruņoto spēku rindās un Vācija bija okupējusi Latviju. Cita militāra spēka, kas varētu aizkavēt padomju okupācijas atgriešanos, nebija. Latviešu leģionāri cīnījās pret Sarkano armiju, kura bija likvidējusi Latvijas neatkarību, iznīcinājusi tās armiju un veikusi noziegumus pret civiliedzīvotājiem. Vācijas armijas rindās cīnījās ap 110 000–115 000 karavīru, apmēram 30 000–50 000 no viņiem savas dzīvības atstāja kauju laukos.

Mūsdienās Lestenē var aplūkot Brāļu kapus, kam līdzās atrodas Lestenes baznīca. Tā ir izcils baroka sakrālās mākslas piemērs. Senajā baznīcas krogā var iepazīties ar Latviešu leģiona vēsturei veltītu ekspozīciju. Brāļu kapu centrālo tēlu "Dzimtene - Māte - Latvija" veidojusi tēlniece Arta Dumpe. Netālu atrodas Lestenes muiža, kas pirms 2. pasaules kara piederēja Latvijas armijas ģenerālim Mārtiņam Hartmanim.

Ekskursijas Lestenes baznīcā var pieteikt pie Lestenes evanģēliski luteriskās baznīcas draudzes priekšnieces Ingunas Kokinas, tālrunis +371 29993743.

Vien dažus kilometrus no Rendas centra, ierīkota ekspozīcija, kas stāsta par 50 gadu ilgo pretošanās kustību Latvijā – pretošanās pirmajai padomju okupācijai, pretošanās nacistiskajai vācu okupācijai, bruņotā pretošanās padomju okupācijai, nevardarbīgā pretošanās. Ekspozīcija izvietota divās ēkās. Pirmajā ēkā apskatāmas liecības par pirmo padomju, kā arī vācu okupāciju. Renovētajā klētī, ekspozīcijas centrālā uzmanība veltīta Nacionālo partizānu karam. Starp abām ēkām atrodas bunkurs, kurā iekāpjot, var redzēt autentisku iekārtojumu, kā arī tranšejas, pa kurām zem zemes pārvietojās karavīri. Pie muzeja Rendā ir izveidoti ierakumi, blindāžas un šķēršļu josla, lai izveidotu jaunsargiem un citiem interesentiem treniņu poligonu. 

Netālu no šīs vietas, 1946.gada janvārī, notika viena no lielākajām nacionālo partizānu kaujām, saukta par Āpuznieku kauju, kurā Kabiles nacionālo partizānu grupa sīvā kaujā izcīnīja uzvaru pār ievērojami lielākiem okupācijas varas spēkiem.

Apmeklējumu pieteikt iepriekš.

Viesu nama "Pūpoli" saimnieks Edgars Kārklevalks Dundagas novadā jau vairāk kā 15 gadus ar paša atjaunotu Padomju armijas kravas automašīnu GAZ-66 (līdz 24 personām) un UAZ-3151 (līdz 6 personām) piedāvā doties vēsturiski izzinošā braucienā pa Ziemeļkurzemi, maršrutā iekļaujot bijušās militārās teritorijas. Viesu nama teritorijā ir apskatāmas Padomju armijas automašīnas un cita tehnika.

Ovišu bāka atrodas Tārgales pagasta Ovišos, Kurzemes piekrastē un ir vecākā bāka Latvijā – tā uzcelta 1814. gadā.

Ovišu bākas tornis ir 37 m augsts. Bākai ir dubultcilindra konstrukcija: tās diametrs ir 11,5 m, bet akmeņu mūra iekšpusē ir otrs tornis 3,5 m diametrā. Šāda veida dubultcilindru bākas 18.–19. gadsimtā Eiropā izmantoja arī kā aizsardzības būves ienaidnieka uzbrukuma gadījumam.
Ovišu bākas muzejs tiek uzskatīts par visbagātīgāko bāku aprīkojuma un jūras navigācijas priekšmetu kolekciju starp visu Latvijas bāku muzejiem. Skaidros laikapstākļos no Ovišu bākas var redzēt Irbes bāku.
Otrā pasaules kara beigās Ovišu bākas apkārtnē atradās vācu armijas Beminger bataljona štābs un 530. jūras spēku artilērijas diviziona 4. baterija ar vairākiem zenītlielgabaliem. Iespējams, bākas pakājē atradās radio signālu peilēšanas un infrasarkano staru uztveršanas (Donau Gerät) postenis.
Bākas tuvumā kādreiz atradās padomju robežsardzes postenis, taču līdz mūsdienām padomju laika apbūve vairs nav saglabājusies. Bākas teritorijā joprojām atrodas Ovišu stacijas ēka.

No Ovišiem līdz Venstpilij kāpu zonā bija izveidots tanku ceļš, kas saglabājies arī līdz mūsdienām. To pamazām pārņem mežs.

Atjaunotais 46. krasta aizsardzības baterijas uguns koriģēšanas tornis atrodas Saulrieta ielā, Ventspilī un ir pieejams apmeklētājiem kā skatu tornis. Šis tornis ar blakus esošajām četru lielgabalu pozīcijām ir Latvijā vienīgā tik labā stāvoklī saglabājusies krasta aizsardzības baterija kopš 2.pasaules kara. Tornis apmeklētāju apskatei ir pieejams, paredzot iespēju pa iekšējām kāpnēm doties augšā uz āra skatu platformu, no kuras paveras skats uz jūru. Blakus tornim ir uzstādīts informatīvais stends, kas papildināts ar QR kodu, ar kura palīdzību var atvērt un noskatīties animācija par vēstures notikumiem.

Šis militārā mantojuma komplekss būvēts 1939. gadā, uzsākot PSRS militāro bāžu būvniecību Latvijā. 46. krasta aizsardzības baterijā ietilpa četras Б -13 tipa lielgabalu pozīcijas. Pirmā šīs baterijas kauja – 1941. gada 24. jūnijā, kad Ventspils ostai uzbruka vācu torpēdkuteri, kas ar baterijas pretuguns palīdzību tika padzīti no Baltijas jūras krasta. 28. jūnijā padomju armija lielgabalus uzspridzināja.

Ventspils militārā  mantojuma objekts ir unikāls, jo tā ir viena no retajām krasta aizsardzības būvēm Latvijā un Baltijā, kas ataino 2. pasaules kara fortifikācijas vēsturi. Unikāls arī ar to, ka tas ir Padomju Savienības būvēts militārs objekts vēl Latvijas Republikas neatkarības gados, un savā veidā simbolizē mazas valsts nespēju stāties pretī lielvarām 2. pasaules kara priekšvakarā. Tā ir vienīgā tik labi saglabājusies krasta aizsardzības baterija, bez vēsturiskajiem uzslāņojumiem un pilnā būvju komplektā. Šis objekts parāda visu padomju militārās koncepcijas attīstību no 1939.gada līdz pat padomju karaspēka izvešanai 1994.gadā. Ģeogrāfiskā atrašanas vieta un tai līdzās izbūvētā izeja ar stāvlaukumu pie jūras, padara to labi pieejamu. Pie tam šim objektam ir saistoša vēsture, kas saistīta gan ar 2. pasaules karu, Padomju laiku, Kubas krīzi un Padomju Savienības sabrukumu, kā arī ar jaunās Latvijas valsts Bruņotajiem spēkiem (arī šie spēki atradušies šajā objektā, lai arī neilgu laiku).

Blakus tornim izveidota jauna iela, plašs stāvlaukums un koka laipa pāri aizsargājamai dabas zonai ērtai nokļūšanai līdz jūrai. 

Piejūras brīvdabas muzejā Ventspilī šaursliežu dzelzceļš jeb Mazbānītis piedāvā izbraucienus divās dzelzceļa līnijās: Riņķa līnija – 1,4 km un Kalna līnija – 3,0 km garumā. Par Mazbānīti Ziemeļkurzemē dēvē vilcienu, kas pasažierus un kravu transportēja pa 600 mm platām šaursliežu dzelzceļa sliedēm laikā no 1916. līdz 1963. gadam. Tas ir militārās vēstures mantojums no Pirmā pasaules kara, kas savulaik spēlēja nozīmīgu lomu visas Ziemeļkurzemes, bet īpaši lībiešu zvejniekciemu kultūras un ekonomikas uzplaukumā, nodrošinot saikni apdzīvoto vietu starpā un dodot darba vietas.

Plaša 600 mm platuma dzelzceļu būvniecība saistās ar 1. pasaules kara izcelšanos, kad vācu armija okupētajā Latvijas teritorijā 1916. gadā ķērās pie vairāku tā saukto “kara lauka” (vāciski “Heeresfeldbahn”) dzelzceļu būvniecības. Ņemot vērā tā laika slikto zemes ceļu apstākļus, saliekamais dzelzceļš kara laukā bija vispiemērotākais frontes apgādes transports. Vācu armijā bija izveidotas speciālas vienības, kas specializējās “kara lauka” dzelzceļu būvniecībā un ekspluatācijā. Speciāli armijas vajadzībām konstruētais “kara lauka” dzelzceļa inventārs – sliedes, vagoni un lokomotīves bija standartizētas, kas vienkāršoja šo dzelzceļu ekspluatāciju. Frontē tika piegādāti samontēti taisni un liekti, 5 metrus gari sliežu posmi uz 10 dzelzs gulšņiem, kas ļāva labos laika apstākos vienā dienā uzbūvēt vairākus kilometrus garu “kara lauka” dzelzceļa līniju. Šos dzelzceļus varēja gan ātri uzbūvēt, gan arī ātri nojaukt un pārvest uz citu frontes līniju. Līdzīgas kara lauka dzelzceļu vienības un savs standartizēts kara lauka dzelzceļa aprīkojums bija arī Austrijas, ASV, Francijas un Lielbritānijas armijām.

Pēc Pirmā pasaules kara visi dzelzceļi, kas atradās Latvijas teritorijā, nonāca jaunizveidotās Latvijas Dzelzceļu virsvaldes pārziņā. Liela daļa kara laikā būvēto dzelzceļu tika piemēroti pasažieru un preču pārvadāšanai: nostiprināja uzbērumus, pārbūvēja tiltus, kā arī cēla jaunas stacijas ēkas un bagāžas šķūņus. Latvijas Dzelzceļu virsvalde šaursliežu dzelzceļiem ar 600 mm sliežu platumu piešķīra apzīmējumu – lauku platuma dzelzceļi. Neskatoties uz bānīšu mazo ātrumu – līdz 20 km/h, tasgandrīzi 60 gadus bija vienīgais drošais transporta līdzeklis pasažieru, dažādu lauksaimniecības produktu un meža materiālu nogādāšanai uz lielpilsētām gan ziemā, gan vasarā. Vilcienos bija iekārtoti speciāli ledus vagoni piena un gaļas produktu transportēšanai.

Latvijas šaursliežu dzelzceļi nepārtraukti darbojās arī Otrā pasaules kara gados. 

Piejūras brīvdabas muzeja (PBM) šaursliežu dzelzceļa ekspozīciju sāka veidot 1963. gadā. PBM īpašumā tika iegūts arī 600 mm sliežu platumam atbilstošs ritošais sastāvs: viena vācu kara lauku dzelzceļa, Brigadelok tipa, tvaika lokomotīve Ml-631, divi Moisakilas tipa pasažieru vagoni un viens 1930.-os gados Liepājas galvenajās Dzelzceļa darbnīcās izgatavotais pasta vagons.

Kādreizējais padomju robežsardzes novērošanas tornis, kuru neizmantoja kopš 90. gadu sākuma, tagad kļuvis par skatu platformu, uz kuras novietots 360 grādu leņķī grozāms sauszemes teleskops un trīs novērošanas kameras. Skaists skats uz jūru un kuģiem, var vērot arī putnus. Tornī atļauts kāpt tikai diennakts gaišajā laikā.Apmeklētājiem jārēķinās ar fizisko un traumatisma risku un jāizvērtē savas spējas un veselības stāvoklis. Skatu tornī un apkārtējā teritorijā notiek videonovērošana. Ziemas sezonā tas apmeklētājiem slēgts.

Pāvilostas novada dome atgādina, ka skatu tornis atrodas militāro objektu aizsardzības zonā, uz Aizsardzības ministrijas īpašumā esošas zemes, kas nodota pašvaldībai lietošanā.

Muzeja patstāvīgā ekspozīcija stāsta par Pāvilostas pilsētas vēsturi un par bēgļi gaitām Otrā pasaules kara laikā un pēc tā, padomju laikiem piekrastē, dzintaru ķeršanu pludmalē, kā arī ar svarīgākajiem notikumiem 100 gadu griezumā Pāvilostā. Apmeklētājiem iespēja iejusties zvejnieku lomā un ar 3D brillēm piedalīties reņģu un nēģu zvejā.

Blakus muzejam atrodas Laivu māja, kurā apskatāmi lielgabarīta eksponāti. Savulaik ēkā glabājusies laiva, ar kuru glābšanas dienesta komanda devusies jūrā glābt nelaimē nokļuvušos zvejniekus un jūrniekus.

Ekspozīcija “PĀVILOSTA - SLĒGTĀ ZONA” stāsta par Pāvilostu padomju okupācijas gados, par šādām tēmām: izpildvara, pierobežas zona, zvejnieku kolhozs, kultūras dzīve un sadzīve. Izveidota arī interaktīva emocionāli bagāta digitāla ekspozīcija divās valodās un  audio - vizuālā instalācija.

Digitālā ekspozīcijā var redzēt senus notikumus un to, kā ir veidojusies Pāvilosta un visas aktivitātes no 1918. gada līdz šim laikam, t.sk. Neatkarības karu, PSRS un vācu okupāciju, bēgļu kustību Otrā pasaules kara laikā

Akmeņraga bāka atrodas Sakas pagastā, 10 km uz dienvidrietumiem no Pāvilostas. Bākā var uzkāpt pa vītņveida kāpnēm, no tās paveras skats uz jūru un apkārtnes mežiem. Lai nokļūtu Akmeņragā ir jābrauc vai nu no Pāvilostas (12 km) vai Ziemupes (10 km) puses pa tuvāko ceļu jūras krastam un jāseko norādēm.

Pašreizējais 37 m augstais bākas tornis uzcelts 1921. gadā, bet iepriekšējo bāku nopostīja Pirmā pasaules kara laikā. Pašreizējā 38 metrus augstā bāka uzcelta 1921. gadā un atjaunota 1957. gadā. Pēdejie uzlabojumi veikti vēl mūsu gadsimtā – atjaunots bākas krāsojums. Bākas uguns iedegas reizi 7,5 sekundēs. Pie bākas atrodas neliels ēku komplekss – bijusī robežsargu bāze – savukārt tuvākajā apkārtnē atrodamas vēl citas padomju perioda drupas, kas palikušas no pretgaisa aizsardzības vienību ēkām. 1980. gadu beigās parādījās ideja šeit būvēt atomelektrostaciju – tālāk par mieta iespraušanu zemē projekts gan netika.

Pārējo Latvijas bāku vidū Akmeņraga bāka izceļas ar savu atrašanos kuģošanai vienā no bīstamākajām vietām visā Baltijas jūras piekrastē. Bākas gaisma atzīmē akmeņainu, apmēram divas jūras jūdzes jeb 3,7 km garu sēkli, kurš iesniedzas jūrā ziemeļrietumu virzienā. Jūras dziļums šajā sēklī ir tikai nedaudz virs diviem metriem. Vieta, kur atrodas bāka, palikusi turpat, bet piekraste gadu gaitā atkāpusies.

Neskatoties uz to, ka šeit jau no 1879. gada dega navigācijas uguns, Akmeņrags pieredzējis vairākas kuģa katastrofas. No tām zināmākā ir Latvijas tvaikoņa “Saratow” uzskriešana uz sēkļa 1923. gada septembrī. “Saratow” 1919. gadā uz neilgu laiku kļuva par Latvijas pagaidu valdības mājvietu. 

Akmeņragā blakus bākai atradusies Padomju armijas karaspēka daļa, robežapsardzības postenis un  krasta baterija, kura demontēta un lielgabali no pozīcijām aizvesti 1955.gadā. 

Akmeņraga bākas uzraudze bākas tuvumā ir savākusi skaistu dzintaru un akmeņu kolekciju. Apmeklējumu brīvdienās un svētku dienās vēlams iepriekš saskaņot.

Memoriāls atrodas Baltijas jūras krastā, nepilnu kilometru uz ziemeļiem no cietokšņa kanāla. Norāde uz to redzama Liepājas – Šķēdes – Ziemupes ceļa malā.

Memoriāls veltīts Otrā pasaules kara laikā nogalināto Liepājas ebreju piemiņai. Tas atklāts 2005. gada 4. jūnijā un veido horizontāla menora – jūdaisma simbola – svečtura, kas izklāta ar skaldītu Kurzemes laukakmeni.

Otrā pasaules kara gados Šķēdes kāpas iemantoja baisu slavu, jo laikā no 1941. līdz 1945. gadam šajā vietā nacistiskās Vācijas iniciētajā un organizētājā holokaustā nošāva 3640 ebrejus – tostarp 1048 bērnus, aptuveni 2000 padomju karagūstekņu un aptuveni 1000 latviešu civiliedzīvotāju.

Vēsturnieks un holokausta pētnieks Andrievs Ezergailis gan norāda, ka nogalināto latviešu skaits visticamāk ir daudz mazāks. Latvijas vēsturē notikumi Šķēdē ir jo īpaši sāpīgi un skumji, dēļ tā, ka Liepājas ebreju nogalināšanā piedalījās līdzpilsoņi – bez vācu vienībā un t.s. Arāja komandas un  latviešu SD sardzes vada te, dažādu uzdevumu izpildē, piedalījās Liepājas “šucmaņi” un Liepājas kārtības policija.

Turpat blakus redzams vēl viens piemineklis – obelisks ar sarkanu zvaigzni, kurš uzstādīts 1956. gadā. Tajā norādītā informācija par 19 000 nogalinātajiem ir aplama.

Ziemeļu forti ir zināmākā un vizuāli iespaidīgākā Liepājas cietokšņa daļa. To vēsturiskais nosaukums ir Cietokšņa baterija Nr. 1 un tos uzbūvēja Krievijas cara armija 19. gadsimta beigās, lai pasargātu Liepājas jūras kara bāzi ienaidnieka uzbrukuma gadījumā, tika izbūvēti nocietinājumi tagadējās Karostas teritorijā un arī Liepājas centrā un pie dienvidu robežas.

Liepājas cietokšņa aizsardzībai no ziemeļiem starp Tosmares ezeru un jūru izbūvēja dzelzbetona nocietinājumu – Ziemeļu fortu, kuru plānoja apbruņot ar sešu 9 collu (229 mm) 1867. gada modeļa lielgabalu bateriju un lielu skaitu prettrieciena mazkalibra lielgabaliem. Līdz cietokšņa likvidēšanai izbūvēja tikai lielgabalu postamentus un munīcijas novietnes, bet pašus lielgabalus neizvietoja.

Cietokšņa ziemeļu daļā atradās viena no četrām izbūvētajām krasta aizsardzības baterijām – Baterija Nr. 1. Baterijā plānoja izvietot sešus 6 collu (152 mm) Kanē sistēmas 1892. gada modeļa lielgabalus, sešus 11 collu (280 mm) 1887. gada modeļa lielgabalus un divus 57 mm Nordenfelda sistēmas prettrieciena lielgabalus. Tikai Kanē sistēmas lielgabaliem bija pietiekami liels šaušanas attālums, lai pretotos iespējamai Vācijas Kara flotes apšaudei. Līdz ar to uz cietokšņa likvidēšanas brīdi, bruņojums bija uzstādīts tikai daļēji.

Ziemeļu forti tāpat kā Karosta padomju laikā bija slēgta militāra teritorija, taču šodien daļēji saspridzinātos vēstures labirintus ir iespējams brīvi apskatīt. Tomēr, apmeklējot Ziemeļu fortus, jābūt ļoti uzmanīgiem. Baltijas jūras stāvkrasts Karostā, tāpat kā citviet Latvijas piekrastē, ir bīstams, un krasts var iebrukt. Tāpēc nav ieteicams staigāt zem fortu drupām.

Karosta ir lielākā vēsturiskā militārā teritorija Baltijā un aizņem gandrīz vienu trešdaļu no visas Liepājas teritorijas. Karosta ir unikāls militāro un fortifikācijas būvju komplekss Baltijas jūras krastā, kas ir īpašs Latvijas un pasaules vēsturē un arhitektūrā.

Mūsdienu Karostā savdabīgi savijas grezna 19. gs. beigu arhitektūra un militārais skarbums.  Ēkās saskatāms Krievijas impērijas un PSRS militāro objektu būvniecības stilu kontrasts. Karosta mūsdienās ir īpaši iecienīts tūrisma objekts.

Uzbūvēta pirms 1.Pasaules kara Krievijas armijas vajadzībām. 1890. gadā pēc Krievijas cara Aleksandra III pavēles uz ziemeļiem no Liepājas sākās apjomīga cietokšņa un kara pilsētas celtniecība. Sākotnēji tā tika dēvēta par Imperatora Aleksandra III ostu. Projektēta kā pilnīgi autonoma apdzīvota vieta ar savu infrastruktūru, elektrisko spēkstaciju un ūdensapgādi, baznīcu un skolām.

Jaunās ostas būvniecību oficiāli atklāja Krievijas imperators Aleksandrs III 1893. gada 12. augustā. Lai gan Aleksandra III nāve 1894. gadā mainīja Krievijas ārpolitiku, jaunās ostas pamatbūvniecību noslēdza 1906. gadā. Cietoksnis sastāvēja no četrām krasta aizsardzības baterijām – Nr. 1, Nr. 2, Nr. 3 un Nr. 6, kā arī vairākām fortifikācijas būvēm sauszemes pusē – Ziemeļu forts, Redāns, Vidus forts, Dienvidu forts un liela skaita munīcijas noliktavām. Pirmie karakuģi jaunajā ostā sāka bāzēties 1898. gadā. 

Ostas un cietokšņa daļēju iznīcināšanu veica sākoties Pirmajam pasaules karam, pēc Vācijas Kara flotes apšaudes 1914. gada 2. augustā. Imperatora Aleksandra III ostas vēsture, kas sastāvēja tikai no būvēšanas un likvidācijas, noslēdzās 1915. gada maijā, kad Vācijas karaspēka ieņēma Liepāju.

Padomju laikā Karosta bija slēgta teritorija, kas nebija pieejama pat Liepājas civiliedzīvotājiem. Pēdējie padomju armijas karavīri Liepāju atstāja tikai 1994. gadā.

Karostā ir apskatāmi tādi militārā mantojuma objekti kā Ziemeļu mols un forti, Redans, Karostas cietums, Karostas ūdenstornis, Sv.Nikolaja pareizticīgo Jūras katedrāle, O.Kalpaka tilts uc. 

Deportāciju vagons atrodas Skrundas stacijā pie pasažieru perona.

Vagons un pie tā esošais piemineklis veltīts 1941. un 1949. gada deportācijās cietušajiem Skrundas un tuvāko pagastu iedzīvotājiem. Piemiņas vieta iekārtota un atklāta 1998. gada 25. martā, bet vagons un ekspozīcija atjaunoti 2020. gadā. Ekspozīcijā redzami no tuvākās apkārtnes izsūtīto iedzīvotāju saraksti, aplūkojamas fotogrāfijas un lasāmi stāsti par izsūtījumā pieredzēto.

Skrundas stacija bija izvešanai nolemto cilvēku savākšanas punkts, viena no trim apriņķa stacijām, uz kuru tika atvesti cilvēki gan no Skrundas, gan Kuldīgas apkārtnes. 1941. gadā no šejienes uz Sibīriju, Krasnojarskas novadu izveda arī atjaunotās Latvijas Republikas pirmā prezidenta Gunta Ulmaņa ģimeni.

Šādos un līdzīgos preču vagonos padomju okupācijas vara 1949. gadā deportēja Latvijas iedzīvotājus, kurus atzina par potenciāli bīstamiem padomju varai, balstoties uz viņu piederību nosacīti turīgākajam zemnieku slānim. Ar deportāciju palīdzību padomju vara izrēķinājās ar Nacionālo partizānu atbalstītājiem un vienlaikus iebiedēja palikušos lauku iedzīvotājus, piespiežot tos iestāties kolhozos.

Vagons ikdienā ir aizslēgts - vagona atslēga pieejama Skrundas stacijā pie dežuranta.

Komunistiskā terora upuriem veltītas piemiņas vietas izveides ideja pieder skrundeniekam Ivaram Eņģelim. Vagonu muzejam piešķīra VAS ”Latvijas dzelzceļš”. Skrundenieki Jelgavas pusē atrada šo vagonu, paši saviem spēkiem to uzstādīja Skrundā un izremontēja. Vagonam, kā uzskata paši dzelzceļnieki, ir liela vēsturiska vērtība. Tas būvēts piecdesmitajos gados, un tieši šādos lopu vagonos tika izvesti Latvijas iedzīvotāji.

1941. gada 14. jūnijā un 1949. gada 25. martā padomju okupācijas režīms realizēja Latvijas iedzīvotāju masveida deportācijas, no Latvijas izsūtot desmitiem tūkstošu cilvēku, tai skaitā bērnus, sirmgalvjus un sievietes mātes cerībās. Tikai retajam izdevās paņemt līdzi siltas drēbes un pārtiku. Daudzi mira pa ceļam uz Sibīriju, daudziem nācās sākt jaunu, grūtu dzīvi tālā, svešā zemē…

Skrundas muižā atrodas lielceļa A9 tuvumā, Pils ielā 2.

Skrundas muižā ir izveidota ekspozīcija par Skrundas lokatoru un Skrundas padomju armijas militāro pilsētiņu, kas ir zināma kā ievērojams “Aukstā kara laika” PSRS militārais objekts. Vietvārds “Skrunda-2″ apzīmē īpašu, PSRS militāristu vajadzībām savulaik izveidotu “pilsētiņu” (в/ч 18951), kura atradās 5km no Skrundas, Kuldīgas virzienā (Raņķu pagasts). Vietējiem šī apdzīvotā vieta bija pazīstama arī kā “Kombināts”.  Tā darbojās kā PSRS pretraķešu brīdināšanas sistēmas rietumu sektors. Jaunuzceltā modernākā radara stacija "DARJAL". Celtniecība pārtraukta un radiolokatoru uzspridzināja 1995.gada 4.maijā. Darbojošās radara stacija "DŅEPR", pēc starpvalstu līguma izpildes, izslēgta  1998.gada 31.augustā. 

Neatkarības kara laikā Skrundas muiža bija galvenais kauju objekts 1919.gada janvārī un februārī, un tā kā bija ziema, tad tā kalpoja arī kā atpūtas un nakšņošanas vieta 1. latviešu atsevišķā bataljona vīriem. 

Joprojām uz Skrundas - Kuldīga ceļa atrodas pietura ar nosaukumu "Kombināts".

O.Kalpaka muzejs un piemiņas vieta „Airītes” atrodas Saldus novada Zirņu pagasta „Airītēs", vecās Rīgas - Liepājas šoseja malā.

Pulkveža O.Kalpaka muzeja un piemiņas vietas „Airītes” ekspozīcija sniedz plašu informāciju par Oskaru Kalpaku, viņa vadīto bataljonu un parāda Latvijas nacionālās armijas un piemiņas vietas „Airītes” izveidošanas vēsturi. Muzeja ekspozīcija atklāj pulkvedi Oskaru Kalpaku kā personību, kā karavīru un kā cīnītāju par Latvijas neatkarību.

Sākot ar 1920.gadu par brīvprātīgi saziedotajiem līdzekļiem sabiedriskās organizācijas „Airītēs” sāka veidot piemiņas vietu pulkvedim Oskaram Kalpakam. 1922.gada 3.septembrī tur atklāja viņam veltītu pieminekli. Pēc savienības „Pulkveža Kalpaka bataljons” ierosinājuma 1935.gada vasarā iepretim piemiņas vietai sāka celt ēku pulkveža Oskara Kalpaka muzejam. Muzeju atklāja 1936.gada 6.septembrī. Ēkā izveidoja ekspozīciju par Kalpaka bataljona cīņu gaitām.

Muzejs turpināja darboties līdz 1944.gadam, kad kara apstākļos ēkā izvietojās dažādas karaspēka vienības, 1950.gadā piemiņas ansambli iznīcināja. Muzeja ēkā iekārtoja pasta nodaļu un dzīvokļus. Sākoties Atmodai, 1988.- 1989.gadā piemiņas vietu atjaunoja. 1990.gada 11.novembrī pulkveža Oskara Kalpaka muzejs atsāka savu darbību. No 1991.gada 7.novembra līdz 2006.gada 29.decembrim memoriālā piemiņas vieta bija J.Rozentāla Saldus vēstures un mākslas muzeja filiāle, bet kopš  2007.gada 2.janvāra muzejs ir Latvijas Kara muzeja nodaļa. 2007.gada 24.novembrī muzeja ēkas otrajā stāvā remontdarbu laikā izcēlās ugunsgrēks un ēkas otrais stāvs pilnībā nodega. Pēc muzeja ēkas atjaunošanas 2013.gada 6.martā atklāja no jauna izveidoto ekspozīciju, kura atspoguļo pulkveža Oskara Kalpaka personību un apskata viņa darbību I pasaules kara laikā un Latvijas Atbrīvošanas cīņās.

Ekspozīcijā ir apskatāmas unikālas vērības: priedes stumbra fragments (pie šīs priedes 1919.gada 6.martā O.Kalpaks saņēma nāvīgo ievainojumu), 1. atsevišķā latviešu bataljona atšķirības zīmes un formas tērpu atdarinājumi, J. Blūma dāvinātais Latviešu atsevišķās jātnieku nodaļas karoga atdarinājums, Latvijas neatkarības rotas kapteiņa P.Penčuka Lāčplēša Kara ordenis, kas piešķirts par kauju pie Lielauces 1919.gada 16.janvārī.

Ekspozīciju papildina izveidotie atmiņu ieraksti audio formātā (latviešu, angļu, vācu valodās). Tie lieliski papildina eksponatūras klāstu un akcentē 1918./1919. gada vēsturisko notikumu svarīgumu Latvijas valstiskuma nosargāšanā.

Muzeja ēka ir mūsdienīgi restaurēta, kā arī ekspozīcija ir mūsdienu prasībām atbilstoša. Ieeja ir bez makas, ekskursija ar gidu 10 eur stundā. Ceļa pretējā pusē atrodas piemiņas vieta. Pieejama atpūtas vieta, parks, šķēršļu trase, dažādas nodarbības, ir semināra zāle līdz 30 vietām.

“Virsnieku kurgāns” atrodas nepilnu kilometru no Zvārdes baznīcas drupām. Kurgāns veidots no apkārtējo māju un muižas drupām un paliekām, kas ar buldozeru sastumtas vienuviet. Uz kurgāna uzbūvēja novērošanas torni. Kā vēsta uzraksts, tad pašreizējais tornis uzbūvēts 1981. gadā. Torni izmantoja lai reģistrētu bumbu trāpījumus. Mācību bumbas bija ar samazinātu sprāgstvielas daudzumu, tāpēc to trāpījumi bija uzmanīgāk jāvēro. Nesprāgušās bumbas centās uzreiz neitralizēt, tomēr ne visas bija iespējams atrast.

 Mūsdienās šeit redzamas torņa paliekas – ķieģeļu sienas. Tā kā kurgāns ir salīdzinoši augsts, skaidrā laikā no tā iespējams pat saskatīt Lietuvas naftas rūpnīcu Mažeiķos.

Atrodas Olainē. 

Vēstures un mākslas muzejs dibināts 1995. gadā. Muzeja ekspozīcija stāsta par Olaines un apkārtnes attīstību ietekmējošiem faktoriem un tās lomu Latvijas vēsturē. Olaine ir veidojusies, pateicoties izdevīgajai atrašanās vietai starp Jelgavu un Rīgu, kur šobrīd atrodas Jaunolaine. Tās tuvumā bija Olaines muiža. Savukārt mūsdienu Olaine būvēta Padomju okupācijas periodā, kad tur sāka attīstīt rūpniecības uzņēmumus.  

1. pasaules kara laikā apkārtnē norisinājās karadarbība starp Krievijas un Vācijas armiju. Pretinieka izlūkošanā un dažādās operācijās iesaistīja latviešu strēlnieku vienības. Purvainais apvidus to padarīja par sarežģīti aizsargājamu, bet ļoti nozīmīgu cīņu vietu Latvijas vēsturē.

Mūsdienās šeit var apskatīt muzeja ekspozīcijas un 1.pasaules kara izziņas taku, kur atjaunoti nocietinājumu elementi. Jaunolainē pie pagrieziena uz Plakanciemu atrodas 1. pasaules kara dzelzsbetona nocietinājums.

Atrodas Rīgā, Mangaļsalā pie Daugavas ietekas jūrā iepretim Daugavgrīvai.

Mangaļsalas nocietinājumu rajons ir viens no vērtīgākajiem militārā mantojuma objektiem. Paredzēts Rīgas pilsētas aizsardzībai no pretinieka flotes. Teritorija savu stratēģisko nozīmi saglabāja ilgstošā laika periodā, kas spilgti redzams nocietinājumu piemēros. Gadsimtiem apvidus piesaistīja militāro speciālistu uzmanību un tas veidojās par unikālu un noslēpumainu vietu.

Pēc 1. pasaules kara Latvijas armijai vēl nebija spēcīgas kara flotes. Jūras robeža bija gara, un krastu aizsardzība kļuva sarežģīta. Galvenais uzsvars tika likts uz Rīgas aizsardzību no pretinieka flotes uzbrukumiem. Latvijas armija pārņēma Krievijas impērijas, 19.gs. beigās un 20.gs. sākumā celtos nocietinājumus un paplašināja aizsardzības sistēmu. Daugavgrīvas un Mangaļsalas artilērijai bija jāapšauda pretinieku kuģi, kas mēģinātu ielauzties Daugavas grīvā, savukārt atbalsta punkti pie Lielupes (Jūrmalā) un Gaujas ietekas jūrā (Carnikavā) apturētu pretinieka desantu. Krasta aizsardzībai bija viens, speciāli aprīkots bruņuvilciens, kas sniegtu artilērijas atbalstu un papildspēkus Saulkrastu vai Jūrmalas virzienā. Stratēģisku vietu nocietināšanas nolūks bija pastiprināt ieroču darbību, izmantojot speciālas būves un apvidus priekšrocības. Krasta aizsardzības fortifikācija tika izvietota plašā teritorijā, lai samazinātu pretinieka ietekmi kara gadījumā.

Mūsdienās var aplūkot dažādu armiju (Krievijas, Latvijas, Vācijas un Padomju armijas) celtos nocietinājumus. Vieta ar milzīgu potenciālu vēl gaida atdzimšanu.

Pieejamas ekskursijas: 

Jānis Zariņš, pārgājieni.lv, +37126980327

Normunds Ceipe, langaslaivas.lv +371 29 436 526

Audio gids https://izi.travel/en/edbf-mangalsalas-nocietinajumi/lv

19.gs. fortu personāla uzturēšanās māja

The former Soviet Army town is located in Mežgarciems, Ādaži municipality, near the P1 highway. It was a small town inhabited by the air defence units of the Soviet Army and used as a military training base. Informative stands have been placed near the town. The former army base area is available to visitors. Mežgarciems did not exist on the maps during the Soviet occupation. And there was nothing to suggest that there was a small town built for the Soviet military with air defence capabilities. Wide-spread construction of Soviet Army stations was rapidly started in the territory of Latvia after World War II. And these army bases were like separate states within the country. There were military units almost in every location in Latvia. An especially privileged part of the society was the retired USSR military personnel and their families, who were entitled to living space as a matter of priority. Many chose Latvian cities, because the standard of living here was higher than elsewhere in the Soviet Union. The presence of the Soviet Army in Latvia was characterised by criminal behaviour, imperialistic attitude and impunity, demonstrating the regime’s indifferent attitude towards Latvia and its people. And the carefully maintained myth of the happy life in Soviet Latvia and the Soviet Army as the liberator was actually like living on a powder keg.

The exhibit of Ādaži garrison history is located in the territory of the National Training Centre in Ādaži, Kadaga. In this exhibit visitors can get acquainted with military equipment and learn more about the everyday life of a soldier. The largest firing ground in the Baltic States and a unique training area is located in the vicinity of Ādaži. The history of the firing ground dates back to the 20th century. At the end of the 1920s it was set up near Riga in the vicinity of Lilaste. After World War I and the Latvian War of Independence the Latvian Army was formed in a war-torn country. Latvian people had lived through war and seen the indifferent attitude of foreign armies. In a relatively short period of time the army became a large force with extensive reserves. Firing grounds and summer camps were made to resemble war conditions thus allowing the soldiers to improve their skills and knowledge. The Riga-Saulkrasti railway line, built in the early 1930s, became an important factor in the development of the Lilaste (also known as Gauja) firing ground, because it allowed easy transportation of ammunition and equipment, and it could also be used for coastal defence operations. During the Soviet occupation the firing ground was significantly expanded symbolising the military might of the Soviet Army.

Garrison – a group of military units that have been indefinitely or temporarily stationed in a certain administrative territory.

Firing ground – a place for testing equipment and training troops.

The Bicycle Museum is located in Saulkrasti not far from the A1 highway and the railway station Pabaži, near the White Dune. Museum’s collection is made up of technically the most interesting examples of bicycle development history in Latvia. It is the largest bicycle collection in the Baltics with about 60 bicycles made and used in Latvia, including army-type bicycles. In the beginning of the 20th century many armies started to widely utilise the availability and benefits of bicycles. Special bicycle units were formed because of their mobility. Bicycle units were able to gather intelligence and launch unexpected attacks more easily, and were more mobile than regular infantry when it came to operations over a wide area. After World War I the Latvian Army also had bicycle units who used Latvian-made army bicycles. Any soldier who was in such a bicycle unit had to meet strict requirements. Good stamina, eyesight and hearing, as well as a healthy heart and lungs were a must. They could not weigh less than 80 kg and their height had to be 165-180 cm. The standard in the Latvian Army was that a well-trained cyclist should be able to cover 80-100 km in day, and up to 150 km in forced conditions. In winter, when bicycles could not be used, skis were used. A soldier from a bicycle unit had to be able to ski 50-60 km per day. Many soldiers from bicycle units would later become professional athletes.

We have about 5000 visitors every year.

This monument was designed by Amandus Adamson. It was unveiled in Alevi cemetery in Pärnu on 16 July 1922. Its designer was buried next to it in 1929.

On 15 April 1945 the monument was blown to pieces, which were then buried. The statue of a boy with a garland was buried by local high school girls 175 metres from the monument. Luckily the graves of the soldiers were left untouched.

The garrison cemetery was renovated in 1987 and the parts of the monument (incl. statue of the boy with the garland) were dug up in 1988. On 24 February 1989 the upper part of the monument, which was found buried in its original location, was unveiled with a granite tablet reading: "1918 1920 / HERE WAS UNVEILED, ON 16 JULY 1922 THE MONUMENT TO THOSE / FALLEN IN THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE / SCULPTOR AMANDUS ADAMSON / DESTROYED IN 1945 / 24 II 1989 P.M.S." The full restoration of the monument and cemetery was completed in stages. The monument was unveiled anew on 17 July 1993.

This monument is situated on Independence Square in the centre of Pärnu.

Made from granite and designed by Kaarel Eelma, Mart Aas and Mikk Mutso, it was unveiled in 2008 near the former site of the Endla Theatre.

On 23 February 1918 the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia was publicly declared for the first time from the balcony of said theatre, which was badly damaged in World War II and later demolished.

The monument depicts the balcony of the historical theatre in its original size. It displays the text from the manifesto in both the original blackletter typeface and Antiqua, as well as in Braille.

The manifesto was published and the Republic of Estonia declared in the capital Tallinn on 24 February, transferring all authority to the Estonian Salvation Committee, later followed by the Provisional Government. 24 February 1918 is celebrated to this day as the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

The Estonian Museum Railway is situated on the old peat industry site in Lavassaare, 17 km north-east of Pärnu.

The museum is the only narrow-gauge railway museum in the country, displaying, among other exhibits, a functioning steam locomotive. It has in its collection over 80 railroad cars, including five locomotives and a variety of technical apparatus, most of it on display outdoors. The peat workers’ residential building on the museum premises houses an indoor exhibition displaying over 700 historical photos, items and documents related to narrow-gauge railways in Estonia.

The narrow-gauge network in the Governorates of Estonia and Livonia was established during the 19th and 20th centuries for the development of regional industry.

The clearly visible segment of World War I trenches by the Väike Strait is situated next to the Kuivastu-Kuressaare road near the popular tourist attraction of Eemu Windmill on the island of Muhu.

These trenches make up a small part of a larger area of defensive fortifications and facilities covering many kilometres. They were dug from 1915-1917 as a defensive measure against the advancing German army and were used during both world wars.

The renovated site is a great example of the military history of Muhu. This zigzagging trench is clearly visible. It is easily accessed by visitors, as it is situated right by a main road with a car park next to it. Historic wire fencing only adds to the scenery.

This example of military history complements the historic Eemu windmill, an industrial heritage site nearby, which survived World War I but was destroyed in World War II, before being restored in 1980.

The Military Equipment Museum on Saaremaa was established in 2007. Its collection comprises the private items (approximately 12,000 of them) of its founding members.
The museum organises themed hikes and re-enactments of historical battles showcasing the military history of the 20th century. Covering 650 m2, the museum comprises five exhibition halls open to visitors, including an outdoor exhibition (of larger military equipment). The centrepiece of the War of Independence Hall is the machine gun wagon of the 3rd Armoured Train. The exhibition displays original uniforms, weapons and other personal equipment from the War of Independence (1918-1920). The Hall of Historical Uniforms displays the original uniforms of the Estonian Defence Forces and Defence League from the interwar era (1925-1940) and original uniforms from World War II, along with other equipment. The Hall of Weapons displays European firearms and sidearms from 1450-1970. The Hall of World War II Personal Equipment and Kitchenware provides an overview of soldiers' everyday items. The Hall of Technical Equipment displays communication devices, cannons, mortars, bicycles, motorcycles and cars.

Kuressaare Castle is situated on the southern edge of the Kuressaare town, by the sea.

The anniversary of Saaremaa Museum, which is housed in the fortress, is celebrated on 17 February: the date in 1865 when the Society for Research of Saaremaa (Verain zur Kunde Oesels) was founded. The museum relocated to the castle in 1897. Its exhibition showcases the nature and history of Saaremaa. The largest and most noteworthy exhibit at the museum is the castle itself, which a fine example of the development of military fortifications between the 14th and the 19th centuries. Kuressaare Castle is one of the most authentic fortifications anywhere in Northern Europe.

This military base in the village of Maantee is situated on the island of Saaremaa, on both sides of the old highway a couple of kilometres from Sõrve Military Museum.

Construction of the barracks here began in April 1940 after the signing of the Mutual Assistance Pact. The base was constructed by a local company, A. ja M. Edenberg. It comprised two barracks accommodating 350 soldiers, a canteen, a bread factory, a bathhouse, an officers' mess, a clinic and an ice house. The base housed the detachments of the 315th coastal defence battery. Existing farmhouses were demolished to make way for the new facilities, forcing many to move. After the war, the detachments manning the coastal defence batteries in the vicinity were stationed here. The barracks were put back into use during the Cold War, this time by missile troops. In July 1960 the 74907th Division equipped with S-75 missiles arrived here. They began building the Granit missile depot near the barracks. The other barracks housed a single radio-technical company. In 1972, three air defence missiles fitted with nuclear warheads were stored at the Granit depot. The missile unit was disbanded in January 1991. The radio-technical company left the village of Maantee the following year.

Today the buildings are dilapidated to the point of posing a danger. The metal doors of the missile depot have been removed. Nevertheless, the complex remains a popular tourist attraction, albeit one at which visitors must be cautious of the potential hazards.

This coastal defence battery is situated on the shores of the Gulf of Riga in the village of Sääre on Saaremaa.

Sääre was the site of the 43rd coastal battery of the Moonsund forward position of Peter the Great's Naval Fortress, also known as Zerel.  It comprised four 305-mm guns. Construction began in 1914, during World War I, on a limited budget. The artillery pieces were mounted in the open on barbettes, with a narrow firing range over Irbe Strait. These were accompanied by ammunition dumps, diesel generators and a command centre built from logs and surrounded by sand. The wooden fire control tower was around a kilometre away at Sääre Manor. A 5 km long narrow gauge railway was laid connecting the battery with the port in Mõntu.

The concrete artillery barbettes with their rounded bolts, defensive walls of two of the artillery positions and the mound of sand on which the command centre once stood are all that remain today.

This seaplane harbour is situated on Papissaare Peninsula, to which an historic cobbled road leads from the small borough of Kihelkonna.

Papissaare Seaplane Base, which formed part of Peter the Great's Naval Fortress, was established between 1912 and 1914. It comprised two aircraft hangars, equipment and ammunition warehouses, a fuel tank, an electric generator, barracks, a canteen, a bread factory and a bathhouse. In August 1914, nine aircraft were brought here from Liepāja. On 12 October 1917 German forces captured the base and destroyed most of the buildings. During the interwar era the complex was the site of Julius Teär's Shipyard.

On 24 October 1939, Soviet forces acquired the complex under the Mutual Assistance Pact and restored it as a seaplane harbour. The MBR-2 seaplanes of the 15th Aviation Squadron stationed here fought in the Finnish Winter War. In late summer 1941, German bombers obliterated the seaplanes. The Soviet squadron abandoned the base, setting it on fire as they did so. From 1940-1960 the whole peninsula was a restricted military zone. Later, the complex was used by the local fishing collective. Today the remaining buildings are in use as workshops and warehouses.

This historic seaplane harbour has become an important tourism port, providing passage to the unique island of Vilsandi.

Undva is situated in the north-eastern part of Tagamõisa Peninsula in north-western Saaremaa. In August 1940, Soviet forces and locals recruited for construction began building the 32nd Military Base in Undva. After World War II, the Soviets built two 127-mm artillery batteries here, one near Suuriku Bank and the other on Cape Undva. The latter was later replaced with a more modern coastal defence battery, which preceded the construction of a radar station in the 1960s. The four concrete barbettes, concrete hangars and the remaining complex are in good condition.

This military hiking trail is situated on the north coast of Saaremaa, 1.5 km north-west of the village of Panga. The most convenient access to Panga is via Võhma.

The trail is situated along Panga Bank, which is the highest bank of exposed bedrock anywhere in Western Estonia and on the islands. Its length and openness to the sea are what make the bank special in terms of terrain and attractive to tourists. It is situated in Panga Nature Park, surrounded by the Baltic Sea to the north and north-east, by the mouth of Küdema Bay (an important bird site) to the west and by forests to the south and east.

Panga Bank did not see any active combat. The area was used for defence purposes, as it was a restricted access zone on the border of the Soviet Union.

The sundial marks the place where a searchlight once stood, guarding the national border.

Today the 2 km long military hiking trail passes by the ruins of a variety of military facilities.

The construction of the battery began in 1914. As it was an additional battery, missing in the original plan of the naval fortress and the type of guns was repeatedly changed. Finally four 120- mm Vickers guns were installed. A 200-m length and 10-20-m width sandbar was piled up in defence of the gun emplacements and covered in concrete above the guns. Hindu was the only battery in Hiiumaa that participated in combat operations during the Tagalahe landing on 12 October 1917. After a brief exchange of fire with the German warships the Russian artillerymen fled, leaving the battery intact. The Germans sent a landing unit of soldiers inland that blew up the guns of the battery. One of the German warships that shot Hindu battery, was ’Bayern’, the  warship with the largest displacement that has ever been in the Estonian waters (length 180 m, displacement 32 200 tons, eight 380-mm guns).The building of the battery radio station was transported to Emmaste and was used as the community centre (demolished in the 1980s). The gun barrels and other larger details were still there in 1937. Today the first and the second gun platforms are still identifiable, the other two are situated on a fenced farmyard. The third gun crater is filled with earth and there is a newly built house facing the sea, the remains of the fourth one is merely a cracked concrete platform. Out of two air defence gun platforms, one survives (a hundred metres toward the nursing home, on the right side of the road). There are no intact buildings. The machine gun bunker between the first and the second emplacement was completed in 1941. 

Concurrently with the construction of Hindu battery, there was a plan to build something in  Lepiku village where large gravel bars were piled up, still visible today. It is unknown what the building was going to be.

A building battalion of the Red Army arrived in Hindu village in October 1939. The local population was ordered to leave their homes before winter. By the following spring the battery area was surrounded by a wire fence. Building material arrived via Sõru Port where work was done in 3 shifts, 24 hours a day. At least a hundred local men were employed to build the battery. Concrete mix was manually made in large tubs, foundation holes were dug. The barracks  were going to have two storeys, the second storey angle iron framework was completed when the top committee came to check on the construction. An order was given to demolish the second floor because it was visible from the sea. By the autumn of 1940 two barracks, two officers’ residential buildings, a canteen, two saunas, a food cellar, two firefighting water reservoirs and a gate guard post were completed. A large-scale construction was to continue and there were a couple of thousands of tons of cement in the depots.

The crew of the battery included 5 officers and 125 lower rank soldiers. The test firing of guns took place in summer 1941 when boat-like vessels with masts towed by tugboats on long wire ropes appeared. The battery was never fully completed, some of the shelters and the water reservoir are not covered with earth. The armoured doors were probably never fully installed. Just the concrete floor of the gas shelter (shelter-power station) with its spiky reinforcement iron bars got completed. One gun and its crew were taken to Heltermaa in September 1941. During the German landing in October an ammunition shelter together with the rest of the battery’s ammunition were blown up. The powerful explosion ripped and scattered the walls of the explosive charge room and raised its roof into the air which broke in two after falling on the standing wall.

The other three gun blocks have survived more or less intact and dry. Recently, the area has been cleared and the positions can be fairly easily identified. The command post is half filled with water the whole year round. Due to its wet location the ferroconcrete and bricks are in a notably worse condition than in Tahkuna.

Around the battery there are five machine gun bunkers, each of a different construction. A couple of hundred metres to the Northwest of the battery position there is a small open observation post. There are two machine gun bunkers by the base as well. Near the upper lighthouse of Sõru there are the ruins of a machine gun bunker with a shooting sector of laid bricks. At least 15 such weapon pits were built between Tärkma and Õngu in 1941.

In 1944–1945 the battery was reconstructed with three 130-mm guns. The last training shots were taken on 23.09.1957. The following March the guns were taken away and then the battery was closed down. Today the former base accommodates Tohvri nursing home.

Orjaku harbour was intended to be used as an Imperial Russian Navy base for torpedo boats. Construction began in 1912, only to grind to an indefinite halt following the outbreak of World War I. Just two breakwaters had been completed by this point, which encompass the harbour to this day. During the final years before the Soviet occupation, a channel 4 metres deep, 35 metres wide and 2.2 km long was dredged.

This 30-metre, cast-iron lighthouse was assembled in 1874 from components manufactured in France. The lighthouse was badly damaged during World War I and was reinforced with a concrete outer structure in 1921.

The lighthouse itself is 29.5 metres high, while its light towers 37 metres above sea level. The light can be seen from 31.5 km away.

The lighthouse was also tasked with warning vessels about the ice conditions in the Baltic Sea, alerting them with a blinking red light if the nautical channels were blocked by ice.

This lighthouse is connected to events of the First World War: On 12 August 1914 at 4 AM the German cruiser Magdeburg fired at the Ristna lighthouse and the communications outpost on Cape Ristna. This marked the arrival of the First World War on Estonian territory. Ristna lighthouse was used for communication between patrolling British and Russian submarines and the naval base in Tallinn. Radio communication was avoided. The submarines surfaced at the agreed-upon location and sent their communication officers to the base by the lighthouse to make contact with Tallinn on the phone to receive further instructions. On the same day the Russian Navy used a fairly rare contraption of that time, a hydrophone, to record any noise generated by ship propellers on Cape Ristna. The coastal outpost and cables were destroyed while the Russians retreated, the remains of the hydrophone are still deep on the sea floor to this day, its location unknown. It is worth mentioning that the fog siren building erected in the early 20th century is one of the few surviving fog siren buildings of Estonian lighthouses.

The 130-mm battery at Tahkuna is architecturally similar to the battery at Tohvri. The ferroconcrete surfaces in the gun emplacements bear the inscripted date 20/IV 1941. In 1941 the battery had four 130-mm  B-13 guns (weight of gun including shield 12.8 tons, crew 11, shooting range up to 25 km). The crew included 151 seamen and 9 officers. The guns were installed right before the battles of October 1941.

The ferroconcrete gun blocks remained intact in the war and the crew arrived as early as October 1944. First the battery had three 130-mm B-13 guns. The last shots were fired in Tahkuna in January 1960 when there were 4 guns. When the battery was operating, the last kilometre of the road leading to the lighthouse was closed by a barrier and a gate house and this part of the road is still missing on the military topograhic map published in 1959.

The buildings of Tahkuna battery have survived in a fairly good state. In the ammunition depots next to the gun blocks occasional shell shelves have survived, they can also be found in the ammunition depots in the rear of the emplacements. The shelter-power station (the gas shelter) still has bunk beds. Between the boiler house and the diesel power station there is a particular water line hidden in a high parapet with a concrete reservoir at both ends. A fire control tower was built next to the command post in the 1950s and after the battery was closed down, it was used as an observation post of the naval radio technology unit. As the forest kept growing and the seaview got worse, the tower gained another floor. This new addition demonstrates a notably poorer building quality in comparison with the rest. The added floor includes a stove, whereas originally the tower had central heating. On the whole territory of the battery there are cable ditches that have been dug open – dating from the 1960s when the collective farms were permitted to take electric gear from the abandoned batteries, as well as from the early 1990s when all the cables that had been meanwhile installed and could be spotted, were taken. With the territory being completely neglected and heavily overgrown, finding and studying the objects could be complicated.

On the territory of the battery, next to the parking lot, there is a monument from 1968 in memory of the Baltic Navy soldiers who perished in 1941. The author of the monument is Vitali Navoznyhh, originally from Leningrad. He participated in the battles of 1941 in Hiiumaa and settled on the island after the war, working as a stonecarver. Next to the monument there is a tombstone to two unknown soldiers who were buried there in 1973. 

This museum is housed in a train station built in the early 20th century to service the railway line connecting to the resort in Haapsalu.

Opened in 1997, the museum showcases the one-and-a-half centuries of development of Estonian railways and mediums of communication. Besides decommissioned locomotives, the museum displays an affable station master and an Ericsson Skeleton Type telephone and invites visitors to the station's post office.

The outdoor exhibition also displays a World War II steam locomotive 52 3368. 

The steam locomotive 52 3368, initially numbered 16494, was completed in April 1943 in Munich at the Krauss-Maffei Works and then transported to Austria, the Bruck an der Mur depot of the Villach division. The Hungarian State Railways (MAV) rented the locomotive and on  June 7, 1945, it was captured by the Red Army. When the Hungarian-Romanian border was altered, locomotive 52 3368 was given to the Romanian railway (CFR). In August 1950, at the CFR Iași Works the locomotive was converted to broad gauge (5 ft) and given to the Soviet Union, where it operated at the Kotovsk and Vapnyarka depot of the Odessa Railway from October 1950 to 1956. After that, the Ministry of Transportation of the USSR kept it in the strategic reserve. On  August 26, 1957, the locomotive TE-3368 (ТЭ-3368, the class 52 was renamed as TE in 1952) arrived at the Valga locomotive base. There the loco got another tender (so-called Wannentender), built in 1943 by Borsig Works in Berlin and formerly belonging to locomotive TE-450. It could carry 32 m3 of water and 10 tonnes of fuel. The locomotive stayed in Valga (from 1961 to 1968 shortly in Tartu) until the base was closed in 1997. From 1950 to 1985, its kilometrage as a broad-gauge locomotive was 463,216 kms. On  May 8, 1998, the steam locomotive was delivered to Haapsalu to be exhibited at the Railway Museum.

The class 52 war locomotive was designed in a hurry in June 1942 on request of the Reich´s Ministry of Armaments and War Production in the example of the class 50 locomotive. The 2-10-0 type engine had a power of about 1,500 hp and a maximum speed of 80 km/h. It had a simplified and light design (15-ton axle load) with an intended life-span of 5 years. From 1942 to 1945, a total of 6,295 locomotives of that class were built in 14 factories across Europe. After World War II, the class 52 locomotives had spread all over Europe, from Norway to Turkey and from Belgium to the Soviet Union. There were over 2,000 locomotives in the USSR – the exact number remains unknown, as the locomotives were subject to different authorities, including security authorities. In Estonia, the class 52 steam locomotives ran first on standard-gauge (1,435 mm) lines in 1943–44. Since 1953, when they replaced the American class ShA war locomotives (the Shariks) in Estonian freight traffic, 138 class TE (52) regauged locos have been here. By 1991, only one remained in Estonia – the TE-3368.

This museum, which has been housed in the mid-19th century historicist Viimsi Manor since 2001, conducts research into and both preserves and displays Estonian military history. Its predecessors were the Estonian War of Liberation Museum (founded on 19 January 1919) and a museum dedicated to General Laidoner established at the manor by decree of Viimsi Municipal Government in 1993. During the Soviet occupation, the manor was used by a naval intelligence unit: after the withdrawal of the Soviet Army, the building was in a dire state. The museum was founded by decree of Minister of Defence Jüri Luik on 26 February 2001. Since then, the museum has operated under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence. Its main exhibition showcases wars fought in Estonia and abroad in which Estonians have participated. Part of the exhibition is dedicated to Commander-in-Chief Johan Laidoner, who owned the manor from 1923-1940. The military equipment hangar near the main building displays a variety of artillery pieces and vehicles.

The Seaplane Harbour is situated on the water’s edge in the Kalamaja district of Tallinn.

It was commissioned during World War I by Russian Emperor Nicholas II as part of Peter the Great's Naval Fortress. The museum, based in the historic seaplane hangar, has around 200 original exhibits on display: the submarine Lembit, the 100-year-old icebreaker Suur Tõll, the seaplane Short 184, the oldest Estonian shipwreck, mines, cannons and more. Temporary exhibitions complement the main exhibition. The seaplane hangar is architecturally unique: its domed roof was one of the first thin concrete shell structures of its kind.

The museum’s programmes and materials for individual visits are fun and educational for adults and children alike.

Hotel Viru in Tallinn was built in 1972. The hotel for foreigners also had to suit to the national security body, i.e KGB. The museum tells the story of more than just one hotel and the KGB. It is a treasure trove of stories of two different worlds - one which existed mostly on paper, of happy Soviet citizens living in friendship and never wanting for anything, led by a wise, all-powerful group of men in a place where there were never any accidents or catastrophes; and the other real world, which was a very different and a much tougher place to live in.
Please book in advance to visit the museum.

A former naval fortress located in the Kalamaja district of Tallinn.

Designed by military engineers Étienne-Louis Boullée and Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, Patarei was commissioned in 1829 by Russian Emperor Nicholas I. The complex was opened in 1840, but this did not mean that construction work was complete. The fortress underwent renovations: there were fears that the British and French would attack from the Baltic Sea after the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1853. This did indeed come to pass, but it did not escalate into large-scale warfare. Only a few shots were fired from Patarei. As a result of the adoption of explosive projectile, Patarei was decommissioned as a fortress in 1858 and was thereafter used as barracks. During the era of Estonia’s independence, Patarei was turned into a prison, which operated until 2002. It had also been used as a prison during the German and Soviet occupations. The atrocities committed there by those regimes made the place infamous among the population. The architecturally prominent building, which covers four hectares, is now home to an exhibition entitled ‘Communism is Prison’, which shines the spotlight on communist ideology, communist crimes and the history of the building. Renovations of this remarkable architectural wonder covering four hectares began in 2020. By 2026 Patarei shall be an integrated urban landscape complete with commercial space, living quarters and leisure options. The original prison interior and exercise yards shall be preserved in the eastern wing of the building. Already there's an exhibition on the communist ideology and atrocities and the history of the building covering close to 1200 square metres.

Vabamu museum is situated in the centre of Tallinn.

A private museum, it opened in 2003 to showcase Estonian history from 1940-1991. The museum recalls stories from recent history highlighting both the value and fragility of freedom.

The main exhibition and the films shown at the museum provide an overview of the Soviet occupation, oppression, national resistance and the Singing Revolution.

The main exhibition, ‘Freedom Has No Limits’, is divided into five topics: ‘Inhumanity’, ‘In Exile’, ‘Soviet Estonia’, ‘Restoration’ and ‘Freedom’. Museum visitors can take an audio tour (in Estonian, Russian, English, Finnish, German, French or Spanish) to guide them on this immersive and retrospective journey through history. There are also activities for children, offering an unforgettable experience for the whole family.

Hara Harbour is situated in the village of the same name in Harju County.

There was a border guard outpost on the shoreline facing the island of Hara which was used during both the imperial era and the era of independence prior to World War II. The outpost was taken over by the Soviet Border Guard during the occupation of Estonia. A military harbour – the historic Hara submarine base or degaussing station – was constructed nearby. Degaussing was done using underwater technical facilities and enabled ship and submarine hulls to repel magnetic mines.

The whole port area used to be a restricted zone. Currently the port houses a visitor centre and is used as a marina. The history of the base can be explored on site, with the quay and ruins also accessible to visitors.

This memorial is situated on the western slope of Grenaderimägi Hill in the Blue Hills near the old Vaivara cemetery.

It symbolises the battle fought in the Blue Hills during World War II between Soviet and German forces.

The first monument in the Blue Hills area – a 6.5-metre wooden cross – was erected here in 1994. The current memorial was completed in 2000. The 12-metre steel cross, which towers over a hectare of land, was designed by artist and blacksmith H. Müller. In the middle of the cross is a composition depicting an explosion. In 2004, a monument in honour of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division was added to the memorial. Two years later, monuments commemorating the Dutch and Walloon volunteers who fought alongside the Estonians were added.

Grenaderimägi Hill regularly changed hands from one battle to the next. The last point of defence, known as the ‘Hellhole’, was around 100 metres to the east of the memorial cross.

This museum is located in the renovated barn of Vaivara Manor in the small borough of Sinimäe.

Its exhibition showcases the World War II battle of the Narva River and the Blue Hills in 1944. It displays firearms, uniforms, soldiers' personal belongings, wartime photographs, propaganda posters from both sides and more. A big screen shows historical films and documentaries. Despite the topic of war being difficult for some, the exhibition is intended for all ages: while parents can concentrate on the history and the details, the children can interact with the items on display. Historical battlefronts (the 3rd defensive line of St Petersburg and the German East Wall defensive line known as the Tannenberg Line) can be found near the museum.

This memorial is situated close to the church and graveyard in the small borough of Avinurme.

The battle took place in 1944 and forced Estonians to fight one another: the battalions of the 27th and 921st Estonian Rifle Regiments on the Soviet side, and the Estonian Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS and units of the 300th Special Infantry Division on the German side.

In 1964, a monument was placed in front of the church in Avinurme reading: "Glory to the heroes who fell in Avinurme for the liberation of our homeland. 20. September 1944".

The statue of the Mourning Maiden, which marks a mass grave of people killed in World War II, is located in the town of Mustvee by Lake Peipsi.

In 1944, Red Army soldiers killed in Mustvee and the surrounding woods were buried here, in the abandoned Old Believers' cemetery. Soviet Army sources state that 264 Soviet soldiers killed in World War II are buried in the mass grave.

On 8 May 1973, a bronze statue sculpted by Elmar Rebane entitled ‘Mourning Maiden’ was placed here, along with a tombstone marking the mass grave.

This museum is situated by the Tartu-Jõgeva-Aravete road in Jõgeva.

It grew out of an exhibition entitled ‘1900-1945’ showcasing exhibits gathered and curated by military history enthusiasts. The museum opened in 2012. It displays local archaeological findings, military and civilian memorabilia, significant cultural exhibits and a wide range of weaponry. It also presents the history of military conflicts from the Stone Age through to the modern era. The museum has a study room for educational programmes, such as “Don't touch bombs, children!” for schools.

The museum reserves a special place for an exact copy of an Arsenal-Crossley armoured car from 1927, which was researched and built by museum staff in 2018 for the centennial celebrations of the Republic of Estonia.

This museum room is situated in Saadjärve Nature Centre in the small borough of Äksi.

It was opened in 2002 on behalf and with the support of the Finnish Boys Association, Tartu Municipal Government and the Finnish state.

It provides an overview of the battles in Finland and Estonia in which the Finnish Boys participated during World War II. Here you will see a scale model depicting the battles fought in Jõgeva and Tartu counties and the uniforms, equipment, armaments, military decorations, personal belongings and photos of the Finnish Boys. The bunker is also open to visitors.

Free admission.

This museum is situated on the corner of Riia and Pepleri streets in Tartu.

It is a branch of Tartu City Museum. The museum is located in the infamous grey building on Riiamägi Hill that the KGB used as their base of operations in Tartu during the 1940s and 1950s. The basement here was used as a pre-trial detention centre for political detainees. Now, many years later, it is open to visitors. Some of the cells (including those used for solitary confinement) and part of the corridor have been restored to their original appearance. The exhibition in its former jail cells provides an overview of World War II, the post-war anti-Soviet resistance in Estonia, the crimes committed by the communist regime and the conditions in the detention centre. The idea of opening the museum came from members of a former underground student resistance group in Tartu called Blue-Black-White, who discovered upon visiting their former cells that the basement had been abandoned and that it would not be very difficult to restore the former look of the jail. The museum was officially opened on 12 October 2001.

This airfield is a former air base on the north-eastern outskirts of Tartu.

On 14 April 1912 Russian pilot Sergei Utochkin made history by completing the first motorised flight in Estonia, in a Farman biplane above Raadi Manor. Baron Liphart, the lord of the manor, had his farmland converted into a runway in summer 1914. During the interwar period of Estonian independence, the 2nd Squadron of the Aviation Regiment was stationed in Raadi. During the 1950s and 1960s the airfield was refashioned into one of the largest air bases in Eastern Europe, at which strategic long-range bombers were stationed. The last landing in Raadi is believed to have taken place in 1996. Plans for renovating the airfield were abandoned in 1999. The airfield has since been decommissioned.

It is situated next to Raadi Manor. In 1922 the Estonian National Museum was established in the manor, which had been expropriated from the Lipharts in 1919. Aerial bombings in August 1944 set fire to the manor, and it burnt down. In 2016 the new building of the Estonian National Museum was opened in Raadi, located at the end of a former runway. The building, which is 350 metres long and rises from the ground, gives the impression of being an extension of the runway.

The Jalaka Line (named after the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Tartu, Kristjan Jalak) was an anti-tank trench dug alongside the Riga road near the village of Räni four kilometres outside of Tartu in summer 1941 as a countermeasure against the German offensive.

Part of the line is situated in Lemmatsi, another village outside of Tartu by the E264 towards Valga. The other part was established on the right bank of the Emajõgi River stretching from Kärevere to Praaga.

Citizens of Tartu aged 16-55, men and women alike, were forced by the Soviet regime to construct the fortifications for the Jalaka Line. The German regime used the trenches in 1941 and 1942 to execute those in its Tartu concentration camp who had been sentenced to death. During the Soviet era a monument was erected, designed by Elmar Rebase and Väino Tamm, in memory of the victims of terror.

This monument is situated in front of the historic Kõvera tavern (built somewhere between 1807 and 1830) in the small borough of Rõngu.

Designed by sculptor Aleksander Eller, the monument was unveiled on 30 September 1934. The bronze sculpture mounted on its granite base depicts the Estonian epic hero Kalevipoeg defending his mother Linda, symbolising the Estonian nation, with a sword. The sculpture was destroyed in October 1940, but then restored during the German occupation and unveiled anew on 12 October 1941. The monument was fully demolished in 1948. The current monument, slightly altered by Villu Jaanisoo, was unveiled on 21 May 1995. It differs from the original by having the statue of Linda at the top and the statue of Kalevipoeg, resting on his sword, placed in front of the monument.

The Battle of Paju took place on 31 January 1919 during the War of Independence between the Tartu-Valga army group of the Estonian People's Force and the Red Army Latvian Riflemen for control over Paju Manor. The battle resulted in the Estonians gaining control over the strategically important town of Valga and its railway turnout. Julius Kuperjanov, who led the Estonian offensive, was fatally injured in the battle.

This monument was designed by architect Georg Saar. A campaign was organised to raise money for the monument. On 12 June 1938, the cornerstone was laid by General Johan Laidoner. The base was completed in 1940, but the monument itself went unveiled due to the Soviet occupation. On the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Paju on 30 January 1994, President Lennart Meri finally unveiled the monument.

This museum and theme park showcases the internal security and military history of Valga and Estonia. The place is perfect for organising summer camps with field activities and a field trip to a World War II battle site near the Väike-Emajõgi River. The programme includes learning to cook pea soup (a popular dish in the military), using camouflage face paints and orienteering in the woods.
The exhibition at the theme park includes military equipment, artillery, an Mi-8 helicopter, a fire engine and various types of machine gun pillbox and naval mine. The tour ends at a Forest Brothers’ bunker, where, on prior request, an alcoholic beverage drunk by the Forest Brothers and smoked lard sandwiches with onion are served. For more serious enthusiasts, the museum displays the largest collection of weapons in Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces, Police and Border Guard Board, Defence League and Internal Security Service organise demonstrations at the museum of the duties they carry out. They are joined in doing so by the Latvian Police, Border Guard and Fire and Rescue Services.

The main building of Valga railway station (Leningrad Transport Planning Office, architect: Viktor Tsipulin) was completed in 1949. It is an elongated two-storey structure with an avant-corps and a hipped roof, its architectural showpiece being its seven-storey square tower. It is one of the best and most remarkable examples of Stalinist architecture in Estonia. Its original state having been so well preserved further elevates its significance. The railway station was built shortly after World War II in place of a building from the imperial era that Soviet bombing had razed to the ground. Since German prisoners of war were detained in Valga, it is plausible that they were used to construct it.

The Valka Local History Museum is located in Valka, on the right side of Rīgas street, in the historical building of the Vidzeme Parish School Teacher Training Seminary. From 1853 to 1890, the building was home to the Vidzeme Parish School Teacher Training Seminary. Until 1881, it was led by Jānis Cimze, a teacher and founder of Latvian choir culture. After the School Teacher Training Seminary was closed, the building served various educational, cultural and household needs for 80 years. The building has been home to the Valka Local History Museum since 1970. The museum’s permanent exhibit – ‘Valka, the Cradle of Latvia’s Independence’ – has been set up as a story about social and political events in Valka from 1914 to 1920 when Latvia became an independent state. The exhibit reflects the preparation leading up to the establishment of the Latvian state and the formation of the North Latvian Brigade in Valka. Through four senses, namely, the Road, the Council, the Headquarters and the Home, the exhibit focuses on topics related to the city of Valka, refugees, the founding of the Latvian Farmers’ Union (1917), the 

Latvian Provisional National Council (1917), the Latvian Provisional National Theatre (1918), the Provisional Government of Soviet Latvia known as the Iskolat, the North Latvian Brigade (1919) and General Pēteris Radziņš. In addition to the traditional ways of showcasing collections, the exhibit makes use of interactive multimedia solutions.

The memorial ensemble in Valmiera was unveiled in 1985. World War II Soviet soldiers who fell in the vicinity of Valmiera and victims of Nazi terror have been reburied in the Brothers’ Cemetery. The authors of the memorial ensemble are sculptors Zigrīda Rapa and Juris Rapa, architects Ēvalds Fogelis, Jānis Lejnieks, Jānis Rutkis and Andris Vītols, and Design Engineer Ivars Veldrums. Limestone from the village of Allaži was used to decorate the memorial ensemble. Its main image is the split linden tree of the Coat of Arms of Valmiera city. Two sculptures on each side of the ensemble symbolise the rhythm of life and death. The figures facing the Gauja river form a semi-circular space, marking the boundary between the past and the present. The main image facing the city is part of an intense arch-shaped form. The figure of a soldier faces the visitors approaching from the side of the city by the bridge, with the diagonal shape formed by the soldier’s hand supporting his deceased companion. On the burial terrace, soldiers have been laid down in rows for those who fought shoulder to shoulder in battle to lie under the same turf. A composition named the Golden Apple Tree lies separately on the lower terrace of the memorial. A granite plaque commemorates the Jews reburied here. Some of the elements, including bronze apples with the ensemble’s message encrypted by the authors, which had been placed under the growing apple tree, disappeared in the 1990s. A QR code next to the memorial gives visitors access to an audio guide with the information available in Latvian, Russian, English, Estonian and German.

The Cēsis History and Art Museum is located in the very centre of the Old Town of Cēsis, in the New Castle. The museum holds a permanent exhibit of history and interiors named ‘Cēsis, a Symbol of Latvian History’, with two thematic sections: the exhibit ‘Red-White-Red Flag in the History of Cēsis and Latvia’ explains the history of the Latvian national flag from the 13th to 20th centuries, the approved national symbol, the flags of Latvian rifle battalions and the traditions of using national colours during the Latvian War of Independence. The exhibit ‘Cēsis and the Latvian War of Independence’ focuses on the founding of the Cēsis Company in December 1918, the joint battle efforts of Estonians and Latvians in the 1919 Battles of Cēsis, the time when, during the Bermondt Affair, Cēsis served as the temporary capital of Latvia for a short time, as well as the history of the Cēsis Victory Monument. In an escape room named ‘Legends of the Battles of Cēsis’, the participants have one hour to find their way out by solving puzzles, making connections and finding hidden objects. The Cēsis Company, one of the first units of the Latvian Armed Forces, was established on 8 December 1918 in Cēsis Castle by Senior Lieutenant Artūrs Jansons. The museum’s exhibit features a memorial plaque dedicated to the Cēsis Company, unveiled on 8 December 1933 at the Cēsis New Castle, which, at the time, served as the headquarters of the 8th Daugavpils Infantry Regiment and the garrison officers’ club.

Located in Līgatne parish, Cēsis municipality, the Soviet Secret Bunker lies 9 metres below the Līgatne Rehabilitation Centre building and its adjacent territory. The bunker is open to visitors and offers guided tours, meals in the bunker canteen, Soviet-style parties and the reality game Object X. The purpose of the bunker was to provide the minimum necessary conditions for long-term work for the Council of Ministers of the Latvian SSR, the leadership of the Communist Council of the LSSR and the management of the LSSR state planning committee in the event of a nuclear war threat. The 2,000-square-metre underground bunker was the strongest autonomous structure with all the required and most state-of-the-art equipment of the time, and also one of the most strategically important sites in Soviet-era Latvia in the event of a nuclear war. The site has a protected underground workspace (shelter), a sanatorium-type sleeping block for 250 people, security facilities and a 24-apartment residential house for service staff. All of the authentic underground equipment and plans have been preserved to this day. Highlights include an autonomous power plant with diesel generators and fuel storage, conditioning equipment for air purification with oxygen reserves, water supply and sewerage equipment operating on the submarine principle, a telecommunications unit capable of providing direct contact with the Kremlin in Moscow and autonomous communications with all major services in the country, a unique map with historical names of collective farms, an authentic canteen with typical Soviet-era meals, as well as various Soviet-era attributes and household items.

The museum is located in More, on the side of the V319 motorway. It is dedicated to the Battles of More between the Red Army and the Latvian Legion of the German Army in the autumn of 1944. The exhibit includes a mock-up of the battlefield, weapons, awards, soldiers’ uniforms and military equipment. The Battles of More Museum and Memorial Park was established by former soldiers of the Latvian Legion who participated in the Battles of More. The memorial park features trenches, dugouts and battlefields. The battles in the More area were only part of a large-scale operation of the Red Army Baltic Offensive involving a total of 900,000 soldiers and large numbers of military equipment units. A part of the German Army fortification system where Latvian legionnaires prevented the Red Army’s attempt to break out to Riga was located in the vicinity of More. This allowed the German Army to withdraw its forces from Estonia and avoid defeat. Red Army leaders expected the enemy’s resistance near More to be short-lived and stubbornly continued its unprepared and uncoordinated attacks, suffering heavy losses. Local advantages and the combat capabilities of the Latvian legionnaires played a significant role in the subsequent course of the war. More is home to the Latvian Legionnaires’ Brothers’ Cemetery and a Red Army Soldiers’ Cemetery.

Salaspils Memorial and historical exhibit is located in Salaspils municipality, 1.2 km from the Riga-Daugavpils A6 highway. The Salaspils Memorial was unveiled in 1967 on the site where during World War II the Salaspils Camp was once located. It is a place that was used for Soviet propaganda and is shrouded in myths and half-truths. It is a good representation of the Nazi crimes and Communist ideology that was carried out during each of the occupations. This repressive camp was a part of the German penitentiary system. It had similarities with concentration camps, but it was not the same thing. It was created so that there would not be a disproportionate number of prisoners in Riga prisons. This camp was an “extension of the police prison”. And a variety of people were imprisoned here – Jews, the Red Army prisoners of war, absentees, political prisoners, criminals, prostitutes, members of the Latvian resistance movement, Baltic soldiers in the German Army or police, and others. The camp could hold up to 2,200 prisoners. The main cause of death (~2000) was malnutrition, working conditions, corporal punishment and illness.