Pirmasis pasaulinis karas ir nepriklausomybės kovos Pietų Latvijoje

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.

Redans, or Redana Fort, is located in Karosta, 14. novembra Street, about 1.5 km from the Northern Forts, in the nature reserve "Tosmare".

Historically, redans were elements of fortifications where longer sections of fortress walls were divided into shorter sections by building V-shaped positions facing the enemy, which allowed for better protection of the fortification wall. Karostas Redan is a late 19th century Liepaja Sea Fortress, projecting towards Lake Tosmare. As the fortress lost its fortress role, the fortifications and forts around it were partially blown up and rendered unusable. However, Redan remained almost intact.

In November 1919, after the failure at Riga, Pavel-Bermont Avalov's forces launched an intensive attack on Liepaja. The battle was also fought at Redan, where 80 soldiers of the Liepaja Military Port Commandant's Office under the command of Lieutenant Commander Radzins fought. In a swift attack on 14 November, the Bermontians managed to take Redan. This was followed by a counter-attack by Latvian troops and Redan was retaken.

In June, July and August, a knowledgeable guide will be waiting at Redan every day from 11.00-17.00, ready to tell you more about Liepāja Fortress and the historical events in the Karosta.

Among the many objects of Liepāja Karosta, Liepāja coastal artillery battery No. 2 is still the most mysterious place in Liepaja. In battery no. 2, the ammunition depots of the troops of the various existing powers were always installed.

Liepaja Fortress Battery No. 2 was built further from the coastline and was protected by a high rampart. The batteries were armed with 16 11-inch (280 mm) mortars of the 1877 model. After the fortress was dismantled, ammunition warehouses were set up here. Due to the danger of explosions, the territory was closed to the public and guarded for 130 years, but now there is an exposition about the activities of the 1st Kurzeme Division Headquarters in the years 1919-1940s, as well as photo evidence of the 1st Liepāja Infantry Regiment, the 2nd Ventspils Infantry Regiment and the Kurzeme Artillery. regiment.

The water tower is located in Liepaja, in the Karosta, at 29 General Baloža Street - where the street meets Lazaretes Street. The water tower was an important building in the Karosta, as it supplied almost the entire Karosta area with drinking water. The exact time of construction of the water tower is unknown, but it could have been between 1903 and 1905. The project was probably designed by the St Petersburg architect Stefan Galenzovsky.

The water tower was powered by a steam engine with two coal boilers, one of which was kept in reserve, so there is an equally tall chimney next to the tower. The transmission powered four pumps, two of which were kept in reserve. Four boreholes supplied water to the pumps, which pumped it to a reservoir on the fifth floor of the tower and from there to the officers' apartments and soldiers' barracks in the Karosta.

When the Latvian Army took over the management of the water tower, the Ministry of War also took over the management of the water tower. After the Second World War, the Soviet Army took over the management. The water tower has been closed since 1989.

Although the tower was not a military building, in November 1919 the Latvian Army corrected the artillery fire of the British warships in the fight against the attack of the Bermont troops.

https://industrialheritage.travel/lv/objects/karostas-udenstornis/51

The Karosta Prison in Liepāja is the only military prison in Europe open to tourists. Constructed around 1900 for the needs of a hospital, the building was never used for its original purpose. The structure was repurposed as a place for serving temporary disciplinary punishment and was used as such up until 1997.

Powers changed but the purpose of the institution remained the same, namely, to house prisoners, including revolutionaries, sailors and non-commissioned officers of the Russian tsarist army, German deserters, enemies of the people of the Stalin era, as well as soldiers of the Soviet and Latvian armies. The Karosta Prison is currently open to visitors and guided tours are available. The tours show the prison and visitors can learn about its history, have a look at the prison and punishment cells and hear interesting and even ghostly tales about life at the prison. Braver souls have the opportunity to play the ‘Behind the Bars’ reality game or try to get out of closed rooms. And those who know no fear can spend the night in a prison cell. The Karosta Prison has a Karosta Visitor Centre, a Soviet-era buffet and a souvenir shop. The services of a guide are available throughout the whole of Karosta.

The 6th Battery, which is the best preserved fortification structure today, was planned to protect the coast of Liepaja Fortress south of the Trade Canal. The battery was to house four 6-inch (152 mm) guns of the 1892 model of the Canet system, eight 11-inch (280 mm) guns of the 1887 model, nine mortars of various calibres and two 57 mm Nordenfeld anti-tank guns. At the beginning of the First World War, after the fortress had already been dismantled, Battery 6 still contained the armament used in April 1915, when the German Navy attempted to land a landing at the South Pier.

In the early 1920s, the construction of the Olympia Stadium, which can still be seen today, began on the battery site. The fortification ditch dug at the southern end of the battery is today included in the Liepāja Seafront Park.

Lieutenant Commander of the Armoured Train Lieutenant Alfred Klestrov , born 8 March 1897 in Liepaja. Graduated from Liepāja City School, then from the surveyors' school in Riga.

Conscripted into the Russian Army during World War I, graduated from the Battalion School in Moscow. Served on the Romanian front, fought in Ukraine. When Ukraine was occupied by German troops, he returned to Riga.

The Order was awarded in 1922

Conscripted into the Latvian Army in the spring of 1919, served in the additional battalion of the 3rd Latgale Division. In October 1919 he was assigned to the armoured train "Kalpaks" as a commander.

On 4 November 1919, when the Germans attacked Liepāja, the commander of the armoured train "Kalpaks", Lieutenant Alfred Klyestrov, under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, counter-attacked and got behind enemy lines with the armoured train. Unable to open cannon fire, he led his team in a bayonet fight and dispersed the enemy, thus contributing to the withdrawal of the Bermontese attack, but he himself fell in this battle to a bullet from German soldiers who had entrenched themselves at home and remained behind the Latvian army soldiers.

In 1935, a memorial plaque was erected at the place of death of Lieutenant Alfred Klestrovs, commander of the armoured train "Kalpaks", at the junction of the Liepāja railway and Liepāja-Grobiņa highway.

The castle is located in Rudbārži, on the Riga - Liepāja A9 highway. A memorial plaque commemorating the deeds of Oskars Kalpaka's battalion is placed in front of the building.

The castle was built in 1835 as a property of the Baron von Firks family on the order of Baroness Thea von Firks. On 15 December 1905 the manor house was burnt down by revolutionaries. Restoration work under the direction of architect L. Reiniers began three years later.

During the Latvian War of Independence, Rudbārži Castle served as a base and headquarters for combat operations on the banks of the Venta River, commanded by Colonel Oskars Kalpaks' 1st Separate Latvian Battalion.

Later, the castle was used as a recreation base for Latvian army soldiers. In 1938 the castle was rebuilt.

During the Second World War the building housed a hospital for German army soldiers, and in the post-war years - a school for forest workers. In 1962 the castle became the Rudbārži School, which was named after Oskars Kalpaks in 1991. The Hall of Heroes of Rudbārži Manor was restored in 2016. The school is currently closed, but in the coming years the building is planned to house a vocational military secondary school named after Oskars Kalpaks.

The Skrunda Battle Memorial is located in the centre of Skrunda, in Oskaras Kalpaka Park near the Skrunda Culture House, at the intersection of Kuldīgas and Liepājas Streets. In 2005, a stone was erected at the memorial commemorating the battle of 29 January 1919, when the battalion commanded by Oskars Kalpaks, together with the German and Russian units of the Landeswehr, liberated Skrunda from the Bolsheviks. The tradition of Flag Day has been maintained since 2004, commemorating the first town liberated from the Bolsheviks and its liberators, who raised the Latvian flag at the Skrunda church on 29 January 1919.

During the first months of the War of Independence, the Latvian Provisional Government, under pressure from the Bolsheviks, was rapidly losing territory. On 22 January 1919, the Bolsheviks captured Skrunda. A week later, in the early hours of 29 January, the offensive to recapture Skrunda began. The Latvian Separate Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Oskars Kalpaks was to attack along the Rudbāržu-Skrunda highway and drive the Bolsheviks out of Skrunda. This would be followed by a flank attack by German units with the task of destroying the advancing enemy, while the Russian company would attack between the Latvian and German units, using the Skrunda church as a landmark. The attack was also supported by a German artillery battery. On the day of the attack, the frost was 15 degrees, the sun shone brightly, the Kalpaks had to cross a clear field, and the Bolsheviks were sheltering in the stone buildings of the manor. The Bolsheviks opened fire when the chain of attackers was about 300 metres away, a two-way firefight broke out, and the soldiers under Oskars Kalpaks' command advanced in a rapid advance, forcing the enemy to cease fire and retreat across the Venta. After about 3 hours of fighting, Skrunda was captured at about 9am, with the Latvian Separate Battalion having only 2 wounded.

The Battle of Skrunda was of great importance for the morale of the Latvian Provisional Government's armed Spek soldiers, as it was in fact the first significant victory in the battles against the Bolsheviks. Moreover, the commander himself, Oskars Kalpaks, showed particular courage in the battle, encouraging the soldiers by his example not to be afraid.
 

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.

O.Kalpaka Square is located in the very centre of Saldus, at the intersection of Lielā and Striķu streets. 

The former market square is today a favourite place of recreation for residents and visitors of Saldus, where concerts, commemorative events and festivities are held. On 10 March 1919, Saldus became the first Latvian town liberated by Colonel Oskars Kalpaks' battalion.

On 14 March 1919, the first parade of the Latvian Separate Battalion took place in the square, and in 1992, in honour of Colonel Kalpakas, the square was named after him. 

It is located near the ruins of the Lielauce Lutheran Church.

On August 19, 1934, the gray granite monument at the place of the first battle of Oskar Kalpak's battalion was unveiled near the Lielauce Lutheran Church. The memorial was designed according to the architect P. Dreimaņi's design. The Lielauce battle took place on the night of January 15-16, 1919, between the Kalpakians Cēsa and the Officers' Company on the one hand, and the soldiers of the 2nd Rifle Regiment. In the early 1950s, the monument was destroyed, but restored in 1991.

The Christmas Battle Memorial Park and Museum is located in Jelgava municipality, Valgunde parish, in the Mangaļi homestead. This museum is a branch of the Latvian War Museum. It was opened in 2005 and is located in the area where Christmas Battles took place. Unique World War I fortifications still remain in locations where battles took place. The indoor exhibit contains objects found in the battlefield. The open-air exposition has reconstructed fortifications. There are tourist routes and informative trails in the vicinity of the museum. The open-air exposition of World War I fortifications and indoor exhibits are available to visitors every day. Unique evidence of World War I fortifications can still be found in the vicinity of Ložmetējkalns. There is a 27 m tall observation tower that provides a panoramic view of the area where the Christmas Battle took place. The Christmas Battle is probably the best known and most dramatic event of World War I in Latvia. It has a special place in Latvia’s military and cultural history. This engagement is mainly associated with the attack of Latvian Riflemen on the German Army units in extremely harsh and unfavourable conditions. And it was also a unique situation where a large-scale combat operation was started without artillery support.

Located in Jelgava region, near the A9 motorway.

Ložmetējkalns is a place of World War I fighting, which is the only cultural and historical reserve of national significance in Latvia. It is located on the Long Dune, which is part of the Nordeķi - Kalnciems dune ridge. The name of the machine gun hill originated at a time when there were hard-to-occupy fortifications of the German army, which were defended by a strong machine gun fire.

Christmas battles are probably the best known and most dramatic event of World War I in the history of Latvia. It occupies a special place in the military and cultural history of Latvia. In 1917, the Latvian Rifle and Siberian units of the Russian army attacked Ložmetējkalns and occupied it. At least 600 opponents were captured, as well as valuable trophies, such as 19 machine guns. This was the most significant success of the Christmas battles and the greatest gain that the Russian troops had achieved on the Riga front. Latvian riflemen believed that they deserved the honor of the conquerors of the highlands.

Today, there is a lookout tower with views of former battles. Memorials and wartime evidence can be seen in the area. The Silenieki Brothers Cemetery is nearby.

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.

The family owns the private collection "Dzimtas klēts", in Sala county (Sēlpils parish of Jēkabpils district), which was established in 2007. It has been visited by travelers from many countries and continents.
Travelers are told about the First World War, the time of the Latvian army, the Second World War, the Brethren's graves in Riga and the Christmas battles. In 2011, the restoration of the renovated armory was started and continued, where the exposition "Storm of Souls" about the First World War, about the 4th Rifle Regiment of Vidzeme, the Christmas battles was installed. It is told about the soldier Robert Socki, who will be laid to rest in the Brethren Cemetery, Alexander Green, Jānis Akurāter, Arvīda Žilinski, etc. There are bomb pits from the First World War, as well as a spring from which drinking water was taken, in the area. Excursion 1.5 - 2 hours in Latvian and Russian.

Located in Krustpils Palace

Viewable exhibition "Fights for freedom in the 20th century"
Soviet repression. Hard memories. Sitting here in a club chair, you can listen to fragments of the book "Those were the times" by Ilmars Knaģ from Jēkabpils. On one of the walls of the room, a list of townspeople deported to Siberia slides dispassionately, like the credits after a movie. There you can watch an amateur video about the removal of the Lenin monument in Jēkabpils on the old TV. Visitors are interested not only in the content, but also in the technical possibilities - how did this film get on the old TV.

It is possible to listen to the lectures prepared by the museum specialists at the Jēkabpils History Museum or apply for an excursion: Jēkabpils and its surroundings in the First World War, Jēkabpils in 1990, the time of the Barricades, the deportations of 1949 - 70, Jēkabpilians Cavaliers of the Lāčplēš Military Order, etc.
The average duration of lectures is 40 min. Information and registration for lectures by calling 65221042, 27008136.

Information about prices

Jēkabpils History Museum is located in Krustpils Castle. In 1940, after the inclusion of Latvia in the USSR, the 126th Rifle Division was stationed in Krustpils Castle. During the Second World War, the castle housed a German infirmary, and after August 1944, a Red Army war hospital. After the war, Krustpils Castle with the adjacent manor buildings were occupied by the central warehouses of the 16th Long-range Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment and the 15th Air Army of the Soviet Army.

The Viesīte Freedom Monument is a symbol of freedom, independence, and remembrance.

1919 Viesīte defenders' fight against Bermontians. Opened in 1935 On October 14, 1919, soldiers of the Third Jelgava Infantry Regiment, together with the Viesīte-Sauka-Vārenbrokas defenders' unit, stopped the Bermontians' attack at the Viesīte Vale hill. As a result of the victory, the advance of Bermontians' units in the direction of Augskurzeme and Latgale was stopped. A memorial site with a monument is being created in honor of this fact. The Viesīte Freedom Monument depicts a freedom fighter greeting the sun with the Latvian flag in his hands. It is a symbol of freedom, independence and remembrance. "Freedom is the life of the people" - these words are engraved on the monument. The author of the monument's design is sculptor V. Jākobsons, and the stonemason V. Treijs carved it in Finnish granite. Opened on August 11, 1935.

Every year on Lāčplēsis Day, a Torchlight Procession takes place through the town of Viesīte to the Freedom Monument, honoring the Latvian freedom fighters who gave their lives and fell for their fatherland.

First World War Museum is located in Medumi village, Augšdaugava municipality, in the building of former workshops of Medumi elementary school ~600 m from the A13 road.

During the First World War, the territory of present-day Augšdaugava municipality was crossed by the "Life and Death" front line, on both sides of which trenches and bunkers were built. In the forests of Medumi parish, as well as in the forests of Demene and Svente parishes, German army bunkers have been preserved, which, unlike the wooden bunkers built by the Russian army, were built of concrete.

The exposition of the First World War Museum consists of several parts. In the museum, it is possible to get acquainted with the history of Medumi before the war, with the events of the First World War in Latvia and also in Europe, as well as with the everyday life of soldiers during the First World War. An imitation of a Russian bunker has been created in one of the halls, allowing visitors to get to know the life of soldiers in a bunker. In this part of the museum, it is possible to feel the atmosphere of war the most, provided by the sounds of gunshots and explosions and videos with scenes from the movie "Blizzard of Souls" (“Dvēseļu putenis”).

It is located in the village of Medumu, Jaunatnes Street 4.

A private collection of historical evidence created by the Stikanis family. A collection of artifacts from the First and Second World War has been created, collected mostly from Medumu Parish and the surrounding area. Both military heritage items and household items, coins, photographs can be viewed.

The private collection can be viewed by contacting us in advance. Entry for donations.