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

Until 1890 The Russian Empire had built a system of fortifications around the perimeter of the city of Kaunas. It included 8 forts and 9 artillery batteries. The construction of IX Fort started in 1902, but was completed shortly before the First World War. During the time of the Lithuanian state, 1924 the fort became a branch of Kaunas prison. During the USSR, the NKVD prison was located here, as a transfer point to the GULAG camps. During the German occupation - the Holocaust, it was a place of execution. Today, a history museum has been established here.

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.

The Daugavpils Fortress is located on the right bank of Daugava, in the western part of the city of Daugavpils. This is the only fortress of the first half of the 19th century in Northern Europe, which has survived almost unchanged. Construction began in 1810, shortly after which it suffered in the war of 1812 and the floods of 1829. The fortress was a place of strategic importance, including in the fight against Napoleon’s army. Consecrated in 1833, the fortress was completed almost half a century later, in 1878. The Daugavpils Fortress is divided into quarters, with the Parade Square located in the central part. Later the fortress lost its strategic importance and a warehouse was set up in it in 1897. Before World War I, Latvian Army officers, including General Jānis Balodis and Colonel Frīdrihs Briedis, served in the Daugavpils Garrison. In honour of the centenary of the war of 1812, a monument was unveiled in the fortress park in 1912. Army units were stationed here during the Soviet era, and the Daugavpils Higher Military Aviation Engineering School was established. The fortress features several tourist attractions, including the Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre (trips around the Daugavpils Fortress are available), World War I Museum, Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, the White Horse art gallery, a medical exhibit displaying contraceptives, the Housevintage antique shop, the Daugavpils Bat Centre and the ‘Retrogaraž-D’ exhibit of retro cars.

Located at Odzienas Street 2, Pļaviņas.

The permanent exposition "Latvian Army in Pļaviņas in the 20th Century" can be seen.

The building in Pļaviņas, Odzienas Street 2, has a long history - from the time when Stukmaņi wholesaler Hugo Apeltofts started active economic activity in it, thus promoting the development of Pļaviņas city, until the headquarters of the Latvian Eastern Front was established here during the War of Independence. In 1919, the activities of Latvian army units against the Red Army in Latgale were commanded directly from Pļaviņas.

In 1934, a memorial plaque was unveiled near this house with the inscription: "In 1919, the headquarters of the Eastern Front was located in this house, and here General Jānis Balodis took over the command of the Latvian National Army." It was removed and destroyed by the Soviets in 1940, but on June 16, 1990, with the support of the LNNK Plavinas branch, it was restored.

Now, next to the former headquarters building, there is a memorial stall dedicated to 15 cavalry of the Lāčplēsis Military Order born in Pļaviņas region. In Pļaviņas, as well as provides an insight into the life stories of the Knights of the Lāčplēsis War Order.

Not far from the exposition building is the Latgale Division headquarters building, which was built in 1913 by Count Teodors Medems as a Stukmaņi liqueur factory. In 1919 it was taken over by the regime of P. Stučka, where it had also established a prison. After the expulsion of the Bolsheviks, in 1925 the building was taken over by the Latvian Army, which housed the headquarters of the Latgale Division. 10 generals and other officers of the Latvian Army spent their military careers in this building. In 1940, the building was taken over by the Red Army. In the post-war years, it housed a school as well as a municipality. Around 1970, the building was started to be used by the production association "Rīgas Apīrsbs".

Visits to the exhibition must be booked in advance by calling T. 28442692.

The exhibit is located in the former culture house of Aizkraukle parish. It reflects the everyday social, recreational, professional, educational and cultural life in Soviet times, as well as the history of how Aizkraukle (during Soviet times – Stučka) and the Pļaviņu HPP came to be. Visitors can view the ‘Red Corner’ with its historical propaganda materials, the office of a party functionary and a typical Soviet apartment with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet and their corresponding attributes. Some rooms are dedicated to Soviet medicine, tourism and sports as well as repression tactics. There is a spacious hall in the centre of the exhibit for Soviet-made vehicles. This was started in 2016 by the Aizkraukle History and Art Museum by setting up the exhibit on three floors. Nowadays it is the largest exhibit in the Baltics dedicated to this period of Soviet occupation.

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.