Armed resistance to Soviet occupation power in Sēlia
On the route, you will learn about the evidence of the armed resistance movement against the Soviet occupation regime in Sēlia , the sites of national partisan bunkers, and visit battle and memorial sites, as well as learn about the memoirs of partisans and their supporters.
What the tour includes
The end of World War II in Europe did not mean the restoration of freedom for Latvia and its people, but rather coming under repeated Soviet occupation .
Many people who did not accept the communist regime or who were threatened with repression sought refuge in the forests. The national partisans chose to resist foreign power and multiple superior forces with weapons in their hands, being ready to give their lives in the fight for freedom. In Sēlia , the first post-war years were also a time of many tragic events, cruelty, revenge and shattered ideals. This is evidenced by the attacks on the Soviet occupation authorities and local collaborators that took place here in 1944-1952 , as well as frontal clashes with Cheka troops and destroyer battalions.
The route was prepared in collaboration with the National Research Program project "Archaeology of Independence: New Approaches to the History of National Resistance in Latvia" (No. VPP-LETONIKA-2021/2-0003) and the Latvian Occupation Museum project "Popularization of Evidence-Based Information about Events in Latvian History".
The implementation of the event is financially supported by the Ministry of Culture.