Monument of K. Zemdega to the Victims of the World War I in Tukums
Memorial site
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Located in Tukums, at the foot of the Sun Hill.
The monument "Sagittarius" created by Kārlis Zemdega is one of the last monuments that was unveiled in 1940 before Latvia lost its independence. It depicts a young soldier kneeling on the road and swearing allegiance to his homeland. At the foot of the monument is the Brothers' Cemetery with more than 40 burials.
During World War I, when Kurzeme was under German occupation, a cemetery was built on the slopes of Pavārkalns. There were buried people who were sentenced to death by a German army military court. The burials were originally numbered and it was not until 1925 that the identities of all the convicted people were ascertained. They were mainly captured scouts by Latvian riflemen. Among them were civilians. Later, the remains of the people, together with the fallen soldiers of the Latvian army, were transported to the place where the Brothers' Cemetery was established at the foot of the K. Zemdega monument.
Today you can see the memorial site. K. Zemdega has created several outstanding monuments, including the one seen in Tukums.
Used sources and references:
Lismanis, J. In Memory of Battles and Fallen Soldiers: 1915-1920. Riga: Nims, 1999.
The sketch of the Tukums Brothers Cemetery monument has been accepted. The Voice of the New Tukums. No.16. 1938
