Monument to Captain Zolt and student soldiers
Memorialinis vieta
35
Located in the town of Sloka in Jurmala by the Gulf of Riga in the dunes of Kaugurciems.
The memorial was erected in 1934, destroyed during the Soviet occupation, and restored in 1989. In the morning of May 18, 1919, a battle took place in Kaugurciems between the Latvian national force, the company led by Captain Paul Zolt (~ 145 men) and the Red Army troops. The event is special in that the fight took place in the most unfavorable conditions, demonstrating military courage and faith in the Latvian state.
During the night before the battle, a storm broke out and the positions and weapons were blown up with sand. In addition, inappropriate ammunition was received. As the opponent attacked, Captain Zolta's soldiers counterattacked at a crucial time, using rifles and winning the victory.
Zolt was an experienced Latvian officer who participated in the Russian-Japanese, World War I and Latvian War of Independence. His brother was also a soldier, while his son was a paramedic in the Latvian Legion of the German Army during World War II and fell, removing a severely wounded soldier.
Today you can see a memorial site created on the battlefield. It is surrounded by a beautiful seaside forest and the sea, allowing you to explore history in a pleasant environment.
Panaudoti šaltiniai ir literatūra:
Lismanis, J. In Memory of Battles and Fallen Soldiers: 1915-1920. Riga: Nims, 1999.
Zarinš, K. The battle of May 18, 1919 in Kaugurciems. 2009. Available at: https://www.sargs.lv/lv/latvijas-neatkaribas-kars/2019-05-23/1919-gada-18-maija-kauja-kaugurciema [accessed 9.03.2021].
Lismanis, J. In Memory of Battles and Fallen Soldiers: 1915-1920. Riga: Nims, 1999.
Celma, A., M. The course of Captain Zolt's hero. Three gates, No.70. 1979
