Deportation echelon secretly photographed at Skrunda station in 1949
On 25 March 1949, Elmārs Heniņš, a pupil in Skrunda, witnessed his classmates being taken away. He took his camera and climbed a pine tree on a nearby hill to document what was happening, later hiding the pictures.
Writer and publicist Artūrs Heniņš remembers the following episode about the events of March 1949:
But in the room I would witness a father's harsh conversation with his brother.
- Where have you been?
- Stations in pines.
- What were you looking for?
- I'm photographing a train.
- Why did you have to do that?
- My classmates Dzērves Herbert and Vilma were taken there.
- You wanted us to take us too?
A 6th grade student with his father's camera had taken a very rare photo report at the scene at Skrunda station, which has survived to this day in a film eaten by time.
Artūrs Heniņš, Jaunā Gaita nr. 191, March 1993
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Cattle wagon used for deportations – museum at Skrunda train station
To commemorate the deportations of June 1941 and March 1949, a memorial stone and a four-axle wagon, which also serves as the museum dedicated to deportations, was erected at the Skrunda railway station. This is the first wagon-type museum in Latvia that holds a permanent exhibit of photos, letters, memoirs, documents and various items made by the people deported from the Skrunda station. Skrunda station was a location where deportees were gathered, and one of the three stations in the region to which people from the Skrunda and the Kuldīga area were brought. In 1941, the family of the first President of the restored Republic of Latvia, Guntis Ulmanis, was deported from here to Krasnoyarsk Krai in Siberia.
With the help of deportations, the Soviets dealt with supporters of the national partizans’ and at the same time intimidated the remaining rural population, forcing them to join the collective farms.
Mälestuskivi Stende raudteejaamas
Ventspilsi-Mazirbe raudteeliin, samuti Stende-Dundaga pikendus Mazirbesse koos haruga Pitragsi, oli ette nähtud ainult strateegiliste sõjaliste vajaduste rahuldamiseks. Nende liinide ehitamise ajal ja pärast seda evakueeriti kõik tsiviilelanikud piirkonnast. Irbe väina piirkonnas asuvate sõjaliste raudteede peamine ülesanne oli Saksa armee rannikukaitsepositsioonide varustamine relvade ja laskemoonaga.
Need ainult sõjaväe kasutuses olevad sõjaväe raudteed ühendasid ka kolme kõige tähtsamat tuletorni, mis asusid Ovišis, Mikeltornis ja Šlīteres.
Sellest hoolimata korraldati juba I maailmasõja aastatel ka reisijatevedu.
Stende raudteejaamas asub mälestuskivi (1989) 1941. ja 1949. aastal küüditatud lätlastele.
30. oktoobril 1919 hõivasid Stende raudteejaama Bermonti väed. 17. novembril ründasid K. Šnēbergsi juhitud Läti sõjaväe sõdurid jaama, ajades ära vagunid relvade, sõjavarustuse ja viljaga. Nende lahingute eest pälvisid 6 sõdurit ordeni: K. Bumovskis (1891-1976), P. Strautiņš (1883-1969), R. Plotnieks (1891-1965), E. Jansons (1894-1977).
