Battle of Oskars Kalpaks battalion near Lielauce
On the night of January 15, the Kalpaka Battalion won the first battle near Lielauce, beating the red attack. It was the first significant battle of the Kalpaka Battalion, when the victory gave the soldiers a particularly strong moral impetus.
The Kalpaka Battalion stayed in Lielauce for only three days in 1919, but this battle has remained a very important moment in the history of Latvia. "The military forces were small, part of the Latvian army was part of the German army, when the Red Army entered Latvia with a huge force. Thanks to careful intelligence work, this fight was short but bloody, which started after midnight, making mistakes on both sides - the "reds", seeing the light left by the Kalpaks battalion on the 2nd floor, could identify the target of the attack, but two - further to Dobele half-laid, the soldiers noticed the attackers, although there was a deep blizzard and the rocket pistol did not work, running away and correctly warning, the battle had no background of surprise. The first to fall was Lieutenant Pēteris Dambītis, because he had put the soldier's boots next to the post, so he could not put them on… the water in the barrel is frozen, it also helped to win this battle (..). Major Ilgvars Baumanis, the head of the Latvian National Guard Veterans Association, told about the first battle of Kalpaks at the memorial ceremony in Lielauce (~ 2015).
Auce district TIC, 30.09.2016
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Oskars Kalpaks Museum and Memorial Site “Airītes”
The Oskars Kalpaks Museum and Memorial Site Airītes is located between Saldus and Skrunda near the A9 highway. The exhibit has extensive information about Colonel Oskars Kalpaks and his battalion, and shows the history of the Latvian National Army and the memorial site Airītes. The exhibit reveals Colonel Oskars Kalpaks as a personality, as a soldier and as a fighter for Latvia's independence. Audio logs in Latvian, English and German are also available as part of the exhibit. They emphasize the importance of the historic events of 1918/1919 in the protecting the statehood of Latvia. The museum building has been restored.
Entry is free; guided tour – for a fee. The complex has a recreation area, a park, an obstacle course, it is possible to take various classes, and there is a seminar hall for up to 30 people.
Memorial stone in Oskaras Kalpaka Square in Saldus
O.Kalpaka Square is located in the very centre of Saldus, at the intersection of Lielā and Striķu streets.
The former market square is today a favourite place of recreation for residents and visitors of Saldus, where concerts, commemorative events and festivities are held. On 10 March 1919, Saldus became the first Latvian town liberated by Colonel Oskars Kalpaks' battalion.
On 14 March 1919, the first parade of the Latvian Separate Battalion took place in the square, and in 1992, in honour of Colonel Kalpakas, the square was named after him.
A monument dedicated to the first battle of Oskar Kalpak's battalion in Lielauce
It is located near the ruins of the Lielauce Lutheran Church.
On August 19, 1934, the gray granite monument at the place of the first battle of Oskar Kalpak's battalion was unveiled near the Lielauce Lutheran Church. The memorial was designed according to the architect P. Dreimaņi's design. The Lielauce battle took place on the night of January 15-16, 1919, between the Kalpakians Cēsa and the Officers' Company on the one hand, and the soldiers of the 2nd Rifle Regiment. In the early 1950s, the monument was destroyed, but restored in 1991.
Memorial plaques to the Lubanians who died in the First World War and the War of Independence in the Lubana Lutheran Church
Located in Lubāna, Baznīcas Street 1, in the Lutheran Church.
A white marble memorial plaque to Colonel Oskars Kalpaks was erected in the church of Lubāna during the interwar period. "born Hugo Celmins.
Materials about Oskars Kalpaks and Hugo Celmiņš can be seen on a daily basis in the exposition of the Lubāna Cultural Heritage and Tourism Information Center.
The last resting place of Colonel Oskars Kalpaks
Located in Visagala Cemetery, Madona district
On July 10, 1927, a monument made by Kārlis Zāle and Arnolds Dzirkaļs was unveiled to Oskars Kalpaks - a composition of three figures, in the center of which is an ancient Latvian warrior with a shield and a sword in his hand, but on both sides is a wielding soldier. At the foot of the sculptural group, a bronze plaque is placed on the granite base, with a text engraved on it, which also includes a poem by Edward Virza dedicated to Kalpak.
Oskars Kalpaks fell in 1919. On March 6, near "Airīte", on the side of Skrunda - Saldus road, on September 18, his remains were transferred from the northern cemetery of Liepāja to the family cemetery in Visagala.
The monument was unveiled by General J. Balodis, Chairman of the Monument Committee of Colonel O. Kalpaks, with the participation of the then President G. Zemgale, Prime Minister M. Skujenieks, Speaker of the Saeima P. Kalniņš, Minister of War R. Bangerskim and K. Ulmanis. The foundation stone of the monument was laid on June 19, 1925. The stone for the monument is taken from the colonel's native house in Siena swamp, O. Kalpaks loved to play the violin on this stone as a child.
The birthplace of Colonel Oskars Kalpaks “Liepsalas” and the final resting place in Visagals cemetery
The Colonel Oskars Kalpaks family memorial in Liepsalas is located in the area between Madona and Lake Lubāns. Liepsalas is Kalpaks’ childhood home. The memorial site was established here in 1997 based on the ideas and using the resources of the colonel’s niece, Ārija Kalpaks-Grundmane (1922-2006). The site consists of various environmental objects and stone sculptures with a symbolic meaning, signifying Latvian ethical and patriotic values. The largest building houses an exhibit dedicated to the history of the Latvian War of Independence and the 22 years of Latvian freedom (1918-1940). Located in the Visagals graveyard, the monument to Oskars Kalpaks, created by Kārlis Zāle and Arnolds Dzirkals, was unveiled in 1927. The monument consists of a composition of three figures, in the centre of which is an ancient Latvian warrior holding a shield and a sword, with a falling soldier on each side. Placed obliquely on a granite base, a bronze plaque at the foot of the sculptural group contains engraved text, including a poem, dedicated to Kalpaks, by Edvards Virza. Oskars Kalpaks died on 6 March 1919 near Airītes, by the road from Skrunda to Saldus.
"Nature - Strength Trail" of Oskars Kalpaks Museum
The nature trail was created in the territory adjacent to the museum and is based on the idea of the design of the O. Kalpaks Museum and its surroundings in 1936.The nature trail is free of charge for individual museum visitors.
The nature trail features wooden sculptures created during a woodworkers' plein-air workshop organised by the Kuldīga Technology and Tourism Technical School on the unifying theme - "For the Love of Freedom". Also on display are large-format paintings from the plein-air "Guard your Fatherland!" artworks painted by teams of schoolchildren from the surrounding regions.
A mini-air-track has also been created in the nature trail for the youngest visitors of the museum.
