The unusual story of the Cēsis Regiment Students' Jewelry Monument

Dr. med. Wilhelm Lenz's house. In the early 1930s, this building was purchased by the Cēsis Craftsmen's Association, but after World War II, the building housed the editorial office and printing house of the newspaper "Padomju Druva" (since March 1990, the newspaper "Druva"). On their way to the battlefield, the soldiers of the Pupils' Company, who had come along Palasta Street from their formation in the German Progymnasium, received grenades at the regiment's headquarters. In the vicinity of the headquarters, soldiers of the company on Heermeistera (Gauja) Street had also received a small military briefing. The command post of the commander of the 2nd Cēsis Infantry Regiment was located right across the street - Heermeistera Street No.11 (now Gaujas Street No.11)

One participant of the events described the experience of the Battle of Cēsis on the 10th anniversary of the newspaper "In the Last Moment" (JA "10 years ago, a former company of Cēsis regiments against the Landesver."; 06.06.1929) as follows: "On June 6, at around 1 was anxiety. Everyone quickly got dressed and the student company in 2 wires stood on Dārza Street, divided into special units, distributed battle cartridges. At the intersection of Rīgas Palasta, Vaļņu and Gaujas streets, Senior Lieutenant] [Gustavs] Green showed a short battle maneuver as to surround a certain place. Pie Dr. Lench's houses handed out grenades, and the use was introduced on the spot. From this place, the company went in the direction of Kalnamuiža, Juruģumuiža and Mācītājsmuiža, occupied the middle battlefield of the Cēsis Regiment and protected the line Meijermuiža - Mācītājsmuiža by turning it on. ”

On May 26, 1938, about 100 m from the former Cēsis German Progymnasium, a monument dedicated to the Decoration of Students was unveiled at the intersection of Dārza and Palasta (now Bērzaines and Palasta) streets. On the night of June 5-6, 1919, untrained students of martial arts went from the progymnasium to the first battle. It was symbolized by a bronze-made rifle of a pupil clumsily caught. The owl and books at the student's feet also reminded him that school supplies had been temporarily replaced by weapons. The author of the sketch of the monument was the former soldier of Skolnieki rota, the artist Jānis Rozenbergs (1901-1966), but the idea was realized by the sculptor Rūdolfs Ābol (t) iņš (1909-1944) and the blacksmith Jānis Zibens (1909-1967).

In 1950, the monument was dismantled as undesirable for the Soviet regime.

At the beginning of the Awakening, the first idea to restore the monument was expressed by a group of 1942 graduates of the Cēsis State Gymnasium living in exile during their visit to Latvia in 1989. They also started raising the necessary funds. However, the Cesis City Board made a decision on the restoration of the monument and its installation in its original location only after the restoration of Latvia's independence on September 24, 1992.

Although a formal agreement on the restoration of the monument had just been reached, in reality work on it had already begun. On September 26, the district newspaper "Druva" reported that a limestone had been prepared for the base of the monument, but the sculptor Maija Baltiņa and the architect Imants Timerman had started creating a bronze statue.

However, on September 30, 1992, Ādolfs Cābulis, a resident of Cēsis, submitted an application to the State Inspection for the Protection of Cultural Monuments (VKPAI) and the Brothers' Cemetery Committee (BKK). He claimed that the initiative to restore the monument had now been taken by other people who were acting for selfish purposes and had not received the necessary permission from the authorities. Representatives of this group, including the sculptor Andrejs Jansons, planned to unveil the monument on November 11, 1992, placing it about 15 meters from its original location. Significant visual changes were also planned for the monument, as the soldier designed by J. Rozenberg had grabbed the rifle in the left, thus emphasizing the military unpreparedness of the hastily formed Schoolboy, but the young man formed by M. Baltiņa kept it on the right side. The material also differed - originally the monument was made of copper, but now it was cast in bronze. The former bronze plate was replaced by a copper plate.

In order to carry out additional historical research, the Cēsis City Board decided on October 4, 1992 to stop the restoration of the monument, but the creators of the monument did not take it into account and installed a base with steps in the newly chosen place. The need to place the monument there was explained by the changes introduced in the years of communist occupation in the traffic movement along Bērzaines Street, which can no longer be abandoned. Although the municipality suggested waiting until next year, when it would be possible to try to make a model in nature at the historical location of the monument, the action of the city board was limited by the lack of funds. The bronze statue, which had already been installed and made, had been paid for with funds raised by donations from the Daugava Hawks' Cēsis branch, Latvians in exile and the Latvian People's Front. It was therefore decided, however, to open the restored monument on 11 November 1992, near the historic site. On November 11, 1992, the monument created by the sculptor Maija Baltiņa (1941-2016) was unveiled.

At the same time, in 1992, the monument made by the occupation regime, made by the sculptor Kārlis Jansons, “The Communist Flagman” was dismantled.