Events

The memorial event will be addressed by the Chairman of the Liepāja City Council, Gunārs Ansinš; a representative of the National Armed Forces; the Chaplain of the 46th Infantry Battalion of the Home Guard, Arnis Suleimanovs; and the Coordinator of National Patriotic Organisations Juris Raķis.

Emīls Dreiblats and the Naval Band will host the event, and Bandmaster Lieutenant-Commander Uldis Locenieks and musician Edgars Silacērps will set the musical mood.

The young guards will form an avenue of honor with candles and Latvian national flags, carry the flags of Latvia and the three allies – the USA, France, and Great Britain – and, in solidarity with the Ukrainians, carry the flag of Ukraine.

Representatives of national patriotic organizations, school youth, members of the National Armed Forces, and all interested persons are invited to attend the event.

Colonel Kalpaks has been inscribed in Latvian history as a symbol of Latvia's statehood and independence struggle.

Shortly after the establishment of the Latvian state, its independence was threatened. At the beginning of 1919, Colonel Kalpaks formed the first units of the Latvian Armed Forces. The freedom fights secured the then-provisional Latvian government and launched the liberation struggle.

On 6 March 1919, a battle between the then allied German and Latvian units took place in the vicinity of the Skrunda-Saldus road due to a misunderstanding, in which several officers and soldiers of the Latvian army were killed, among them Colonel Oskars Kalpaks, the commander of the battalion.

After his death, the Latvian state bestowed on the colonel the first copy of the Class I of the Military Order of Lāčplēsis, the highest award of the Latvian freedom struggle.

The Liepāja Northern Cemetery was Oskars Kalpaks' first resting place until September 1919, when he was reburied in the family cemetery in Meirāņi. Colonel Kalpaks's importance is reflected in the fact that a two-week mourning period was declared after his death in recognition of the enormous sense of loss in the nation.

On 6 March 1939, a memorial to Kalpak was opened in the Northern Cemetery.

Please note that photography and video will be taken during the event. The materials obtained may be used for publicity on the Liepaja Museum website and social network accounts. By attending the event, you acknowledge that you are aware of being included in the audio or visual material.

Photo: O. Kalpaka memorial event in Liepāja in 2024 (Author: K. Volkovskis)

Sandra Šēniņa,
Head of the Liepāja Museum Structural Unit “Liepāja Occupation Museum”
Mob. +371 27048864
E-mail: sandra.senina@liepaja.lv