Photo exhibition and laying of flowers: Latvia commemorates the victims of the Second World War

The open-air exhibition tells about the end of the war, mainly emphasizing the stories of the cities that suffered the most from Soviet air raids in 1944. In many places, the architecture and shape of cities have changed almost beyond recognition as a result of the war.

Valdis Kuzmins

co-author of the exhibition, historian

“The exhibition is traveling, it will travel through six cities, it was important for us to be able to disassemble and reassemble. Black raw metal, I suspect that by the end of the exhibition it will be rusted, this red element will appear.”

Massive metal “hedgehogs” – that’s the unofficial name of the shards for impeding the movement of tanks or other equipment. Such a frame for the photo exhibition was chosen deliberately, the design was created by Opera scenographer Ineta Sipunova.

Valdis Kuzmins

co-author of the exhibition, historian

“Jelgava suffered the most. The main reason is that Jelgava was captured three times. According to reports, 22 tanks were destroyed in the streets of Jelgava, this battle with grenades, bombs, artillery, close-quarters, in which Latvian soldiers also participated, is what led to the destruction of Jelgava. If we look at the impact of the storm, then Gulbene, the city of Rēzekene, was the most affected.”

Especially in the context of the current Russian aggression in Ukraine, the exhibition reminds of the devastating impact of the war on all areas of society’s life, emphasizes the need to protect Latvia’s cultural and historical heritage and realize the importance of comprehensive national defense.

Valdis Kuzmins

co-author of the exhibition, historian

“If we wanted to, we could for every picture from 1944 [Latvijā] find a picture of the Ukrainian war. There are things that don’t change.”

Commemorating the end of the Second World War in Europe, the country’s highest officials laid flowers at the Riga Brothers’ Cemetery.

Edgars Rinkevičs

President of Latvia

“Honoring the fallen, honoring all those who fought and died for Latvia, fought in the Second World War, fought against Nazism, we somehow remind ourselves that, unfortunately, history can repeat itself, and our task is to prevent it.”

World War II began in September 1939, raged in more than 70 countries and claimed more than a hundred million dead and wounded.

Report an error in the article

Highlight the incorrect text and press Ctrl+Enter.

Mark the wrong text and report it!