Lestene opens Latvian War Museum exhibition on soldiers’ fates

Lestene has opened “A Hive of Fates,” an exhibition created by the Latvian War Museum about Latvian soldiers and the events of the Second World War, LSM reported.

The exhibition was formally opened on the eve of Lāčplēsis Day. Reconstruction of the museum building in Lestene was completed a year ago. The new display joins the Lestene Brothers’ Cemetery memorial complex to create a unified place of historical remembrance.

Valdis Kuzmins, a researcher at the National Defence Academy and one of the exhibition’s creators, described it as an emotional account of the battles in Courland. He said the exhibition recognises the soldiers’ dreams, hopes and expectations as part of history, and that their choices and decision to take part in the fighting should be respected.

The exhibition also highlights that there was no single “right side” in the fighting. Latvians and Latvian citizens, including Russians and Germans who had lived in the country before the war, took part, often fighting against one another, Kuzmins said.

On display are historical documents, objects that had lain underground for 50 years and a unique photograph from a major battle in Courland. Kuzmins said the photograph showed fighting from homestead to homestead, a pattern also seen in Ukraine today.

The exhibition’s key themes are hope, meeting and waiting. The idea for the display emerged six years ago. Aivars Sinka, chairman of the board of the Daugavas Vanagi organisation and the idea’s originator, said he was pleased the project had resulted in a new museum that would dispel various myths.