A week before the anniversary of the restoration of Latvia's independence, students of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences together with researchers of the VA#MILT project went on an exploratory trip to Latgale, visiting various sites, the research of which provided relevant and important information about Latvia's recent history.
During the trip, the students visited several sites of historical interest, including the Smārde swamp partisan bunkers, the Grīvas massif, the Daugavpils fortress and the Abrene rooms. These stops gave an insight into Latvia's history and military defence during the Cold War. To make the trip not only interesting and entertaining, but also useful, the participants received significant support from military heritage researchers, trip leaders - Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences lecturers Iveta Druva- Duvaskalne, Ilze Grīnfelde and Tālis Pumpuriņš, as well as local guides.
The researchers shared with the students what they had already researched and encouraged them to look into the potential and problems of military heritage. In addition to the excursions, the students also conducted a survey of local residents to find out their views and experiences of these historic sites and their significance today. Such a survey helped to better understand the public's attitudes towards the history of the region and raised students' awareness of the preservation of Latgale's cultural and historical heritage. The information obtained will be used in the study "Socio-economic value of the military heritage of the Soviet occupation period on the territory of Latvia from the point of view of stakeholders: to preserve or to forget?".
This trip was part of the activities of the students of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, which promote both academic development and interest in Latvian history and culture, as well as encourage active involvement in social life.
This research is funded by the Latvian Council of Sciences, project "From Soviet military legacy to heritage: Stakeholder perspectives on socio-economic values of sites in Latvia (VA#MILIT)”, project No. lzp-2024/1-0565.
Linda Veliverronen
Project Manager, Lead Researcher
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