The Riga Monuments Agency has restored the commemorative plaque at the memorial site of the Latvian War of Independence on Bumbu Kalna (Bumbukalniņš), as well as restored the stand with more information about the historical significance of the place.
“We must properly honor the events of the Latvian War of Independence. The events of the fall of 1919 on Bumbu hill are an important episode in the liberation of the whole of Riga from Bermont’s troops. Such successes of our troops as in Pārdaugava near Bumbu hill continued to inspire the soldiers, kept Latvians’ and allies’ faith in an independent Latvia and, together with other victories, provided us with the opportunity to liberate the entire territory of the Latvian state, Vilnis Ķirsis, the Deputy Chairman of the Riga City Council, emphasized at the unveiling of the restored monument.
“The Riga Monuments Agency is doing a great job to keep the historical landmarks of our freedom struggles alive. In Riga, the history of our independence war in monuments has often been less visible than the infamous occupation monument in Pārdaugava. The revival of the Ballpark Memorial is our duty to those who gave their lives so that we could have our own country. We must not lose the memory of our heroes, emphasizes Rita Našeniece, head of the Cultural and Historical Material Heritage Commission.
During the Latvian War of Independence, in November 1919, the command post of the Latgale Division of the Latvian Army was located on Bumbu Hill in the Bolderāja Dunes, where on November 1, Colonel Krišjānis Berķis signed the order to start the operation to liberate Pārdaugava in order to liberate Riga from enemy troops.
In honor of this event, on November 1, 1939, the former staff officers of the Latgale Division unveiled a granite monument with a bronze plaque on Bumbu hill, depicting the battle pattern of November 1919. during the occupation of Latvia. In 1969, the monument was destroyed. The monument was restored on November 1, 1989, thanks to the initiative group of the Latvian National Independence Movement (LNNK) and the Latvian Revival Party. The original bronze plaque, preserved in the nearby Schmidt home, was placed at the memorial site. After a short while, the bronze plate disappeared. In 2007, the commemorative plaque was restored by the Riga municipality. This year, the plaque was restored, and the memorial was supplemented with an informative stand with information about the War of Independence of Latvia, Bermontiadi, Kr. Berki and Bumbu hill memorial site.
