Kuldīga Resident Calls for Preservation of 1905 Park Memorial Site
Ineta Kursiete, whose ancestors were executed in 1919 at Gotlība homestead, shares her family story and urges not to relocate monuments from the 1905 Park, but to keep them as historical testimony.
In Kuldīga, the planned renovation of the 1905 Park involves moving the monuments created by sculptor Līvija Rezevska, commemorating the events of 1905 and 1919, to Anna Cemetery. Ineta Kursiete, a former resident and one of the founders of Kuldīga Art and Humanities Secondary School, advocates for preserving the historical site.
Kursiete recounts that on February 13, 1919, her great-grandfather Juris Kārkliņš and his son Jēkabs were shot at Gotlība homestead (now part of the park). They were on a death list while guarding Bolshevik warehouses. Her great-grandmother Trīne later marked the mass grave at Anna Cemetery where the chained bodies were thrown. Kursiete maintains the grave and installed a new headstone.
She supports the park's renovation with EU funding but insists the historical monuments should stay. The site is significant for her family and others whose ancestors perished there. She suggests involving local residents in the project to create a historic garden that offers new ways to explore the city's past.
Kursiete notes that the post-World War I period was turbulent, with victims from various backgrounds. She believes history must be kept alive by telling stories to younger generations, as dry facts alone are insufficient.
