Great-grandson finds national partisan bunker in Kurzeme where his ancestor hid in 1945

Riga resident Andris Kalnozols this summer discovered a bunker near Talsi in the Kurzeme region of Latvia, where his ancestor — national partisan Jūlijs Kalnozols — hid after the end of World War II. Unlike many people who research family history mainly through archival documents and old newspapers, Andris went further, using materials from a Soviet-era Cheka (security service) criminal case to track down the actual hideout.

Interest sparked in school

Andris says he had heard fragments about his ancestor's fate growing up, but it did not particularly interest him at the time. His curiosity was sparked in high school, when he had to write an essay on the theme "What is a Latvian," and his mother suggested he base it on his ancestor's story. While researching, he found two books dedicated to the struggles of Latvia's national partisans, which mentioned the partisan group led by Jūlijs Kalnozols — the first time he learned more detailed information about his ancestor. The essay he wrote was soon forgotten, as the subject did not feel especially significant to him as a student.

From archival records to finding the bunker

Over the years, his interest in family history returned, and Andris began more seriously studying the materials available in the Cheka criminal case concerning his ancestor. Using information found there, he managed this summer to locate a specific bunker near Talsi where Jūlijs Kalnozols hid after the war as part of one of the national partisan groups. Andris continues his research, also aiming to achieve his ancestor's rehabilitation.