Today we ventured more to the outskirts of Riga to see cemeteries and memorials.

First to a suburb called Mezaparks (Forest Park), a development planned by wealthy Baltic Germans in the early C20. Houses here are grand, but during WW II a concentration camp was built here to house Jews moved on from liquidated ghettos across Europe. That has all disappeared, but close to this area are a number of cemeteries.

The first we entered was the Rainis cemetery. There is a memorial statue to the writer 'Rainis' which is allegorically supposed to represent Latvia awakening from its sleep. But more interesting for us are the gravesites of the everyday people. Wherever we see a cemetery there are many people tending or visiting graves. Outside are usually flower and candle stalls and it is obviously a sign of respect to care for the graves. I guess after the winter there is more cleanup work to be done than usual. The graves are more high maintenance than the ones we are used to as they are mostly green. Plots are quite large and have a border of shrubs with an inner planting of flowers or other low plants. A large proportion have a seat of some kind. To be near your loved one? While some graves do have headstones they are usually of a free form type. They seem in some ways 'living' types of graves.

The Brothers cemetery across the road was built for Latvian soldiers who died during WWI. This is a more park-like memorial.
 
 
The memorial to Holocaust victims in Bikernieki Forest took our breath away. The entrance is beside a road that has cars speeding by. It was raining as we pulled onto the muddy verge. There is just a black stone telling us what the memorial is about, and when we look into the forest there is only a white arch in the distance. But walking down the path and over the slight hill, the full force of the jagged rocks hits us in the face. The rocks are divided into sections representing the cities from which the Jews were deported. And all around are the tall pines. Around 40,000 Jews and others were murdered here. This moving memorial was mostly funded by the German government.

Continuing our theme for the day, we drove back into Riga and to the Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum. A small museum that has personal details of a number of those who died written on lit-up shades. Outside are walls with the names of those who died. Many, many names. That was enough sadness (seemingly necessary) for the day. A walk through Central Market and we were back to our apartment. A worthwhile day..