Stele to the Cavaliers of the Order of Lāčplēsis in Koknese

The stele was erected at the end of October 2021. At the top of the stele is engraved a bas-relief of the Order of Lāčplēsis, beneath which are the order’s motto “For Latvia” and the years of the Latvian War of Independence. By 2021, similar memorial sites in the Aizkraukle region had been established in Jaunjelgava and Pļaviņas.

The granite memorial stele was created within the framework of the project “Remember the Lāčplēsis Knights”, dedicated to the centenary of the Latvian state, with financial support from the former Koknese Municipality. The project was initiated by the Youth Guard and Information Centre. The standard-design stele was made and installed by local stonemason Modris Stiliņš, following a design by artist Jānis Strupulis.

Below the depiction of the Order of Lāčplēsis, the stele bears an inscription with the names of 14 order cavaliers whose lives were connected with the parishes of the former Koknese Municipality: Sergeant Jānis Bergs, Corporal Kārlis Bulle (Bullis), Lieutenant of the French Army Firhtegot Konrāds Augusts Dekerts, Sergeant Jānis Filipsons, Private Aleksandrs Kasparsons, Corporal Ernests Kārkliņš, Sergeant Vilis Krasts, Private Paulis Liģeris, First Lieutenant Jānis Preiss, First Lieutenant Kārlis Frīdrihs Riters, Lieutenant Oto Ševics, Senior Private Andrejs Ūbergs, Private Pēteris Ūbergs, and Corporal Žanis Zalviņš.