Memorials to the Lost Jewish Population of Cēsis

71 pairs of concrete shoes in front of the houses that belonged to Jews commemorate the former Jewish population of Cēsis. The first group of Jews from Cēsis were forced to leave their homes during the Soviet occupation when they were falsely accused of treason on 14 June 1941. They were deported to Siberia along with other city residents.

In the middle of the summer of 1941, Nazi occupation forces took over from the Soviets in Latvia. Almost immediately, the Jewish population was rounded up and, on 10 August 1941, murdered in the forest next to Lake Ninieris and buried there in a pit. Almost the entire Jewish community of Cēsis perished in the Holocaust.

The aim of this urban artwork is to ‘restore the Jewish presence in the history and reality of Cēsis today by creating space for the return of memories of them in their homes.’
‘Mayor Jānis Rozenbergs of Cēsis 5 July 2022’

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Anne Bolijn
• - https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/history/cesis-vanished-jewish-population-returns-to-the-citys-streets.a464131/