On 2 March, for the first time in Latvian history, the Remembrance Day for the National Partisan Armed Resistance will be observed. As part of this, the Balvi Municipality is organising a number of events with the participation of the President of the State, as well as the Ministers of Defence, Justice, and Agriculture.

The morning of the opening event is scheduled to begin with the laying of flowers in Balvi at the monument to the fallen soldiers of the Latgale Partisan Regiment.

Following this, a discussion titled “The Stompaki National Partisan Camp as a symbol of patriotism and the potential of the site in the future” will take place at the Balvi Culture and Recreation Centre.

Participants in the discussion will include: Minister of Agriculture Kaspars Gerhards, Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks, Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns, Chairman of the Balvi Municipal Council Sergejs Maksimovs, Balvi Municipal Council deputy Aldis Bukšs, Viktors Reblis (AS “Latvijas valsts meži”), historian Zigmārs Turčinskis, and Jaunsardze representative Valentīns Keišs; the discussion will be moderated by Mārtiņš Kaprāns.

In the afternoon, a church service and a commemorative event will be held in the Stompaki camp area in the Susāji parish of the Balvi municipality, during which the reconstructed bunker-church will be unveiled, and a memorial plaque will be consecrated for the national partisans buried in Stompaki.

The reconstruction of the bunker-church began in 2021, thanks to the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and AS “Latvijas valsts meži”.

The finalised event programme will be available later.