RLOPCUkraineBlog: A Return to Biķernieku Forest (Riga, Latvia)

Ah, yes, the posts are coming fewer and farther (further?) between. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. It actually means I am quite busy here at my site in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. As I begin my second, and final year as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer, I plan to spend as much time working at the university and preparing a long-term plan that will continue after my departure. What that is, I know not. But in the meantime, I have a backlog of adventures to report upon.

Last February I made a trip to Riga, Latvia (http://rlopcukraineblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/memorial-run-bikernieku-forest-outside.html). It was cold, windy, and wonderful. I had a great time and I made sure to schedule another stop when I visited the Baltic countries during the summer. I especially wanted to spend more time visiting the Biķernieku Forest which lies just three kilometers from Riga city center (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikernieki_Memorial) When I went in February it was hovering below zero and I decided to run out and back. Since the site is not well marked I had trouble finding the official memorial; rather I found one of the many marked burial sites. It certainly was moving but there was no coherence. Now that I had the time and the temperature on my side, I decided to do some more exploring. With my camera in hand and my backpack filled with snacks and water, I headed out to the forest. This is what I found....

I discovered that the official memorial is somewhat well-marked, that is if you know where to look in the first place. There is a map that explains the layout of the site and a pathway which leads from the road to the forest. In the center of the memorial there is an altar under a gazebo-type sculpture. Surrounding this centerpiece are slabs of granite which are sticking out of the ground much like gravestones, perhaps reminiscent of a Jewish cemetery, perhaps. In a curious note, the stone comes from the Zhytomyr region where I am currently living. As you walk amongst the rows of slabs you see the names of cities where (I'm guessing) many of the victims came from. Or perhaps there are there to names cities where Jews were persecuted and exterminated. I was unsure and there was no information to help. Although it was summer, I was once again the only person there. So there was an eerie quite as I walked around the memorial. I think I was moved the most by the various stones that sat on different parts of the memorial, many of which were marked by names and dates. But that was not the end of my exploration.

I decided to move further into the forest, away from the memorial. Although there are many marked trails, there are other paths that are smaller and more overgrown. As I wondered further in, I began to think about the people who were brought here: all of them innocent, most not expecting their ultimate fate. There were more posts emblazoned with the Star of David. To the side, a bit off the path, were filled-in pits with grave-like stones marking something or someone. Then what looked to be a flower caught my attention, buried beneath the underbrush in the trees. That is when I found the unofficial memorials. Off in the thicket or beside a tree under some weeds I began to find makeshift graves. Stones or flowers were laid out in rectangular fashion to mimic a gravesite. Were those that were murdered buried under these stones and flowers? Or were these sites randomly placed by someone who wanted another way, another method to remember those who perished? And who made these markers? Was it someone who knew much but did not want to tell? There were so many questions that I wish someone could have answered. But no one was around. And to me that was what made me sad. Here is a place more people should visit. (Depending on your count) thirty or forty-six thousand people should be remembered on a daily basis. But here was another former Soviet Republic Holocaust site that was not advertised in travel guides and not marked on any road sign. To find a place like Biķernieku Forest you had to know what you were looking for. And even if you did speak the language, chances are the locals might not even want to admit to knowing about the site.

Anyway these were the thoughts passing through my mind as I stumbled my way through the overgrowth. The forest was peaceful, almost too much so. As heartbroken as I felt, I was glad I returned and hoped to return again in the future with friends and family. But I had to be going. It was only noon and I had to get back to town so I could catch a train to return to Salispils, the next step of my journey.