Opening of the pop-up exhibition “Augusts Muižulis – Knight of the Order of Lāčplēsis”

On 11 November at 14:00, as Lāčplēsis Day approaches, Jūrmalas muzejs will open the pop-up exhibition “Augusts Muižulis – Knight of the Order of Lāčplēsis”. After the opening, historian Līga Strazda will give a lecture, “Augusts Muižulis – fisherman’s son, officer, martyr”, about the life of this Latvian War of Independence hero and his ties to Jūrmala. Augusts Muižulis was born in the “Tuteņi” home in Lapmežciems on 16 July 1893. He belonged to the generation swept into the turmoil of the First World War. He served in the Latvian Riflemen, fought against German forces in Latvia, took part in battles in the Tīreļpurvs marshes, and was wounded near Ķekava. For his courage, he received several military awards and advanced through the ranks. A. Muižulis also joined a unit of the Red Latvian Riflemen, but deserted upon arriving in Latvia. In June 1919, A. Muižulis joined the armed forces of the Provisional Government of Latvia, the 1st Valmiera Infantry Regiment. He was awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 September 1919 for his service in battles against the 15th Army of Soviet Russia’s Red Army. During the defence of Riga, his unit was transferred to Riga to defend Pārdaugava. On 9 October, the battalion he commanded occupied the area around the Iron Bridge and, with heavy fire, enabled Latvian Army units to retreat to Old Riga. A. Muižulis fought in Latgale until the end of the War of Independence and held several administrative posts in the defence sector during Latvia’s independence. His wife’s family, the Grīšļi of Bulduri, closely connected A. Muižulis with Jūrmala. In the early 1930s, Augusts Muižulis opened a warm seawater bath establishment by the sea in Bulduri. He also stood twice in elections to the Riga Jūrmala City Council, but was not elected. A. Muižulis met a tragic end. Soviet security officers arrested him a few days before Soviet forces fled. He was shot without trial at Riga Central Prison on 29 June 1941. A. Muižulis is buried in the White Cross burial ground at I Meža Cemetery in Riga. This is the fifth year that Jūrmalas muzejs has introduced the public to recipients of the Order of Lāčplēsis. In previous years, the exhibition’s main subject was the order as a special historical object; this year, the focus will be on the hero’s life story. The concept changed because the decorations of many heroes have not survived to the present day. It is known that A. Muižulis’s Order No. 485 remained with members of his family until the 1980s, but may later have passed into the hands of collectors. Its current location is unknown. Jūrmalas muzejs invites people who own Orders of Lāčplēsis whose recipients had ties to Jūrmala to provide the museum with at least information that the order exists. Recipients can be identified by the individual order number; a list of numbers can be found at http://lkok.com/.