Jānis Čakste, in memoriam

I made a point of visiting Jānis Čakste's memorial in Meža Kapi (Forest Cemetery) on my trip the summer following finding this album.

Čakste's memorial was neatly kept, but time and half a century of neglect during the Soviet occupation had taken its toll. Loose blocks along the walkways, inscription letters long since chiseled off the stone, weeds growing out of mortar joints, left me hoping Čakste's memorial would some day be fully restored. — Peters

Jānis Čakste's memorial, June 24, 2003

Jānis Čakste's memorial, January 1, 2010, photographer Jānis Vilniņš at Wikipedia