"Dunča Bunker" with the memorial plaque "Tēvijas Vanagi"

Dunča bunkurs, Otaņķu pagasts

Mājaslapa

The "Dunča Bunker" with the memorial plaque "Tēvijas Vanagi" is located in the Otaņki Parish, at the site where during World War II, the first bunker of the national resistance organization "Tēvijas Vanagi" partisans was situated.

In the winter of 1945/46, in the Ķīburi village of Bārta Parish, three patriotically-minded young men, led by Alfreds Tilibs (a former member of the 19th SS division), founded the national resistance movement "Tēvijas Vanagi." The movement quickly grew to around 200 members from various locations such as Liepāja, Aizpute, Nīca, Dunikas, Grobiņa, Bārta, and Gavieze. This movement fought for the liberation of Latvia.

The bunker in which the partisans stayed measured 4 x 4 meters and was made from thick, horizontally laid logs. The entrance was from above, with a hatch that could be lifted by a small growing pine tree beneath which were stairs. The bunk beds were arranged in two levels, with space for 7-8 men on each. Unfortunately, the Dunča bunker was found and blown up in 1947.

The national partisans across the Baltics hoped for help from the British or Americans in Latvia's liberation. However, neither country considered starting a war with the USSR. While the Latvian national partisans were physically defeated, the occupiers could not destroy the idea of a free and independent Latvia within the people. This is the main contribution of the forest brothers' war.

Today, a depression in the land remains where the Dunča bunker once stood. The site is located in the forest, and anyone can freely visit it at any time without prior booking.

There is also a picnic area with a shelter nearby.

The memorial plaque was unveiled on September 9, 2005. The granite stele was installed by the Latvian National Partisans Association in cooperation with the Nīca Municipal Council, Bārta Forestry, and Rude Primary School.

The bunker model and more information about the bunker can be viewed at the Otaņki Historical Museum in Ruda, Otaņki Parish.