Promoting cooperation between the fields of history, education and tourism, an international workshop “Integrating Military Heritage into Tourism and Education” was held in Riga on January 10. The next day after the conference, on January 11, a commemoration of the Christmas battles important in the history of Latvia was held with the reconstruction of the battles, which serves as an example of engaging historical storytelling through active experiences.
The conference “Integrating Military Heritage into Tourism and Education” brought together historians, educators, and military heritage tourism professionals from the Baltic countries and across Europe. The event fostered a spirit of collaboration among these sectors on international scale, aiming to make history education more engaging and accessible for younger audiences, especially school-aged children, by incorporating military heritage site visits and programmes into school curricula. This event was organized by Latvian Country Tourism Association within the European Union Interreg VI-A Estonia–Latvia Programme 2021-2027 project EE-LV00094 “Improved Accessibility of the Latvian-Estonian Military Heritage Tourism Product” (MIL-HER ACCESSIBLE).
As a practical example of the conference topics, the Christmas Battles Commemoration Event took place on January 11, offering an emotionally engaging and participatory historical experience. The event began with a reenactment of the Christmas Battles near Antiņciems Cemetery, followed by a commemorative ceremony at Mangaļi homestead, the Latvian Youth Guard oath, and speeches. Military heritage tourism project partners had an information stand at the event, where visitors were able to obtain the newly published Baltic States military heritage tourism map. The event concluded with a torch-lit procession and remembrance gathering at Ložmetējkalns, with bonfires and songs.
The Christmas Battles Commemoration Event was organized within the project LL-00052 “Extending the Baltic military heritage tourism product in Lithuania and South Latvia” (Military Heritage II) with the support of the European Union Interreg VI-A Latvia-Lithuania Programme 2021-2027.
The commemorative events of the Christmas Battles were organised by the Christmas Battles Museum (Latvian War Museum) in collaboration with Jelgava Municipality, the National Armed Forces, and representatives of the Military Heritage II Project – Latvian Country Tourism Association, Zemgale Planning Region, the Latgale Tourism Association, the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association, and the Žemaitija National Park Directorate (Lithuania).