Plaque commemorating Ita Kozakeviča.

On 19 January a plaque dedicated to the politician and one of the most outstanding figures of Latvia’s National Awakening period, Ita Kozakeviča, was unveiled at a ceremony at the intersection of Augusta Deglava Street and Ita Kozakeviča Street.

I. Kozakeviča was a Latvian patriot of Polish origin. She served on the board of the Latvian Association of Friends of Polish Culture and was later elected chairwoman of the newly established Union of Poles in Latvia. She was a deputy of the Supreme Council and voted for Latvia’s independence.

The initiator of the idea, Miroslavs Kodis, proposed unveiling the plaque in order to highlight I. Kozakeviča’s contribution to strengthening relations between Latvia and Poland. The plaque was installed on a building at the intersection of A. Deglava Street and I. Kozakeviča Street, not far from Riga’s Ita Kozakeviča Polish Secondary School.

The changes at this location include not only the commemorative plaque, but also the renaming of three public transport stops after Ita Kozakeviča Street.

Those gathered at the event were entertained with songs in Polish and Latvian by the girls’ choir “Polskie Kwiaty” and the children’s choir “Echo” of Riga’s I. Kozakeviča Polish Secondary School. Afterwards, the participants went to the secondary school, where they viewed an exhibition dedicated to I. Kozakeviča and enjoyed informal conversations over a cup of coffee.