Jūrmala Museum will open an express exhibition on November 11 to honor the life and military service of Augusts Muižulis, a recipient of the Lāčplēsis Military Order, according to Jurmala.
The display, which runs through November 22, marks the fifth year the museum has highlighted individuals associated with the city who received the historic award.
Born on July 16, 1893, at the “Tuteņi” house in Lapmežciems, Muižulis belonged to the generation swept into the turmoil of the First World War. He served as a Latvian rifleman, fighting against German forces in Latvia, and was wounded in battle near Ķekava. His bravery in these early engagements earned him several military honors and steady advancement in his military career.
By October 1918, he was in Russia, where he briefly entered the service of the Red Army before being assigned to the Soviet Latvian rifle division in January 1919. Upon his return to Latvia, he deserted that unit and, in June 1919, officially joined the 1st Valmiera Infantry Regiment of the Latvian provisional government.
Muižulis earned the rank of lieutenant colonel on September 1, 1919, for his actions against the 15th Army of Soviet Russia. During the defense of Riga on October 9, his battalion secured the area around the Iron Bridge, providing cover for Latvian army units retreating toward Old Riga. Following the Independence War, he served in various administrative roles within the defense sector.
Muižulis maintained strong ties to Jūrmala through his wife’s family, the Grīšļis family from Bulduri. In the early 1930s, he operated a warm seawater bath establishment in Bulduri and twice campaigned for a seat on the Rīgas Jūrmala city council, though he was not elected.
The exhibition shift this year focuses on the personal stories of recipients rather than the medals themselves, as many of the original awards have been lost or are held in private collections.
The museum notes that Muižulis’s medal, number 485, remained with his family until the 1980s but its current location is unknown. Because many physical decorations have disappeared, the museum has transitioned its curatorial focus from the objects to the biographical narratives of the soldiers.
He was executed without trial on June 29, 1941, at the Central Prison in Riga. He is buried in the White Cross burial ground at the I Forest Cemetery in Riga.
The exhibition opening will be accompanied by a lecture from museum researcher and historian Līga Strazda, who will discuss the life of the officer, described in exhibition materials as:
Augusts Muižulis (1893–1941) – fisherman’s son, officer, martyr
Līga Strazda, Jūrmala Museum researcher and historian
The museum invites the public to provide information regarding any Lāčplēsis Military Orders linked to Jūrmala residents. Records of recipients and their individual medal numbers are available via the Lāčplēsis Military Order website.