On 18 August, President of Latvia Egils Levits and President of Koknese Foundation Sandra Kalniete opened a Presidential path of the Garden of Destiny. This pathway connects all trees planted by presidents of Latvia since 2008 into one route honouring the former full and acting presidents of Latvia.
Latvia celebrates the 100 years of the office of president of Latvia by paying tribute and honouring also acting presidents like Pauls Kalniņš (Speaker of the Saeima and acting president in 1944–1945) and Jāzeps Rancāns (Speaker of the Saeima and acting president in 1947–1969), President Levits noted. They followed Satversme and agreed to serve as acting presidents of Latvia after Latvia was occupied. Pauls Kalniņš and Bishop Jāzeps Rancāns are the faces of national resistance movement that opposed occupation. Latvia was occupied by force but they continued to fight for Latvia in exile, urging the international community to not recognise the occupation, taking care of the refugees and Latvians living in exile.
Trees of deceased presidents – for example, Gustavs Zemgals and Kārlis Ulmanis – were planted by their relatives or those who succeeded them – as was the case with Alberts Kviesis, Pauls Kalniņš and Jāzeps Rancāns.
‘Presidential path of the landscape system of the Garden of Destiny ties together the story of Latvia’s statehood and symbolises the continuity of Latvian state since 1922,’ Egils Levits stressed.
Presidential path starts with a map indicating the location of all presidential trees and brief facts about the office of the president of Latvia. You will also find a plaque with name, surname and years of presidency by each tree. Plaque also contains a QR code, Scan the code on your smart device to go to www.president.lv to access more information about the particular president of Latvia.
This path has been created by Presidential Chancery and Koknese Foundation.
Background:
The first president of Latvia after the restoration of freedom Guntis Ulmanis began the tradition of planting presidential trees in the Garden of Destiny in 2008 when former president of Latvia Janis Čakste was first honoured this way. Guntis Ulmanis planted the trees for Jānis Čakste and Kārlis Ulmanis.
Alberts Kviesis’ tree was planted by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Aigars Strupišs, Pauls Kalniņš’ tree by Speaker of the Saeima Ināra Mūrniece and Jāzeps Rancāns’ tree was planted by Zbigņevs Stankevičs, Latvian Roman Catholic Archbishop, Metropolitan Archbishop of Riga, in 2022.
Other Latvian presidents like Valdis Zatlers (in 2009), Andris Bērziņš and Raimonds Vējonis (in 2015), Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga and Egils Levits (in 2020) and Guntis Ulmanis (in 2022) have also planted their trees.
Tree honouring Gustavs Zemgals will be planted this September. It will be planted by his great grandson Mārtiņš Andersons.
Presidential path tree planting tradition will also continue with other presidents of Latvia.
