June 14, 1941 was fateful day for more than 15,000 Latvian residents. According to a decision by the Soviet authorities, without any court hearing, these were herded into cattle wagons and taken from the Torņakalns Station to the farthest corners of the Soviet Union, where they were condemned to hunger, frost and death in harsh conditions, or in concentration camps and places of imprisonment.
In memory of these victims of communist terror, a memorial has been created in Torņakalns, the most emotionally impressive element of which is the deportation rail wagon. Looking at the small wagon, it is hard to believe that it was possible to "load" more than 40 people into it. How can you imagine that in such harsh conditions - without proper food, without basic necessities, without anything - there persons were transported thousands of kilometers...
The memorial stone near the station building was unveiled in 1990, its author is the sculptor Ojārs Feldbergs. The memorial rail wagon was restored according to historical photographs and set-up at the site in 1996. A commemorative memorial opened in 2001 (sculptor - Pauls Jaunzems, architect - Juris Poga) can also be viewed near the wagon. It consists of five broken stone figures, symbolizing "destroyed family hearths and three exiled generations."