Victory Day in Estonia (23/06)

On June 23, Estonia celebrates the public holiday — Victory Day in the Battle of Vynnu (est. Võidupüha), accompanied by official commemorative events and ceremonies.

On June 23, 1919, Estonian troops repelled an attack by German Landeswehr troops and won in the city of Võnnu (Cesis, Northern Latvia) during the War of Liberation.

Battle of Vynna (est. Võnnu lahing) — is one of the main battles during the War of Liberation, when the struggle for the independence of the Baltic states was underway. The battle, which began on June 5, took place in the north of Latvia, near the city of Cesis, which was captured by the Germans. And its decisive part took place from June 19 to June 23, 1919 between the Estonian armed forces and the troops of the pro-German Latvian government.

By the evening of this day, the Latvian Landeswehr was driven out of the city of Cesis (Vynnu) by the Estonian army, whose strength reached 8,000 people. And the German army — the so-called Landeswehr — consisted of 6,000 soldiers and had already captured Riga and was advancing on Estonia.

Estonia's victory over the Landeswehr troops gave Latvia the opportunity to gain a foothold as a nation-state and at the same time strengthened Estonia's southern border. German troops left Latvia, and the Baltic Landeswehr came under the control of the Latvian government.

Victory Day was first celebrated in Estonia in 1934. And it was celebrated as a public holiday until 1939, before the outbreak of World War II. The tradition was revived in 1992. Festive events and military parades in honor of Victory Day are held alternately in different cities of Estonia. It is also a day of remembrance when the memory of those killed in the struggle for the country's freedom is honored.

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