Tripoint Latvia - Russia - Belarus, Draudzības kurgāns (Burial-mound of Friendship) Coming from the border near Zilupe, I drove to the tripoint LV-RU-BY near Šeški. Just before arriving there from the Latvian side, I visited the 'hidden' border crossing Meikšānu, which you will find on the page LV-BY I. After that, I took the small road to the tripoint Draudzibas. Although the road had a sign 'no entrance', I had announced to go there and the border guards didn't forbid me. I was really surprised by the beauty and the silence of this tripoint! A great experience to be there. The small map on the right displays the situation roughly. Unfortunately openstreetmap is not that accurately here: the border is in the water. I drew some new blue lines to indicate the border.

	Entrance of tripoint area From the small road I took the official lane to the tripoint. It is closed by a simple bareer, but you can easily pass it by foot. The road to the tripoint is paved, but it's not maintained so the weed and moss are rampant. Along the lane there are trees in a straight line.
	End of the lane At the end of the lane, the wide open space starts. A tree on a kind of a small wall symbols the threepoint. In the earlier days of the Sovjet Union time, when Belarus and Latvia had open borders with Russia, the open space of this area was used for festivals. That's hard to imagine these days!
	Plates Three plates around the trees. I don't know what's written on it. Certainly it has something to do with the good relation between the three countries. This is the Latvian version. I also saw a Russian and a Belarusian version.
	The other plates Probably the same text but in Russian and Belarusian. The construction of these plates is a bit strange as you see. All situated in the wall round the tree. They are placed in a direct line to: - the lane on which I arrived from the Latvia side (you see this on the two previous pictures); - the lane leading to the bridge with Russia; - the lane leading to the bridge with Belarus.
	Memorial stone to Imants Sudmalis Here I found a memorial stone to Imants Sudmalis (erected 1962). He was a Latvian editor and Soviet communist and partisan, the Hero of the Soviet Union. Strange to find a monument for him on the Latvian side. On Wikipedia you will find more information about him. The ribbon at the plastic flowers contain a Russian text.
	Overview This picture may give you an impression of the wideness of the tripoint-area. There still is a little podium and some simple benches, maybe to be used for special border occasions? Or would it be a remnant of the past?
	Triangular stone A triangular stone. This is the Latvian side of the stone. I translated the text on my computer: 70 years of Soviet Unions' victory in the Great Patriotic War against fascist Germany. No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten. This stone must be pretty new. Even in times of huge contradictions and different politics, it always feels good to have a common enemy.
	Triangular stone The same stone. This side of the stone contains a Belarusian text, I guess it's the same text.
	Lane to Russia From the open space there is this small lane leading to a small bridge over the Zilupe, which is the border river here. It's not allowed to cross the bridge. Although there are warning signs a few meters before the bridge, the lane contains already a sand strip. This strip makes no sense, it's easy to avoid it on your way to the bridge.
	Borderpoles 1 On boths banks of the Zilupe you will find borderpole 1. On this side of the water the Latvian, on the other side the Russian one.
	Borderpole 1 A close up of the Russian one.
	Russian Monument On the Russian part of the tripoint (unfortunately not accessable) I saw a big monument. With my telelens I could get it a bit closer. I don't know the background of this monument. Next page >>

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Tripoint Latvia-Russia-Belarus I

LV-RU-BY II

LV-BY I

LV-BY II

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LT-BY I

LT-BY II

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