The memorial sign "Sail of Hope" created by sculptor Ģirts Burvjas marks the place from where, between the autumn of 1944 and the spring of 1945, fearing the repeated occupation of the USSR, but not wanting to evacuate to the devastated and also threatened by the Soviet army Germany, some Latvian citizens tried to reach neutral Sweden by sea as the only possible way.
The destination of the refugee boats was the closest part of Swedish territory to Latvia – the island of Gotland, and the journeys most often began on the western coast of Kurzeme (from Jūrkalne to the island of Gotland is 90 nautical miles or approximately 170 kilometers as the crow flies).
The memorial is designed as a sail of hope symbolizing the memory of Latvian refugees. The visible crack in it is a symbol of the drama of separation, the overcoming difficulties and pain for a part of our people in a foreign land.