cnr of Brīvības iela and Raiņa
bulvāris
Change of Guards: 9am- 6pm daily, every hour
The
Freedom Monument is a monument built in memory of those who
died in the freedom struggle of Latvia in Freedom Square in
the center of Riga. It is a symbol of Latvian statehood,
unity, independence and freedom of the Latvian people.
The monument, unveiled in 1935, is 42 meters high and
made of gray and red granite, travertine, reinforced
concrete and copper. The composition of the monument
consists of thirteen sculptures and bas-reliefs depicting
the history and culture of Latvia. The massif of the
monument is made of monolithic quadrangular forms arranged
one above the other. Towards the top, the shape of the
monument narrows and turns into a 19-meter-high obelisk, at
the top of which is the 9-meter-high statue of Liberty - a
young woman holding three gilded stars in her hands.
After the Second World War, the authorities of the Latvian
SSR considered the possibility of demolishing the monument.
It is believed that the monument was saved by Vera Mukhina,
who believed that the monument was an artistic value, the
destruction of which would offend the most sacred feelings
of the Latvian people. Although the monument was not
demolished, its symbolic meaning began to be interpreted
according to Soviet ideology. However, the Freedom Monument
still remained a symbol of national independence for the
people, and on June 14, 1987, three years before the
restoration of Latvia's independence, the first anti-Soviet
demonstration took place near it, attended by about 5,000
people - the laying of flowers at the Freedom Monument
Soviets organized by Helsinki-86 in memory of the victims of
the regime's mass deportations.
The idea to build a monument dedicated to the Freedom Struggle
appeared in 1922, when the Prime Minister of Latvia at the time,
Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics, asked to develop the rules for a competition
for the construction of a "memorial pillar". After several competitions,
the project "Shine like a star!" by Kārlis Saale was chosen.
Construction works began in 1931 and were financed by public donations.
The monument was opened on November 18, 1935, the 17th anniversary of
the declaration of the Latvian state.
After the Second World War,
when the Soviet occupation resumed, there were plans to demolish the
monument; documents related to these plans have disappeared, although it
is possible that some documents have survived in unclassified Russian
archives, but for now historians have to draw conclusions based only on
oral testimony. The first attempt took place already in 1945, when the
Council of People's Commissars of the Latvian SSR made a proposal to
restore the monument to Peter the Great. Considering that this monument
used to be located only a few meters from the current location of the
Freedom Monument, its restoration would automatically require the
destruction of the Freedom Monument. It is not known how the discussion
of this plan ended, but it is believed that the monument was saved by
Riga-born sculptor Vera Mukhina - her son claims that Mukhina
participated in the meeting where the fate of the monument was decided
and, when asked for her opinion, said that the monument has outstanding
artistic value and its demolition would offend the most sacred feelings
of the Latvian people. However, no documents have been found to confirm
that it really happened.
In the summer of 1963, the KGB of the
Latvian SSR and the Central Committee of the LKP considered the
possibility of blowing up the monument, but it was decided that the
demolition of the monument would only cause indignation and tension in
society, however, in this case too, there is no written evidence that it
actually happened. During the times of Soviet Latvia, the meaning of the
Freedom Monument was interpreted according to Soviet propaganda - for
example, it was claimed that the three stars held by Mother Russia and
symbolizing the three Baltic Soviet republics - the Latvian SSR, the
Estonian SSR and the Lithuanian SSR, while the monument itself was built
after the Second World War as a nation thanks to the leader of the USSR,
Joseph Stalin, for the release. Later, however, such claims were hushed
up, for example, in an encyclopedia published in 1988, it was claimed
that the monument was built to mark the liberation of the working people
from the yoke of the German barons and the autocracy of the tsar.
Despite the propaganda, the Freedom Monument was a powerful
anti-Soviet symbol during the occupation, becoming one of the most
important figures of the Awakening movement. On June 14, 1987, about
5,000 people placed flowers at the monument without authorization.
The
sculptures and bas-reliefs of the Freedom Monument are arranged in 13
groups representing the history and culture of Latvia. The massif of the
monument is made of monolithic quadrangular forms, arranged one above
the other and narrowing towards the top, turning into an obelisk. The
rear part of the monument is surrounded by a 1.8 meter high red granite
staircase with ten steps. The staircase is surrounded by a
three-meter-thick railing, on which there are two 1.7-meter-high and
4.5-meter-wide travertine bas-reliefs - Latvian archers (13) and Latvian
nation - singer (14). Two more steps form the platform on which the
monument stands, its diameter is 28 meters; at the front of the
monument, this platform forms a small rectangle, which is used for
placing flowers and honor guard. The base of the monument consists of
two red granite blocks: the lower one is 3.5 meters high, 9.2 meters
wide, 11 meters long and monolithic, while the upper one, which is 3.5
meters high, 8.5 meters wide and 10 meters long, is decorated with four
groups of sculptures with three sculptures in each group, set in rounded
niches at the corners of the block, while its sides are covered with
travertine panels. On one of the travertine panels in the front of the
monument, between the groups of sculptures Tēvzemes sargi (9; depicts an
ancient Latvian soldier with two 20th century soldiers kneeling next to
him) and Job (10; depicts a fisherman and a craftsman, between whom
stands a farmer holding a a scythe decorated with oak leaves, which
symbolizes strength and masculinity), carved Kārlis Skalbe's dedication
to the Fatherland and freedom (6). On the side panels there are two
bas-reliefs - 1905 (7; depicts the events of the 1905 revolution) and
Battle against the Bermontians on the Iron Bridge (8; depicts the battle
against the Bermontians on the Riga Iron Bridge). In the rear part of
the monument there are two more groups of sculptures - Servants of the
Spirit (11; depicts the ancient Latvian crook, holding a crooked staff -
krivuli, he passes on the wisdom accumulated over the centuries to a
scientist and writer) and Family (12; depicts a mother with two
children). Higher up is another block of gray granite, 6 meters high and
wide and 7.5 meters long, surrounded by four 5.5-6 meter high groups of
sculptures: Latvija (2), Lāčplēsis (3), Chain Pullers (4; depicts three
men bound in chains and trying to break them) and Vaidelotis (5; depicts
a young man with a wooden stick, a young man with a sword lowered to his
side and stuck into the ground, showing the superiority of spirituality
over physical strength. The sculpture also contains the ancient
mysticism of the people - a horse's skull, which symbolizes deliverance
from all evil). Above this strip of sculptures is a 19 meter high
travertine obelisk, which is 2.5 meters wide and 3 meters tall at the
bottom. In the obelisk's front and back parts, the middle line of the
monument is emphasized by a strip of glass. At its end is a 9-meter-long
image of Liberty made of copper (1) in the form of a young woman holding
three gilded stars in her hands, symbolizing freedom and Latvia's
cultural and historical regions; the image's belt is also gilded. The
entire monument is built around a reinforced concrete frame, which was
originally reinforced with lime mortar and lead and bronze cables.
During the restoration, some of these materials were replaced with
polyurethane binder. Inside the monument is a small technical room that
can be entered through a door at the back of the monument. It houses the
wiring, access to the sewers, and the stairs leading to the top of the
monument. The room is used as a warehouse and is not open to the public,
but at the beginning of 2008, the idea appeared to set up a small
exhibition in this room, to be shown to high-ranking foreign officials
who lay flowers at the monument during state visits.
The Freedom Monument fits well into the surrounding environment, forming a unified architectural, scenic and artistic whole with it. It is located in the center of Riga, at the beginning of Brīvības boulevard, near Old Riga. In 1990, the 200-meter long part of Brīvības boulevard between Aspazijas and Rainiš boulevards was closed to traffic, creating the Brīvības monument square. Part of this square includes a bridge over the 3.2-kilometer-long City Canal, which winds through parks and boulevards. In the park to the north of the monument is Bastejkalns, which was created in the 19th century by excavating the city's protective ramparts, and to the south of the monument is the Latvian National Opera. On the other hand, at the western end of Monument Square, there is a cafe and Laima laikrodis, which is the most famous meeting place in Riga. The front of the monument faces Old Riga and the Daugava behind it. Initially, it was planned to build an oval square around the monument, which would be surrounded by an approximately 1.6-meter high granite wall with benches inside, while thuja trees were planned to be planted along the wall from the outside. In the eighties of the 20th century, the possibility of implementing this plan was discussed, however, the construction of the square was not started.
The idea of building a memorial to those who fell in the freedom
struggle appeared already at the beginning of the twenties: on July 27,
1922, the Prime Minister of Latvia at that time, Zigfrīds Anna
Meierovics, ordered the development of rules for the competition for the
creation of a "Memorial Pillar". In the 1922 competition, sculptors
Burkardas Dzeni, Emīla Melderis, Kārli Zāli, Teodoras Zaļkalnas and
architects Eiženas Laubis and Ernests Štalbergs were invited to
participate. Laube's project, which planned to build a 27-meter-high
column surrounded by a classical balustrade with bas-reliefs of
Krišjānis Baron and Atas Kronvaldas, as well as symbols of state power,
was recognized, but this project was rejected after receiving a protest
signed by 57 cultural workers. In October 1923, another competition was
held, using the name "Freedom Monument" for the first time, in which
Marta Liepiņa-Skulme and Kārlis Zāle shared the victory. In March 1925,
a closed competition was announced again, in which E. Laube, M.
Liepiņa-Skulme, E. Melderis, K. Zāle, T. Zaļkalns participated. Zaale's
and Melder's designs were recognized as the best, but due to
disagreements among the jury, the final decision was not made. Finally,
in 1929, another competition was announced. Out of 32 works submitted in
this competition, the works of K. Zaale, T. Zaļkalnas and K. Baumani
(Zemdegas) were recognized as the best and they decided to build the
monument according to K. Zaale's project "Shine like a star!". The
construction of the Freedom Monument began on November 18, 1931,
although with the design corrections of the supervising architect
Ernests Stahlbergs. The image of freedom is forged in the workshop of
Swedish sculptor Ragnar Myrsmeden (Swedish: Ragnar Myrsmeden) in
Stockholm, while the stars of the monument are forged by metal artists
Arnolds Naika and Jānis Zibens.
The construction of the monument
was financed by funds donated by private individuals. The place where
one of the main monuments of the city - the bronze statue of Peter I -
was already located was chosen for the construction. The monument was
opened on November 18, 1935 by the then President Alberts Kviesis. At
the time, it was estimated that 308,000 man-hours were spent on breaking
and processing the stones alone during the four years of construction -
it would take one man 130 years to complete such work, even with the
most modern machinery of the time, and the total weight of the materials
used was said to be 2,500 tons - 200 wagons would be needed to move this
amount of material by rail.
Over time, the monument suffered from frost and rain, as well as from
air pollution. Although the street around the monument was closed to
traffic in 1990, there are streets with busy traffic near the monument.
High air pollution with nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide was found
near the monument, which causes corrosion of the monument's materials
when combined with water. In addition, the water has caused cracking of
the reinforced concrete frame of the monument and rusting of its steel
armature and monument fasteners, which have also been damaged by
vibrations caused by traffic. Porous travertine has begun to crumble
over time and its pores have filled with soot and sand particles,
causing the travertine to blacken and creating a breeding ground for
mosses and lichens. Also, the condition of the monument has deteriorated
due to irregular or inept restoration works. In order to reduce future
damage, in 2001, during the restoration, part of the monument's
fastenings were replaced with polyurethane binder and the monument was
waterproofed. It was also determined that the state of the monument
should be re-evaluated every two years.
The monument has been
restored several times, two restorations took place during the Soviet
era (in 1962 and 1981), after regaining independence, the monument was
restored from 1998-2001, largely with donated funds. , the restoration
was completed with an official reopening on July 24, 2001. During this
restoration, the Statue of Liberty and its stars were cleaned, restored
and re-gilded. The base of the monument, the obelisk, the stairs and the
interior were also restored, but the stone materials were cleaned and
re-stitched. The foundations of the monument were also strengthened to
prevent them from sinking. A few years after the restoration, it was
discovered that the gilding of the stars had started to deteriorate due
to an incorrectly chosen restoration technique. The stars were restored
during the restoration of the monument in the spring of 2006.
Following the initiative of the former President of Latvia Valdas
Zatlers, the Freedom Monument Illumination Fund was founded on October
4, 2018, whose mission is to organize the development, coordination and
implementation of the Freedom Monument Illumination Project. With the
campaign "Light for our freedom" the foundation is publicly collecting
donations to implement the illumination of the monument. In order to
promote fundraising, the foundation has officially obtained the status
of a public benefit organization, providing the opportunity for donors
to receive tax benefits.
Conceptually, the project is planned to
be implemented on three levels: daily lighting will illuminate the
monument in the dark hours of the day; festive lighting will illuminate
the monument and its square on national holidays and other festive
occasions, while the special lighting is conceived as a work of light
art, which will be realized on special festive occasions with the latest
lighting technologies.
In order to implement the project, the
Freedom Monument Illumination Fund has concluded a tripartite
cooperation agreement with the legal owner of the monument - the Riga
Monuments Agency and the National Cultural Heritage Administration. The
Riga Monuments Agency is entrusted with the implementation of
construction works, and the National Cultural Heritage Administration is
entrusted with the general supervision of the project in the field of
protection of cultural monuments.
As part of the first stage of
the Freedom Monument lighting project, for the first time in history, a
photometric survey of the monument has already been carried out and an
electronic 3D model of the monument has been created. The creation of
this model is not only the basis for further work on the development of
the lighting design, but also provides a high-precision reproduction of
the monument model in the interest of preserving the cultural and
historical heritage.
Internationally acclaimed Latvian architect
Austris Mailītis, lighting artist and lighting equipment engineer
Normunds Bļasāns, as well as light and video projection artist Māris
Kalve are involved in the development of the lighting model. Valdis
Zatlers, Pēteris Cielavs and Sandis Bērtaitis have undertaken the
organizational management of the fund, while the supervision of the fund
is carried out by Rūta Dimanta, Raimonds Graube and Kristīne Saulīte.