| Actual Image
Riga - the Freedom Monument (76)
avene
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1319 W: 75 N: 1669]](http://i1.trekearth.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (6204) | my little series from Riga would not be complete without the Freedom Monument, at least the very top of it (full view in workshop).
the 42-metre (138 ft) high monument of granite, travertine, and copper is tallest of its kind in Europe; built according to the scheme "Shine like a star!" submitted by Latvian sculptor Kārlis Zāle and financed by private donations, the Monument was unveiled in 1935 as a memorial honoring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920). Milda, as the figure of a woman atop the pediment is affectionately called, holds 3 stars, representing the regional districts of Latvia. the sculptures and bas-reliefs of the monument, arranged in thirteen groups, depict Latvian culture and history - there are groups of sculptures entitled "Latvian Riflemen", "Latvian people: the Singers", "Family", "Scolars".
it would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the monument as a symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. it was at the base of this Monument where the first public gatherings in late 1980s took place to commemorate the victims of the Soviet regime, it is here all the foreign dignitaries come to lay flowers, it is here any self-respecting civic group would choose to stage a demonstration. considering how emotionally and politically charged this place is, nobody knows for sure how it survived the Soviet regime. some say Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina (author of famous "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman") considered the Monument to be of the highest artistic value, some say the Monument was constructed in such a way that to demolish it would mean damaging the foundations of buildings for blocks around. the Monument remained, but its symbolism was reinterpreted - the three stars were said to stand for the newly created Baltic Soviet Republics - Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, and Lithuanian SSR - held aloft by Mother Russia and the monument was said to have been erected after World War II as a sign of popular gratitude toward the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin for the liberation of the Baltic States. a popular local joke during the 1970s was that the Monument was actually a travel agent, since laying flowers at it guaranteed a one-way ticket to Siberia. |
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