Located in the center of Riga, on Freedom Boulevard, near the old town of Riga, the Freedom Monument is a memorial honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918-1920). Unveiled in 1935, the 42m high monument of granite, travertine, and copper is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia, and often serves as the focal point of public gatherings and official ceremonies.
The sculptures and bas-reliefs of the monument, arranged in thirteen groups, depict Latvian culture and history. The core of the monument is composed of tetragonal shapes on top of each other, decreasing in size towards the top, completed by a 19m high travertine column bearing the copper figure of Liberty lifting three gilded stars. The concept for the monument was based to the scheme "Shine like a star!" submitted by Latvian sculptor Kārlis Zāle. Construction works were financed by private donations.
Following the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union and the Freedom Monument was considered for demolition, but no such move was carried out. On June 14, 1987, about 5,000 people gathered at the monument to commemorate the victims of the Soviet regime and to lay flowers. This rally renewed the national independence movement, which culminated three years later in the re-establishment of Latvian sovereignty after the fall of the Soviet regime.
About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Flowers, about which I wrote here.
References
Freedom Monument - Wikipedia
Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Riga (Latvia), on 29.04.2016
No comments:
Post a Comment