Freedom Monument
Brīvības piemineklis
A 42-meter-tall symbol of Latvian independence whose top figure raises three golden stars representing three historical regions. It marks the boundary between the Old Town and the New Town.
The Freedom Monument was completed in 1935. It was designed by sculptor Kārlis Zāle and funded entirely by public donations, to honor those who died in the Latvian War of Independence from 1918 to 1920. The shaft is a gray granite obelisk, and at the top is a bronze female figure known as Milda, who raises three golden stars with both hands. The stars represent Latvia's three historical and cultural regions: Kurzeme, Vidzeme, and Latgale. The reliefs and statues around the base depict Latvian history, labor, family, and national spirit. During the Soviet period the monument was not demolished, but it was reinterpreted as 'Freedom presenting the stars to the Soviet Union.' Beginning in 1987, people gathered here to lay flowers, and it became an important site of the independence movement. Today two honor guards stand watch at the monument, and they change every hour. The monument stands on Brīvības iela, which links the Old Town and the New Town. On either side are the canal moat and Bastejkalns Park. Walking along the canal, you can see the Opera House and the boat dock, and a canal boat tour takes about an hour.
Opening hours
Open all day; guard changing ceremony about 09:00–18:00, hourly
Nearby sights
- Bastejkalns Park & City Canal
- Nativity of Christ Cathedral
- Latvian National Museum of Art
- Powder Tower & Latvian War Museum
- Cat House & Līvu Square
- St. Peter's Church
- Art Museum Riga Bourse
- House of the Blackheads & Town Hall Square