Monumental Story
The Baltic Times reports:
“The controversy surrounding Estonia’s Bronze Soldier monument has spilled over to Latvia, where hardline nationalists and World War II veterans have called for the removal of Soviet monuments in Riga.
Citing Estonia’s recent law change that paves the way for the removal of the Bronze Soldier, Latvia’s National Front and an alliance of Latvian WWII veterans have called on Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis to consider a similar move.
The leaders of the two nationalist organizations, Ojars Stefans and Aivars Garda, have sent the prime minister an open letter urging him to prevent “any provocations that might discredit the Latvian state” and to solve the issues concerning the removal of the Victory Monument in Riga, including working out a bill providing for dismantling and removing monuments glorifying the Soviet occupation forces.”
The demand to demolish the monument is not news. A few years back, the same uber-nationalists unsuccessfully demanded the government demolish the monument for “Soviet troops, who liberated Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascists,” which is its official name. Now though they have a reason: Estonia’s doing it.
Constructed in 1985, the 79-meter monument itself every May 9 serves as a place for World War II veterans who fought along side Soviet troops and their supporters to come together for a small meeting drenched in nostalgic red banners. As a sign of times, the monument, its plaza and neighboring park are rarely taken care of well.
“The obelisk is five-pronged, each one of which surmounted by a pentagonal star,” writes Max Matthews, “symbolizing five years of Soviet fighting in World War II. The rays of the star form a spiral, symbolizing the inevitability of victory. On either side of the gray and pink granite obelisk are two groups of sculptures, symbolizing ‘Motherland’ and ‘War-liberators’.”
Uzvaras Bulvaris (Victory Boulevard), on one side of the monument and Uzvaras Parks (Victory Park) compliment the whole Victory complex. You’d think by now the government would have renamed the park and the street to something historic as it did with Lenin Street and Karl Marx Street in the City Center. Alas, the government has no choice really because the name of the street and the park are indeed historic and they do indeed have to do with Russia.
In 1909, to commemorate 200th anniversary of the Riga’s inclusion into the Czarist Russia, the city fathers ordered the construction of the park, which wasn’t completed until 1915. As a part of the complex, the city built a stadium (still existing), walkways and lime-tree alley along the boulevard. Following the World War I, the park was named “Victory Park.” In 1930s,the Great Leader Karlis Ulmanis planned for a complex that was supposed to supersede the Berlin Olympic Complex.
It’s understandable why nationalists want to remove the monument. What followed WWII were 45 years of Soviet occupation, deportations, and deaths. But the wind of change that took down the Soviet Empire and all its memorabilia has died down. It’s time to move on.
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