Monument Council backs erecting Peter I monument in Riga's Viesturdarzs Park
Riga City Council^apostrofs;s Monument Council today supported a proposal on erecting the Russian Czar Peter I monument in Viesturdarzs Park.
Riga City Council's Monument Council today supported a proposal on erecting the Russian Czar Peter I monument in Viesturdarzs Park.
The Monument Council agreed to recommend the Riga City Council revoke a decision on donating the monument to St. Petersburg, and to assign the Riga Cultural Monument Protection Inspection to prepare proposals on the best place for the monument in the park.
The decision was adopted after heated debate on whether such a monument should be erected in Riga at all.
Vilnis Zarins from For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK said that Latvia did not need the monument, and that it is offensive to Latvians. He believes a warehouse should be found for the monument, where it could be shown to tourists. The monument should only be erected if a similar monument to Latvians was erected in Moscow, for instance, a monument to Latvian Red Riflemen at the Kremlin, Zarins commented. There is no monument to Genghis Khan in Moscow, and Warsaw has no monument to Suvorov, the man who destroyed the city; just as well, there should be no monument to Peter I in Riga, Zarins said.
Zarins was also backed by councilman Janis Freimanis from the People's Party.
Whereas art historian Ruta Caupova said that the monument should remain in Riga. It attests to the professional skills of the sculptors of that time, she said.
Ilga Kreituse, deputy chairwoman of the Monument Council, said categorically that, regardless how dark the history's pages, Latvia should not give away historical testimonies that would be helpful in teaching future generations.
The Monument Council at the Riga City Council has once already mentioned Riga's Viesturdarzs Park as one of the possible sites for the monument, where the Russian monarch had once planted an elm.
The Riga City Council's City Development Committee last week passed a bill authorizing making a replica of the monument to Peter I. The committee supplemented the bill with the statement that Riga will agree to make a replica of the monument, if this is paid for by St. Petersburg.
The Riga City Council must pass the decision authorizing making a replica of the monument, Ojars Sparitis, chairman of the Riga City Council's Monument Council, told reporters. That is a matter of culture and politics, because no country is permitted to make copies of sculptures in other countries.
Deputies also said that the Riga City Council should revoke its previous decision on presenting the monument to St. Petersburg.
As reported, Riga City Council earlier received a letter from St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev, in which he expresses his stance that the original monument to Peter I must remain in Riga.
Martins Kalaus LETA
Copyright © LETA
The Monument Council agreed to recommend the Riga City Council revoke a decision on donating the monument to St. Petersburg, and to assign the Riga Cultural Monument Protection Inspection to prepare proposals on the best place for the monument in the park.
The decision was adopted after heated debate on whether such a monument should be erected in Riga at all.
Vilnis Zarins from For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK said that Latvia did not need the monument, and that it is offensive to Latvians. He believes a warehouse should be found for the monument, where it could be shown to tourists. The monument should only be erected if a similar monument to Latvians was erected in Moscow, for instance, a monument to Latvian Red Riflemen at the Kremlin, Zarins commented. There is no monument to Genghis Khan in Moscow, and Warsaw has no monument to Suvorov, the man who destroyed the city; just as well, there should be no monument to Peter I in Riga, Zarins said.
Zarins was also backed by councilman Janis Freimanis from the People's Party.
Whereas art historian Ruta Caupova said that the monument should remain in Riga. It attests to the professional skills of the sculptors of that time, she said.
Ilga Kreituse, deputy chairwoman of the Monument Council, said categorically that, regardless how dark the history's pages, Latvia should not give away historical testimonies that would be helpful in teaching future generations.
The Monument Council at the Riga City Council has once already mentioned Riga's Viesturdarzs Park as one of the possible sites for the monument, where the Russian monarch had once planted an elm.
The Riga City Council's City Development Committee last week passed a bill authorizing making a replica of the monument to Peter I. The committee supplemented the bill with the statement that Riga will agree to make a replica of the monument, if this is paid for by St. Petersburg.
The Riga City Council must pass the decision authorizing making a replica of the monument, Ojars Sparitis, chairman of the Riga City Council's Monument Council, told reporters. That is a matter of culture and politics, because no country is permitted to make copies of sculptures in other countries.
Deputies also said that the Riga City Council should revoke its previous decision on presenting the monument to St. Petersburg.
As reported, Riga City Council earlier received a letter from St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev, in which he expresses his stance that the original monument to Peter I must remain in Riga.
Martins Kalaus LETA
Copyright © LETA
