Riga's Freedom Monument honors soldiers killed in the Latvian War of Independence, fought from 1918 to 1920. Sculptor Kārlis Zāle won the final competition with his design "Shine like a star!" Ernests Štālbergs supervised the architecture. Private donations paid for it, building began on November 18, 1931, and it was unveiled on November 18, 1935.
The monument is 138 feet (42 meters) tall. A copper figure of Liberty, 30 feet (9 meters) high, tops a travertine column of 62 feet (19 meters). The figure holds three gilded stars for Vidzeme, Latgale and Courland. Thirteen groups of sculpture and relief show Latvian culture and history. The inscription reads "For Fatherland and Freedom."
It stands near the Old Town on the site once held by an equestrian statue of Peter the Great. An honor guard has been renewed since 1992, with guard changes each hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A major restoration finished in 2001.
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