The Freedom Monument

It is recommendable to start a tour around Riga's historical centre from a sacred(svēta) place of the Latvian nation – the Freedom Monument. This outstanding(izcils) artistic work devoted(veltīts) to the Latvian struggle(cīņai) for independence(neatkarību) and liberty(brīvību) was developed(attīstīts) in the period from 1931 to 1935 on the basis(pamats) of the collected sources(avoti) by the Latvian nation. The creators of the Monument are Kārlis Zāle (1888 – 1942), a famous Latvian sculptor, and Ernests Štālbergs (1883 - 1958), an architect. The major statue of Freedom, overlooking the prominent buildings of Riga centre and the tops of surrounding trees, was sculptured in metal by Ragnar Mirsmeden (1889 – 1989), a Swedish sculptor, and by Jānis Zibens (1909 – 1967) and Arnolds Naika (1908 - 1998), a Latvian metal artists. The monument is formed from a frame(karkass) of reinforced concrete that is “garbed” from surface(āriene) in stone: granite and travertine(šūnakmens).
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