The Freedom Monument is the tall column on Brīvības bulvāris (Freedom Boulevard) in Riga, where the Old Town meets the city centre beside the city canal. It was unveiled in 1935 to celebrate Latvian independence, paid for by public donations, and it stood through the entire Soviet occupation. Latvians call the copper woman on top Milda.
The Freedom Monument at a glance
- Where: Brīvības bulvāris, in a pedestrian square between the Old Town and the city centre, next to the city canal and Bastion Hill park.
- Built: 1931–1935; unveiled on 18 November 1935, the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia in 1918.
- By: the sculptor Kārlis Zāle, with the architect Ernests Štālbergs.
- What it is today: Latvia's national memorial to independence, about 42 metres tall, with an honour guard and flowers laid at its foot on national days.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, longer if you wait for the changing of the guard.
From a tsar's statue to a symbol of freedom
Before the monument, the site held a bronze equestrian statue of the Russian tsar Peter the Great, put up in 1910 and removed during the First World War. After Latvia became independent, Kārlis Zāle won the design competition with an entry called 'Mirdzi kā zvaigzne!' ('Shine like a star!'). Work began on 18 November 1931, financed by private donations, and the dedication on the base, 'Tēvzemei un Brīvībai' ('For Fatherland and Freedom'), was written by the poet Kārlis Skalbe.
After the Soviet occupation in 1940 the honour guard was removed, and plans to demolish the monument came up more than once. It was never torn down. Instead, the official line claimed the figure was Mother Russia holding up the three Soviet Baltic republics, and laying flowers here was banned. On 14 June 1987 about 5,000 people gathered at the monument to remember the victims of Soviet deportations, the first such flower-laying since the occupation and an early step on the road to the restoration of independence, declared on 4 May 1990. The honour guard returned on 11 November 1992.
What to look for
- Milda and the three stars: the 9-metre copper figure holds three gilded stars above her head. They stand for Latvia's historical regions of Kurzeme (Courland), Vidzeme and Latgale.
- The inscription 'Tēvzemei un Brīvībai' on a travertine panel of the base.
- The sculpture groups: 56 figures in 13 groups on four levels. Walk all the way round to find Lāčplēsis, the bear-slayer hero of the Latvian national epic, and groups devoted to work, the family, scholars and the guards of the fatherland.
- The reliefs: one shows the 1905 revolution, another the 1919 fight against the Bermontians, the German-Russian army that attacked Riga, on the Iron Bridge.
- The materials: grey and red Finnish granite, a column of pale Italian travertine and a copper figure on top.
- The honour guard: soldiers of the Latvian National Armed Forces stand at the foot of the monument during the day and change every hour. There is no guard in bad weather or extreme temperatures.
Who was Milda?
Nobody knows for sure who modelled for the figure. The Lithuanian writer Arvydas Juozaitis has claimed it was Milda Jasikienė, a Lithuanian woman living in Riga, but the Riga Monument Agency says no records back this up. Another story, told by her son, says the Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina, who was born in Riga, persuaded the authorities to keep the monument because of its artistic value; no written evidence of this has been found.
Tips for your visit
- Come on the hour during the day to watch the guard change. Keep a little distance from the soldiers and keep your voice down: it is a ceremony, not a show.
- For a photo of the whole column, step back along the boulevard: from close up, Milda is too high to see well.
- On 18 November and 4 May the square fills with people laying flowers. Visitors are welcome to bring one too.
Nearby
- Laima Clock: the 1924 street clock at the Old Town end of the square, Riga's classic meeting point, named after the Laima chocolate brand since the 1930s.
- Bastion Hill (Bastejkalns): the small hill in the canal park beside the monument, with memorial stones for the people killed during the barricades of January 1991.
- Latvian National Opera: the white neoclassical opera house on the canal, a few minutes' walk away.
- Latvian National Museum of Art: Latvia's main art museum on the Esplanade park, a short walk up the boulevard, with Latvian painting from the 19th and 20th centuries.
See Riga with World City Trail
Our Riga scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 40 minutes of walking. The Freedom Monument is one of the stops, along with the Laima Clock and the Latvian National Museum of Art.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Riga.
Play the Riga scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Riga →
Play the outdoor escape game in Riga →
Facts checked in October 2026.