History
Daugavpils City Council has finally submitted a timetable for the demolition of two objects glorifying the Soviet regime, said Andrejs Elksniņš, mayor of Daugavpils (Harmony) on Latvian Television's broadcast 'Šodienas jautājums' September 13.
Daugavpils is currently the only local government that has not submitted a plan for dismantling objects glorifying occupation. Rēzekne, where the power is in the hands of the same party, Harmony, has submitted a plan for dismantling but is currently looking for ways to avoid it by asking public opinion in a survey, Latvian Radio reported on August 31.
A totalitarian regime-glorifying object has disappeared in Alsviķi parish of Alūksne municipality, the local government's public relations specialist Evita Aploka told LETA on August 26.
The demolition of the giant Soviet 'Victory Monument' in Uzvaras Park, Rīga, has drawn a great deal of both domestic and international attention and discussion. To provide some background, the Latvian public media (LSM) Latvian- and Russian-language services have produced a lengthy overview including a timeline (below) of the monument's history and the often controversial events that have taken place in its considerable shadow.
August 23, 2022 marks 33 years since the historic Baltic Way, also known as the Baltic Chain – a human chain weaving through all three Baltic States August 23, 1989.
Ogre, a pleasant town around 35 kilometers from Rīga is notable for several reasons, including the unavoidable fact that its name reads quite amusingly in English.
On the night of August 18, 1991, a coup or putsch was attempted in Moscow. This event thirty-one years ago threatened to return the Baltic States to the dark times of the occupation by the Soviet Union. What happened in Latvia at that time?
Last night, Soviet monuments were dismantled in Ropaži municipality, Latvian Television reported August 18.
Archeological fieldwork has just been completed in Grobina, a town in south-western Latvia during which the ancient graves of Porani were accurately measured and new possible Iron Age settlement sites were identified.
Justice Minister Jānis Bordāns has asked for the inclusion of a new law on the ending of glorifying the Communist regime and russification in the agenda of the coalition meeting, LETA reported on August 13.
Historians urge municipalities to change the names of streets glorifying the communist regime or russification policies. Local governments surveyed by Latvian Radio August 8 say they do not object conceptually to the change of names, but point to the difficulties and costs that will arise for residents and entrepreneurs whose addresses are on these streets.
Provocations in the demolition process of the monument in Uzvaras Park are possible, but the internal services will not tolerate them, the Minister for Internal Affairs Kristaps Eklons said on the Latvian Televisio August 5.
The Presidents of Lithuania and Romania, plus the Prime Ministers of Latvia, Estonia and Poland have all signed a "Joint letter on European memory" in which they promise to counter Russia's increasingly craven attempts to rewrite history to suit its own distorted, imperialistic narrative. The full text of the letter, which is directed towards fellow members of the European Council and European Commission, is reproduced below.
Rīga City Council on Wednesday, July 20, decided to demolish two Soviet army-glorifying objects on the coast of Ķīšezers Lake – the obelisk in Mežaparks and a memorial sign on Jaunciema gatve.
The demolition of the Soviet monument in Pārdaugava, Uzvaras Park could cost €2-3 million, Riga Mayor Mārtiņš Staķis told LETA at a briefing on July 15.
The government on Thursday, July 14, backed the dismantling of 69 monuments, memorials, and other objects glorifying Soviet and Nazi regimes.
A ceremony in Cēsis on July 4 – Jewish genocide memorial day in Latvia – unveiled a series of freshly-commissioned artworks on the city's streets. But these are no ordinary works of conceptual or public art. They will serve as an ongoing memorial and constant reminder of Cēsis' 200-strong Jewish community, which was wiped out in the Holocaust.
One of the darkest days in Latvian history is commemorated July 4: Jewish genocide memorial day.
Experts have assessed that there are around 300 monuments and other objects glorifying the Soviet occupation regime in Latvia, which are now set for removal. The largest amount of potential dismantling work will be in Riga, according to Solvita Vība, director of the Latvian Occupation Museum in an interview with Latvian Radio.
The twelfth annual Isaiah Berlin Day will take place at the National Library of Latvia in Riga on June 17th, 2022, honoring the work and thought of the Rīga-born British political philosopher.
Researchers have recently uncovered evidence from a dark chapter of Latvian history, state-owned forestry company Latvian State Forests (LVM) reported June 14.
June 14 sees Latvia commemorating the thousands of citizens deported to Siberia by the Soviet occupiers 81 years ago - many of whom never came back.
On Monday, the dismantling of a memorial dedicated to the Soviet army in Jēkabpils began, Latvian Television reported June 14.
Rēzekne City Council decided Tuesday, June 7, that the city's Soviet monument, known as Alyosha, would be moved from the city center to the cemetery near Soviet soldiers' burial sites, Latvian Radio reported.
On May 31, a meeting of the State Heraldry Commission took place at the Ilūkste Culture and Art Center, during which the attendees were introduced to the newly-devised coat of arms of the historical land of Sēlija, which forms a south-eastern portion of Latvia.
On Monday, May 30, the Ambassador of Latvia to the Kingdom of Belgium, Andris Razāns, presented the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a diplomatic note protesting against the intention to remove a controversial monument dedicated to Latvian prisoners of war.
On May 30, in the renovated building at Latviešu strēlnieku laukums 1,the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia will host the grand opening of its new exhibition, the museum said in a release on May 26.
In the Latvian Saeima, a law is in the making which would make mandatory the demolition or removal of sites and objects glorifying the Soviet regime, Latvian Radio reported May 25.
Access to the Soviet monument at Uzvaras Park in Riga will be restricted until August 31, LETA reported on May 16.
At an emergency meeting on Friday, May 13, the Riga City Council decided to instruct the Rīga Monuments Agency to perform all the necessary activities for the dismantling of the Soviet monument at Uzvaras Park.
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