Visitors
to Latvia’s capital might be surprised to find the Brīvības piemineklis behind scaffolding
as Rīga continues its preparations for the Latvian Centennial celebrations.
The view
of the Freedom Monument will be obstructed for at least a couple of months,
depending on the scale of renovations that the monument might require pending a
complete inspection. The last restoration was completed between 1998 and 2001
in preparation for Rīga’s 800th anniversary, and since then the piemineklis has seen only minor upkeep.
194,000
Euro in funds have been allocated for the restoration, which will include cleaning
the stars and stone surfaces, replacing damaged seams, and repairing the
monument’s indoor staircase and basement room. The stars were last gilded 2006
and therefore will hopefully only require polishing, and barring unforeseen issues
with the foundation (which was previously strengthened to guard against sinking)
only cosmetic work will be completed on the base.
Is it
only me that’s envious of the crew that will come face to face with Milda in
the coming months? If only I could don a hardhat and present my Femme au Foyer credentials to gain
access to the upper levels of scaffolding, some 130 feet in the air overlooking
Vecrīga and Brīvības iela! One can dream...
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