The Freedom Monument holds in her hands three stars, symbolising the three reigions of Latvia: Courland (Kurzeme), Livland (Vidzeme), Lettgallen (Latgale). Throughout the centuries these regions were part of different countries and had different history although they were always inhabited by the same people: the German nobility in the countryside and merchants in the towns, Latvian serfs and farmers in the countryside and free Latvians in towns.
In the 19th century during the national awakening idea was born that all lands where Latvians were living belonged together and that this land should be called Latvia. The unity of these three regions symbolizes Latvia itself. This is why you will see the 3 stars eevrywhere in Latvia: in the coat of arms of the country, the national ice hockey team is know as the "Three star" team and has always three stars in front, the highest order of the state given for special achievments is called "Three star order" .
During the Russian occupation the monument honouring independent national Latvia was not removed. The occupation authorities knew how sacred and symbolic is this monument for people and fearing protests they did not remove it. But they opened the street passing the monument to traffic and hoped that the monument eventually will crumble by itself. It did not happen though. During the occupation times, there was an unwritten law not to film and take pictures of the monument. So you never saw it in movies or television or in newspapers. For foreign visitors were usuallt told that the monument depicted Mother Russia holding three stars representing the three Baltic Republics. The aspirations of Baltic people for independence and democracy and silent and spiteful opposition to everything "soviet" was naturally withheld. Another interesting fact is that the women on top of the monument - the symbol of freedom, faces the west, while the monument of Lenin - compulsory for every city and town n Soviet Union was standing in the middle of the same street (on the corner of Elizabetes and Brivibas streets) some hundren meters further to the east facing the east. This coincidence was carrying a symbilic meaning too - throughout the Soviet times they both were standing with their back sides towards each other. Latvian freedom facing west and Lenin facing east. Independent, democratic Latvia has always looked to West to its real friends and allies, its family. Links to the east have always been violently imposed.
Freedom monument was where the first demonstrations for Latvian freedom took place in Riga 1987, like this one here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-_emGdT... The human chain from Catherdral Square in Vilnius to the Castle Hill in Tallinn called Baltic Way had its heart hear at Rigas Freedom monument.
Currently the monument is the most photographed monument in whole Baltics and one of the main landmarks of Riga and Latvia. The monument will be also on Latvias Euro coins as soons as Latvia joins the Euro zone. It is an absolute must see in Riga - like Brandenburg Gates in Berlin, Big Ben and Parliament in London, Eiffel in Paris, Colloseum in Rome or Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
The inscription of the monument says simple " For Fatherland and Freedom"
On the hour, every hour, the guard changes in a solemn and moving, if slightly unpolished, manner.
The monument square is set in the ring of parkland which partly separates the old and 'new' parts of the city, and the view is utterly perfect, lush greenery, neat, handsome architecture, proud locals - apart from the large MacDonands nearby.
In the early days of Latvian independance, you were able to go up the inside of the monument and look out onto the old town from beneath 'mother Latvia's' feet, but its closed up for fear of, well, grumpy Russians doing unspeakable things in there probably.