Pushkin Statue
Pushkin Statue is a sculptural monument to Russian poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, installed in August 2009 in central Riga, in Kronvalda Park. It stands on the bank of the City Canal, near the Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia. The sculpture was created by Alexander Taratynov and brought to Latvia from Russia. Its unveiling took place on 22 August 2009 in the presence of Riga’s mayor, the Russian ambassador to Latvia, and other guests. In his right hand, Pushkin holds a glove, described as a symbol of an eternal challenge. The monument was dismantled in the night of 30 May 2023.
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Identification | |
| Title | Pushkin Monument |
| Original title | Monument to Alexander Pushkin in Riga |
| Type | Sculptural monument |
| Subject | Alexander Pushkin |
| Alternative title | Pushkin Statue |
Historical context | |
| Proposal year | 1999 |
| Proposed installation context | The Pushkin Society of Latvia proposed erecting the monument in Riga, with support from the Riga City Council monuments council |
| Reason for delay | The project was delayed by events of the time |
| Initial planned unveiling date | 6 June 2009, the 210th anniversary of Pushkin's birth |
| Reason for postponing unveiling | The planned date coincided with municipal and European Parliament elections, so the unveiling was moved to late August |
Creator | |
| Sculptor | Alexander Mikhailovich Taratynov |
| Architects | Mikus Leinieks and M. Korssi |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Supporters of installation | The Pushkin Society of Latvia, Svetlana Vidyakina, Leonid Lents, the Riga House of Moscow, the Russian Embassy, and Riga mayor Nils Ušakovs |
| Installation approval status | Installed without approval from the National Inspectorate for Cultural Monuments or the Riga Historic Centre Preservation and Protection Council |
| Funding source | the international Igor Dolgorukov Foundation |
| Delivered from | Russia |
| Gift from | the city of Moscow |
Physical characteristics | |
| Material | Bronze |
| Figure type | Standing full-length figure |
| Attribute | A glove in his right hand |
| Attribute | A top hat in his left hand |
| Base | Small pedestal |
| Inscription | Carved reproduction of the poet's signature |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Interpretation of glove | According to Svetlana Vidyakina, it symbolizes eternal struggle and an eternal challenge to a duel |
| Biographical context | According to Svetlana Vidyakina, Pushkin had 21 duels in his biography |
Location and ownership | |
| Setting | Along a quiet tree-shaded alley |
| Nearby theater reference | Near the Second City Russian Theatre, built by 1905 |
| Nearby historical reference | Near the former house of commandant Ermolai Kern, husband of Anna Petrovna Kern |
| Associated boulevard | Pushkin Boulevard (1899–1923), now Kronvalda Boulevard |
| City | Riga |
| Orientation | Facing away from the canal |
| Original location | Kronvalda Park, Central Riga, Riga, Latvia |
| Country | Latvia |
| Specific site | On the bank of the City Canal, near the Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia, under a spreading tree |
History and restoration | |
| Removal decision | In early March 2023, the Riga City Monuments Council supported dismantling the monument, and the ruling coalition later voted to remove it as soon as possible |
| Demolition context | Dismantled after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Post-removal storage | Transferred to a storage facility, awaiting transfer to the museum of the Latvian Union of Artists |
| Removed from | Kronvalda Park |
| Removed by | the Riga Monuments Agency |
| Removed on | 30 May 2023 |
| Protest against removal | On 12 March 2023, the Russian Union of Latvia organized a protest in front of Riga City Hall; about 200 people attended |
| Reason for removal decision | The monument was said to have been installed illegally and to glorify the former regime; the final demolition decision also cited preventing gatherings near it on 9 May |
| Controversy | Became increasingly controversial after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine |
| Petition | On 25 November 2022, a petition titled "Demolition of the Pushkin monument" was published on ManaBalss.lv |
| Vandalism incident | On 18 November 2022, photographs showed the monument painted with white and red paint; the State Police of Latvia opened an investigation |
| Public reaction to opposition petition | It was disapproved of by many Latvians and many Russian-speakers in Riga |
| Claim about opposition | It was described as the first time in the world that such action had been taken against the installation of a statue of this romantic poet |
| Public opposition before installation | Several Latvian intellectuals opposed placing the monument in Kronvalda Park, including representatives of the University of Latvia Student Council, members of student corporations Lettonia, Selonija, and Fraternitas Vanenica, and Uldis Grava |
| Symbolic meaning at unveiling | Speeches described it as marking a new stage in Russian-Latvian relations |
| Unveiling attendees | Riga Mayor Nils Ušakovs, Russian Ambassador Alexander Veshnyakov, Metropolitan Alexander Kudryashov of Riga and all Latvia, other high-ranking guests, and about 200 Riga residents |
| Installed in | August 2009 |
| Unveiled on | 22 August 2009 |
Status | |
| Current status | Removed |