The memorial to Barclay-de-Tolly

In 1913 the memorial to Russian commander Michael Barclay-de-Tolly was unveiled in Riga. Barclay-de-Tolly’s ancestors settled in Riga in the 17th Century. The memorial vanished without a trace during the evacuation in 1915. An empty pedestal stood in its place for many a long year. In 2001 the memorial was restored on the initiative and funding of Yevgeny Gomberg. In 2002 the Riga municipal government gave permission for the memorial to be displayed for half a year. The survey was carried out to gauge the opinion of the people of Riga on what the future of the monument should be. The majority supported the idea of restoring the memorial, so Barclay-de-Tolly stayed put.