The unveiling of the memorial to Peter I
The main event during Nicholas II’s visit to Riga was the unveiling of the memorial to Peter I. The memorial was meant to be evacuated to St.Petersburg in 1915 due to the advance of the front line towards Riga. However the ship carrying the horse statue sank off the coast of Estonia. After the war ended the statue was brought to the surface by Estonian divers and in 1934 bought by the Riga City Government for 15,000 Estonian crowns. However, for political reasons, this magnificent sculpture has to this day not become one of Riga’s memorials. At the end of the 1990’s the sculpture was restored by funding from businessman Yevgeny Gomberg. But it was only displayed at the memorial on a temporary basis - for three days during the celebrations of the 800th Anniversary of Riga in 2001 in the Kronvalda Park.
Илья Дименштейн. Несостоявшийся памятник Фольца
Валентина Петрова, Валерий Потапов. Петр I на Александровском бульваре
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