Roland, not to be confused with Saint Roland, was a nephew of Charlemagne.
He was a Frankish military leader and governor who died at the Battle of Roncevaux in 778 – a famous rout for Charlemagne and inspiration for the ‘Song of Roland”. He was seen as a fair governor in Northern Germany and over time became a symbol of justice and freedom. From the 14th century, wooden and stone statues of him started popping up in numerous towns, including wooden ones in Riga. In the late 19th century Society of Riga History Explorers decided that Riga should have its own permanent statue of Roland.
In 1896 a Silesian sandstone statue of Roland, designed by Wilhelm Neumann and carved by August Volz, was erected in the then central market area (now Town Hall Square/ Ratslaukums) watching over those charged with local governance in the Town Hall.
The original statue was damaged when the square and its surrounding buildings were destroyed during WWII. The Soviets had it removed from the square in 1945. I imagine this symbol of justice and freedom and the Soviet philosophy were not entirely compatible bedfellows.
The statue in the square today is a sandstone copy of the original, created by Edvins Krumiņš and erected in 2000. In addition to keeping an eye on those charged with governing the City, Roland – or rather his sword, serves as the point from which all distances in Latvia are calculated.
The damaged 1896 statue can be seen in St Peter’s Church, less than 100 metres from the replacement statue. See my separate review on St Peter’s for opening hours and other details on the church, which is very much worth a visit in its own right.
The coat of arms depicted on the shields on both statues is that of the City of Riga.
This blog entry is one of a group (loop) of entries on the Old City area of Riga. I suggest you continue with my next entry – World’s First Decorated Christmas Tree – or to start the loop at the beginning go to my first entry – SamaraH Hotel Metropole – Riga.
The Rambling Wombat 