The Latgale liberation monument (popularly called “Latgales Māra”) is the most recognizable symbol of Rezekne. Dedicated to the soldiers of the Latvian freedom fights of 1920, the monument embodies the idea of freedom and unity of the Latvian state.
The monument was unveiled in 1939 (artist Leons Tomašickis, sculptor Kārlis Jansons); its bronze sculptural composition consists of: figure of a liberator who symbolizes the victory over a foreign power, by the side of it – a girl down on her knees, giving the liberator a crown of oak leaves, and above the two figures – a girl in the national costume holding a golden cross in her lifted hand as a symbol of faith and content for the newly found freedom.
In 1940 the monument was thrown down, in 1943 it was restored, but in 1950 the Soviet regime destroyed it again. In 1992, thanks to public donations, the monument was restored and returned on its initial place (sculptor Andrejs Jansons).
