Monument “Vienoti Latvijai” (“United for Latvia”) or Māra of Latgale
Memorial site

The Monument “Vienoti Latvijai” (“United for Latvia”) or Māra of Latgale is located in Rēzekne. Its central image of a woman holding a cross in her hand symbolises the Latgale region of Latvia, which was liberated from Bolshevik rule in 1920, and its spirit of Christian civilisation. The monument was initiated by public figures of Latgale in the 1920s. The foundation stone was laid and consecrated on 8 June 1930. In June 1934, a competition for the design of the monument was announced, and the design by Kārlis Jansons won the com petition. The monument was unveiled on 8 September 1939, and the consecration service was held by Bishop Jāzeps Rancāns. After the Soviet occupation in November 1940, the monument was pulled down. The bronze sculptures were not destroyed due to a shortage of time and the monument was restored on 22 August 1943, during the German occupation. When the Soviet occupation returned, the cross was initially sawn off, while, in 1950, the monument was completely destroyed.

During the Soviet occupation, a Lenin monument was erected instead, which was removed immediately after Latvia regained its independence in 1991. During the Awakening in 1989, the idea of restoring the historical United for Latvia monument was born. The monument was re created by the sculptor Andrejs Jansons, the son of Kārlis Jansons, in collaboration with Inta Folkmane, based on his father’s materi als and photographs. The restored monument was unveiled on 13 August 1992, during the First World Gathering of Latgalians.