RIGA, Oct 31 (LETA) -  Last night, the monument to Russian marshal Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly at the Esplanade park in Riga was dismantled, according to a statement by Riga Mayor Vilnis Kirsis (New Unity).

The pedestal on which the monument had been placed has also been removed.

The Riga City Council made the decision to dismantle the de Tolli monument on October 16. Lawmakers from Harmony, the Latvian Union of Russians, and Honor to Serve Riga lawmakers Natalija Abola voted against dismantling of the monument.

The monument was first unveiled in 1913. In 1915, the statue was dismantled, but the pedestal remained. In 2002, a restored replica of the statue was installed on the initiative of businessman Jevgenijs Gombergs. At the time, the businessman also tried to achieve erection of the statue of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia into Riga.

The national heritage authorities did not object to the relocation of the statue's pedestal. They pointed out that the monument is not a state-protected cultural monument, but that it has cultural and historical value and therefore its destruction is not allowed. 

 It has been decided to return the statue to Gombergs after dismantling.