Estonia's Freedom Monument to be 26-meter Cross of Liberty made from glass

19.11.2007

TALLINN, Nov 19, BNS - The Freedom Monument to be erected in Tallinn's Victory Square will be a glass structure in the shape of the Estonian Cross of Liberty extending to a height of 26 meters including base, according to a draft presented on Monday.

Rainer Sternfeld, one of the authors of the winning design, told BNS that the draft presented on Monday will serve as the basis in setting out the formal design.

The material that the authors chose in the end is glass, whereas the working draft had called for the monument to be built from dolomite. The height of the monument also has been cut from 28 meters to 26 meters. Sternfeld described that size as optimal.

"Glass will rid the monument of the aura of a grave monument," Sternfeld said.

The authors decided to change the initial design after it had attracted criticism from a number of artists and politicians.

As Sternfeld explained, the central idea for the authors is that the monument should be a Cross of Liberty executed in white color and that making adjustments as regards the material used and other details is not of principal importance.

"We have to create a monument fitting into the 21st century using 20th century forms," Sternfeld said. He said that in the view of the authors the Cross of Liberty was the only and most appropriate symbol of the War of Independence (1918-1920).

"We'll seek to start drawing up the formal design as soon as possible after all the necessary approvals have been received," he added.

Unlike the initial draft that called for the elements at the center of the Cross of Liberty to be replaced with an outline of the map of Estonia, the design presented on Monday shows the cross in its authentic form, with the letter E and an armor-clad hand holding a sword in the form of a letter V. The two letters together stand for EV, the Estonian acronym for Republic of Estonia.

The winning design was picked by a commission from a shortlist of five entries on Aug. 15.

Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8814, sise@bns.ee