On Wednesday, August 12, the historical sculpture of Themis will be moved to the Riga Town Hall building, the Riga City Council's External Communications Department informed the LETA agency. Until now, the facade of the Town Hall was adorned with a copy of Themis, while the original 18th-century sculpture was carefully stored in the House of the Blackheads. The nearly two-meter tall sculpture of the goddess of justice weighs about half a ton and is made of sandstone. Its author is the sculptor Daniils Kurlauskis. The work was created in the mid-18th century. Until 1954, Themis was located at the top of the decorative pediment of the Riga Town Hall. During World War II, the building burned down, but the sculpture itself survived. After the war, Themis changed its location several times. For a while, it was on the facade of the Riga Technical University building, and later it was moved to the main building of the University of Latvia on Rainis Boulevard. Since 2012, the sculpture was exhibited for several years at the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia. In 2017, the University of Latvia transferred Themis to the Riga City Council, after which the sculpture was placed in the basements of the House of the Blackheads. There, the historical artwork was stored and was accessible for viewing. The city council emphasizes that the return of Themis to the Riga Town Hall will be a symbolic restoration of historical memory. In the year of the capital's anniversary, this should remind us of Riga's ability to preserve and protect its values, history, and cultural heritage.
