In the 2024 construction season, the Riga Local Government plans to start the construction of the memorial dedicated to the Zolitūde tragedy, but in order to prepare and vacate the necessary territory for the memorial, the dismantling of the underground car park has started this week.
The Local Government will dismantle only the part of the underground car park that is necessary for the construction of the memorial and which, according to the agreement between the Local Government and the legal entity SIA Prana Property, will become the property of the Local Government after the division and merger of the properties. During the works, continuous monitoring of both the underground car park and the adjacent buildings will be carried out. The dismantling of the reinforced concrete structure is scheduled to start this weekend, and in the construction area, a fence covered with images of the future Zolitūde Memorial Garden has been erected.
The construction project for the Zolitūde Memorial Garden is now nearing completion. A tender for the construction of the memorial is planned for early next year, with a view to starting construction work during the next construction season. The Memorial Garden is scheduled to open in 2025.
It has already been announced that in 2022, the tender for the best idea for Zolitūde tragedy memorial was the main idea of the ALPS Landscape Workshop, the H2E design studio and the Copywriter/Levelup consultancy agency, which jointly submitted a meta-proposal for the Zolitūde Memorial Garden. The site will serve as a light-filled memorial where the victims and relatives of the victims will be able to hold their moments of remembrance undisturbed, while for the rest of the population it will be a place of peaceful rest, while providing essential information about what happened. The solution has been developed with respect for the association "Zolitūde 21.11." vision and aspirations.
The client of the dismantling project is the Estonian company Prana Property Ltd The Riga City Council Property Department has concluded a contract with SIA Apsa būve for the dismantling of the structure. The demolition works are expected to cost just under €160,000.
Information prepared by: Tatjana Smirnova, Project Coordinator at External Communication Department of the Riga City Council, email: tsmirnova11@riga.lv.