Remnants Of May 9 Victory Day In Riga, Latvia

Latvia has a large Russian minority population and it still comes out to commemorate Victory Day, May 9, the day the Russians defeated the Nazis in WWII. Of course, like Lithuania, Estonia and other Eastern Europe countries, it also marks the beginning of Soviet occupation that lasted 45+ years. It's a touchy subject.

Riga has a Victory Park, dominated by Soviet Socialist sculptures. A natural place for remembrance.

Solemn details, a sea of flowers, images of lost family members, military hardware.

Flowers in front of the other sculpture.

Old Soviet Monuments Behind The Tallinn Maarjamäe Palace History Museum

Unlike its neighbor to the south, Lithuania, Estonia has yet to establish a permanent home for its old Soviet monuments. One thing was certain, they couldn't stay in the plazas and squares after independence.

Welcome to the monument graveyard, a small area behind Tallinn's city history museum. Somehow the random array of discarded monuments is particularly pleasing in its present, scattered state. A trash heap of history, come alive.

A peek through a back fence.

Always the star, a dominant Lenin.

Getting the Communist story in bits and pieces.

The "Social Realist" sculptures are fantastic, idealized workers, more like cubist comic book heroes.

Lenin head. Or is there a giant body buried?

No doubt, some monuments come packing. Lying (lying) Stalin.

Which allows for a poignant portrait.