{"id":2218,"date":"2025-09-07T15:57:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T15:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/?post_type=product&p=2218"},"modified":"2026-03-07T17:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T17:04:04","slug":"prayer-house-copy","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/visi-stasti\/prayer-house-copy\/","title":{"rendered":"Pioneer Square"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The green square right in the heart of C\u0113sis old town is a space that shows the dramatic changes in the city’s face. Already in the 1963 map of C\u0113sis, the area between R\u012bgas and Liel\u0101 Katr\u012bna streets had dense city buildings, crossed by two streets – \u0160aur\u0101 Street, which connected Liel\u0101 Katr\u012bna Street with R\u012bgas Street, and Tirgus (or Maz\u0101 Katr\u012bna) Street, which led from Liel\u0101 L\u012bvu Street to Ro\u017eu Square. <\/p>\n

Among the well-known buildings in this square, we can mention publisher Oskars J\u0113pe’s printing house, located at the corner of Liel\u0101 Katr\u012bna and Liel\u0101 L\u012bvu streets. Next to the printing house was a building that once belonged to decorator and Johan K\u0113ler’s teacher K\u0101rlis F\u0101bers. Meanwhile, the only building that survived lonely until the 2020s was the guardhouse built by the Z\u012bvers family on the Ro\u017eu Square side, which stood out stylistically from the other buildings. <\/p>\n

The area went through a dramatic transformation in September 1944, when a senseless Soviet army air raid completely destroyed the buildings in this location. In the post-war years, the rubble was leveled, covered with a layer of soil, and plantings were added – that’s how Pioneer Square was created, a new urban space with a completely different function. <\/p>\n

On November 6, 1950, a monument to Joseph Stalin was ceremoniously unveiled here, and the square became a new ideological landmark in the urban environment. The newspaper “C\u0113su Stars” reported that on the day of the monument’s unveiling, “columns of working people move through the streets of C\u0113sis to the monument’s unveiling site,” and after the official speeches, “columns of the city’s working people and school youth march smartly past Stalin’s monument.” The monument’s author was sculptor Sergey Merkurov, who created many of the Lenin and Stalin monuments installed across the Soviet Union (including the three largest Lenin statues – one in Yerevan and two in Moscow). The Stalin monument remained here until 1962, when, along with the condemnation of the Stalin cult in the Soviet Union, it was removed. <\/p>\n

During the Soviet years, until the installation of the Lenin monument, the square served an important ideological function – annual workers’ demonstrations and various propaganda events were held here. Next to the building at R\u012bgas Street 36, a Workers’ Honor Plaque was installed during Soviet rule, of which only the wall has survived to the present day. Various plantings were created along Liel\u0101 Katr\u012bna Street. <\/p>\n

Today, the square is going through a period of uncertainty – its development has been complicated for many years by property rights issues, as the entire square’s land is divided into more than ten properties. Over the years, various construction plans have appeared, such as building a residential house on the Liel\u0101 Katr\u012bna Street side or a Hesburger restaurant next to the building at R\u012bgas Street 36, but none of these ideas have been implemented. <\/p>\n

The materials used for the description are:<\/em>
\nCollections of the Cesis History Museum and C\u0113sis Central Library
\nLatvian National Archive film materials
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City legend has it that the square’s stairs leading from R\u012bgas Street to the park are made from stones of the original C\u0113sis Victory Monument, which was blown up by the Soviet authorities.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a funny incident is associated with the Stalin monument that was once installed in the square – one night, some brave folks supposedly hung a basket of bread in the monument’s hand, humorously suggesting that the leader should go home.<\/p>\n

Facts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • 1693: Buildings in this area are documented in the C\u0113sis city map.<\/li>\n
  • 1944: In September, a Soviet army air raid completely destroyed the buildings in this location.<\/li>\n
  • 1948: Agitation for the first Soviet elections takes place in the square.<\/li>\n
  • November 6, 1950: Sculptor S. Merkurov’s Stalin monument is ceremoniously unveiled.<\/li>\n
  • 1953: People gather at the monument to say goodbye to Stalin after his death.<\/li>\n
  • 1962: The Stalin monument is dismantled.<\/li>\n
  • Present day: The square is a green zone and a place for dog walking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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