The Freedom Monument, erected in 1935 on a site previously occupied by a statue of Peter the Great, is a symbol of Latvian independence. Represented at the base are the four virtues of work, spiritual life, family and protection of the fatherland. It bears the motto Tēvzemei un Brīvībai (For Fatherland and Freedom) and is topped by a female figure called Milda, who holds three gold stars representing the three cultural regions of Latvia: Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale. During the Soviet era people were prohibited from laying wreaths at the base, and a statue of Lenin was erected a short distance away.