On Monday, a Memory Garden dedicated to the tragic events of November 21, 2013, was opened in Zolitūde, at 20A Priedeines Street. About 100 people attended the ceremony. Many brought flowers and candles. The event was attended by members of the Riga City Council, relatives of the victims, representatives of the Emergency Medical Service (NMPD), the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD), and the State Police.  _Press photo._ The ceremony featured speeches from the Mayor of Riga, the head of VUGD, General Mārtiņš Baltmanis, the head of the NMPD support center "Imanta," Sarmīte Leitāne, as well as the authors of the Memory Garden — Indra Ozola, Inguna Ellere, and Igors Gubenko. The Rātspuni choir also participated in the event. ### 54 Mirror Spheres The memorial occupies an area of 0.8 hectares. Its concept provides for the creation of a space where those affected by the tragedy and the relatives of the victims can quietly hold memorial events and be alone with their memories. In the Memory Garden, 54 mirror spheres of various sizes, made of polished stainless steel, are freely placed. Their number corresponds to the number of victims of the Zolitūde tragedy. Plants have been planted around the perimeter of the garden. The memorial space is surrounded by an adjacent linear park, connecting it to the urban environment and creating a kind of transition between the silence of the memorial site and the everyday rhythm of the city. The initial funding for the project was nearly two million euros, and an additional 11,131 euros was later allocated. The funds were provided from the budget of the Riga municipality. Recall that on the evening of November 21, 2013, the structures of the Maxima shopping center collapsed in Zolitūde. As a result of the tragedy, 54 people died, and several dozen sustained serious injuries. Experts concluded that the cause of the tragedy was errors in calculating the loads on the roof structures, which led to its collapse.
