In 1989, on the occasion of sculptor Kārlis Zāle’s 100th birthday, the city of Liepāja announced a competition for the design of a monument dedicated to the artist. The proposal by sculptor Bruno Strautiņš and architect Edgars Krūmiņš won first place in this competition.
That same year, the people of Liepāja began donating funds for the monument’s creation. The sculpted head of Kārlis Zāle was carved from granite; however, due to political and social changes in the country, the monument project remained incomplete. In honor of the centenary of the Latvian state and the sculptor’s 130th anniversary, the monument was finally completed in 2018—almost 30 years later. The monument stands 5 meters tall. Initially, it was placed in the garden of the Liepāja Museum, but on October 19, 2023, it was relocated to its current site in the Kārlis Zāle Square in Liepāja during the reconstruction of the square.
Sculptor Bruno Strautiņš described the concept of the monument: “I wanted to show the essence of Zāle—not as a small figure, but as a monumentalist who worked with large, inclined planes.”
Kārlis Zāle (full name: Johans Kārlis Leonards Zālīte) was born in Mažeikai on October 16, 1888 (October 28 according to the new style). He was baptized in the Grieze Evangelical Lutheran Church and passed away on February 19, 1942, in Riga. His father, Fricis Zālīte, a bricklayer, had moved to Liepāja from Kursīši parish in early 1888. The Zāle family lived at 4 Klusāja Street.
Zāle began developing his artistic talents through evening courses in drawing, modeling, and painting at the Liepāja City School. In 1909, he enrolled at the Kazan Art School (1909–1913) and later worked in the studio of sculptor Stepan Erzya in Moscow. In 1915, he moved to Petrograd, where he studied at the School of the Imperial Society for the Promotion of Art. In 1917, he became a free listener at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. In 1921, Zāle continued his studies in Berlin to further enhance his skills, returning to Riga in 1923.
Among Zāle’s most significant works are the Freedom Monument and the Memorial Ensemble of the Brothers’ Graves. He was also one of the founding members of the artists’ society “Sadarbs”.