Bastejkalna Park Oak Tree

In Bastejkalna Park in central Riga there is a large oak tree that is often decorated with ribbons in carmine red and white, the colours of the Latvian flag. The ribbons are tied for cultural and historical reasons connected to Latvian independence, seasonal folk festivals, and memorials honouring those who fought for freedom. The tree is floodlit at night, which makes the ribbons glow against the dark bark and branches and gives you a completely different shot from what you get during the day. The park itself carries real weight historically. Memorial stones on the ground mark where five people were killed by Soviet special police on January 20, 1991, during the barricades that defended Latvia's independence movement. Flowers and candles are still laid there every year. The park dates back to the 1860s when Riga's old fortress ramparts were demolished and the area was turned into green space. A canal winds through it with small bridges, including one covered in padlocks, and a dolomite waterfall cascade from 1898 still runs today. The Freedom Monument stands at the edge of the park. All of it is within walking distance of the Old Town. The oak tree, the memorial stones, and the canal bridges are the strongest individual subjects in the park. Autumn is especially photogenic here when the leaves turn and the colours of the ribbons on the oak stand out against the warm tones in the canopy. The park is open around the clock. (Riga, Latvia)