Germany to decide Friday on EUR 28 million for restoration of St Peter's Church in Riga

RIGA - The final decision on the allocation of EUR 28 million for the restoration of St Peter's Church in Riga is to be taken in Germany on Friday, the Saeima Press Service informed LETA.

After her working visit to Germany, MP Zanda Kalnina-Lukasevica (New Unity), the head of the group of MPs promoting cooperation with the German parliament, said that the decision of the Bundestag Budget Committee to allocate an additional EUR 28 million in next year's budget was a sign of mutual trust and friendship.

This decision will be consolidated with the approval of the annual budget law, which is to be voted on in the German Parliament on Friday, November 28.

In total, Germany plans to allocate around EUR 33 million for the restoration of St Peter's Church in Riga.

Kalnina-Lukasevica emphasizes that the church is a symbol of the historical link between Latvia and Germany.

During their visit, the Latvian and German parliamentarians also discussed other issues. For example, they discussed education, especially the possibilities of teaching German in Latvian schools, and bilateral defense and economic relations.

As reported, in 2022 Saeima passed the Law on St. Peter's Church in Riga, which transferred the ownership of St. Peter's Church in Riga free of charge to the St. Peter's Church Foundation, established by Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church and Riga St. Peter's German congregation.

St Peter's Church in Riga is the highest church in Riga, a remarkable Gothic-style 13th century architectural monument of national importance, the cradle of the Reformation movement not only in Latvia, but throughout Livonia.

In February, when informed about the plans for the restoration of the church, Stefan Meissner, Chairman of the Board of the St Peter's Church Foundation in Riga, said that design work could start at the end of this year and, if the land issue is resolved, construction work could start as early as 2026. During this time, the church is not planned to be closed to the public, but construction work could be completed within three to four years.