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Riga is the largest city in Latvia and in three of the Baltic countries, and a visit here is like coming to a major European metropolis with everything that you can imagine, i.e. sights, churches, culture, events, cafes, gastronomy and shopping.
The old town, with cobblestones in the streets, churches in brick gothic, fine museums and well-preserved buildings from the last many centuries, is a very cozy neighborhood. There is an abundance of beautiful buildings here, and it is a nice area just to explore with the narrow streets and tiny alleys.
The ring of former moats and defence walls encircle the old part of Riga like a green belt, complementing walks along the river Daugava in recreation value. The area of the former bastions were laid out as parks and in the decades around 1900, many stately buildings were constructed here.
Outside the old fortified areas, Riga is spreading into several modern neighborhoods, and this is also where you will find some streets with Europe’s highest concentration of beautiful Art Nouveau houses from the years and decades around the year 1900. Several streets stand almost as huge museums by themselves as a great example on the urban development in contemporary Riga.
Trīs brādhi is the name of three beautiful neighboring houses, which are the oldest preserved residences in Riga. The houses are particularly fine examples of medieval architecture, where people built close together and on very small pieces of land.
The oldest of the brothers is the house in number 17, which with its largely Gothic gable facade dates from the end of the 15th century. The house in number 19 got its current appearance in 1646, while the brother in number 21 got its exterior in the late 17th century.
In the middle house of Trīs brādhi (number 19) you can visit the Latvian Architecture Museum/Latvijas Arhitektūras muzejs, which opened in 1995 and which holds changing exhibitions.
Bishop Albrecht von Buxthoeven, better known as Albert of Riga, founded the cathedral in Riga in 1211 with the laying of the foundation stone. It happened on July 25, and the result was what is today Latvia’s largest church. Over the centuries, the church was remodeled and expanded a number of times, so the style is a nice mix.
The oldest part is the altar from the Romanesque period, and from the Gothic period you can see the north portal, which was originally the building’s main entrance. Two towers were planned for the church, but due to lack of money only one of them was built; it was 140 meters high and burned down in 1547. In 1595, a temporary structure was erected as a replacement, before the current and 90 meter high Baroque tower was built in 1776.
Bishop Albert is buried in the church’s crypt. In addition to the church itself, he also founded Riga. You can also find the grave of Livonia’s first bishop, Meinhard von Segeberg, who worked in the 12th century. The cathedral is used today for a number of concerts, as there are fine acoustics and one of the world’s largest and best organs in the church room. The organ is from 1884 and originates from Walcker in Ludwigsburg.
The beautiful and magnificent building, Melngalvju nams, was originally built in 1344 by Riga’s merchant slave. It got its current name in 1687, and only unmarried tradesmen could be admitted to the blackheads’ brotherhood.
The original building was destroyed during World War II and finally removed in 1948, but it was resurrected in 2001 on the occasion of Riga’s 800th anniversary. Today, Melngalvju nams is used as an exhibition and concert building.
Not far from the course of the river Daugava through Riga is the city’s town hall square, Rātslaukums. It was the city’s marketplace and the center of civilian life in the city, until bombardments from the opposite bank of the Daugava during World War II destroyed the square’s buildings, including the city’s town hall.
Today, the town hall and the beautiful gabled houses from Riga’s prosperous trading days have been rebuilt, and Rātslaukums has once again taken its place in Riga’s urban life. Riga’s Town Hall is the largest building on Rātslaukums Square and the seat of the city government of the Latvian capital.
At Rātslaukums stands the Roland statue, which in the 14th century was erected in several cities in the Hanseatic League as a symbol of freedom and justice. The statue today in Riga is a replica of the statue that was erected in 1897 and which was moved to Saint Petersburg in connection with the Second World War. Roland turns his face towards the town hall as a symbol that the citizens keep an eye on the city government and its decisions.
In the town hall square you can also see a cute little monument to Riga’s Christmas tree in 1510. That year the city put up the world’s first tree in public; back then it was celebrated as a New Year’s tree.
The architectural style of art nouveau is one of Riga’s characteristics. Art Nouveau was a building style that sought to represent the spirit of the times in the late 1800s to early 1900s. It was a result of the showdown with simply copying the building style of earlier periods, and thus the art nouveau style was its own. There was more to it than just erecting buildings. It had to be buildings that were works of art in themselves and that people could look at with pleasure.
During this time, Riga was one of the flourishing cities of the Russian Empire culturally and economically. The wealth and the great expansion of the city in these very decades meant that Riga became the city in Europe with the most houses in the beautiful style. The most famous of Riga’s architects during this time was the Russian Mikhail Eisenstein.
The Art Nouveau buildings are scattered throughout the city, but in the streets Alberta iela, Elizabetes iela, Vīlandes iela and Strēlnieku iela outside the old town there is a particularly high concentration of them. However, you can also see fine examples in the old center of Riga, and in total there are around 700 buildings from this time and in this style in the Latvian capital.
In particular, Alberta iela, named after Riga’s founder, Bishop Albert, can be recommended. The street consists almost exclusively of Art Nouveau houses. It was laid out and built in the years 1901-1908, and the most interesting houses are those with the numbers 2, 2a, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12 and 13. In Elizabetes iela there are interesting houses with the numbers 10a, 10b and 33.
In Riga’s old town, in the street Audēju iela you can see Riga’s first Art Nouveau building. The house bears the number 7, which is ornamented with typical stylized plants and human faces. The neighboring building in number 9 is also worth seeing. In the neighborhood you can also see a number of buildings in this style in the street Smilšu iela; you can look for the buildings with the street numbers 1/3, 2, 3, 6, 8 and 10.
A good impression of Art Nouveau Riga can be obtained by visiting the Riga Art Nouveau Center/Rīgas Jūgendstila Centrs (Alberta iela 12), which is located in the apartment of architect Konstantīns Pēkšēn. The museum house was built in 1903, and the residence was intended as Konstantīns Pēkšēn’s private home, and both his apartment and the entire staircase are a cornucopia of Art Nouveau characteristics.
Saint Peter’s Church is one of the large, old church buildings in the Latvian capital, and with its tall, slender tower, the church is a characteristic part of Riga’s skyline. The church is today a Protestant parish church.
The earliest part of Svētā Pētera čirča was built in the year 1209 and thus dates from the first decade after Riga’s foundation in 1201. The first major expansion of the Romanesque church started in 1409, and it was in the Gothic style. Among the later additions can be mentioned the baroque main entrance, which the church got during a rebuild in the 17th century. Today, the Svētā Pētera church stands as one of the most beautiful and characteristic churches in the Baltics; especially with the slender tower and the impressive facade with three baroque portals from 1692.
The church tower has been struck by lightning six times throughout history, and it has burned down several times. The last time it happened was in 1941 during the Second World War. It was rebuilt during the church’s restoration in the years 1954-1973. With a height of 123 meters, Svētā Pētera tīcīca became Riga’s tallest building.
You can climb the tower at a height of 72 metres, where there is an observation platform. From here there is a unique view of Riga’s old town. You can of course also enjoy the church space, which is dominated by a soaring Gothic structure.
Kristus Piedzimšanas pareizticīgo katedrālē is Riga’s impressive Russian Orthodox cathedral. Built in the years 1876-1884 in a typical Byzantine style with five gilded domes, it is the largest Orthodox church in the Baltic countries.
Over time, the cathedral has served several different purposes. German troops occupied Riga during World War I, and in that context they converted the cathedral into a Protestant church. In 1921 it became Russian Orthodox again.
The cathedral’s interior was badly damaged during World War II, but continued to function until the 1960s, when it was converted into a planetarium. Now it serves its original purpose again, and among the exciting effects you can see beautiful icons by the painter Vasiliy Vereshchagin.
The monument Brīvības piemineklis in Riga was designed by the Latvian artist Kārlis Zāle and erected in 1935. It happened the year after the politician Kārlis Ulmanis had become prime minister in the authoritarian Latvian regime that lasted from 1934 to 1940.
The interwar period was the first in many centuries when Latvia was independent, and not least because of this the monument gained and has great psychological value for the Latvian population and national feeling.
The bronze statue on top of the high foundation is of the woman Milda, holding three gold stars in her hands. They represent the regions of Latgale, Kurzeme and Vidzeme, which together make up Latvia. Brīvības piemineklis is 42 meters high, and soldiers stand guard at the monument, symbolically protecting Latvia’s freedom.
Pulvertornis is the only surviving one of the 27 fortress towers that were built into Riga’s defensive walls around the medieval city centre. The tower at least dates back to the year 1300, when it is known to have been mentioned for the first time.
The powder tower was damaged during attack in 1621 and again shelled with cannon balls, which can still be seen in the walls, in 1656 and 1720. In the late 19th century it was restored to something close to its original appearance. The diameter of the tower is 14 meters with walls up to 3 meters thick, and the height is 26 meters.
Lielā Ģilde was originally the building of the town merchant’s guild; it was built in 1354 and completely rebuilt in 1854-1857. Now the building stands in the English Tudor style with a beautiful interior, and the original banqueting hall has been preserved in the 19th century reconstruction.
Today, the building is home to the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Latvijas Nacionālais simfoniskais orķestris, whose concerts take place on site in a very atmospheric setting.
Rīga Castle was built in 1330-1353 by the Livonian Order, which, in agreement with the city government in Riga, could build the castle as a replacement for the previous one, which the city’s citizens had destroyed during a rebellion in the 13th century.
The leader of the Livonian Order used Rīgas pils as a residence for a time, but the constant struggle between the order and Riga’s citizens led to a relocation of the residence to the castle in Cēsis east of Riga. In 1484, the townspeople succeeded in destroying Rīgas pils again, but in the end they lost the battle and were forced to rebuild the castle. It happened in the years 1497-1515.
After the conclusion of the Treaty of Vilnius in 1561, the Livonian Order ceased to exist, and Rīgas pils became Lithuanian. Eight years later, it became one of the Polish-Lithuanian defenses, and generally throughout the 16th and 17th centuries the castle was integrated into the city’s defenses.
In 1621, Riga was invaded and conquered by Sweden, and Rīgas pils became the center of the Swedish administration of the area the following time. Riga later became Russian, and from the beginning of the 18th century, Russia’s governor-general used Rīgas pils as a residence and for the Russian administration.
Between the First and Second World Wars, the president of independent Latvia lived in the castle, which, with Latvia’s entry into the Soviet Union, was set up as the seat of the Soviet youth pioneer organization; All-Union pioneer organization or Всесоюзная пионерская организация.
Today, the castle once again forms the setting for official events, as the Latvian president has his office and holds representative ceremonies here. The president also has an official residence in part of the facility. Rīgas pils also houses a museum.
Since 1760, there have been regular ballet performances in Riga’s theatres. At the city’s leading theatre, Richard Wagner was music director in the period 1837-1839, and during this time there was both a desire and a need for an opera building, so that the repertoire and performances could be expanded.
The institution Latvijas Násionala opera opened as the city’s German theater in 1863. In the building, which was built in a classicist style, the first opera in Latvian was performed in 1883, and now ballet is also in the repertoire.
Kaķu māja is a large building crowned by two black cats on each tower of the house, which was built by a Latvian merchant in 1909.
The merchant had reportedly been excluded from the merchant slave in Lielā Ģilde, which is opposite Kaķu māja. In response to the exclusion, he erected Kaķu māja with the backs of the cats facing Lielā Ģilde as an insult and protest. After a trial, the cats were turned over and the merchant was readmitted to merchant slavery.
The house’s black cats have since then become a kind of unofficial symbol of Riga, and in many places in the city and in its souvenir shops you can come across black cats and the concept of the Riga cat.
The main artery from central Riga to the northwest is Brīvības bulvāris, which stretches more than 12 kilometers from its beginning at Riga’s Old Town.
The history of the boulevard starts with Riga’s trade history; the road led from the busy city and port in the direction of Pskov in Russia, and in the former defenses around Riga, the main gate was on this particular trade route.
Over time, Brīvības bulvāris has had many names. At first the name Smilšu alluded to the dirt road it started as. In the Russian 19th century period it was called Alexander Gade/ Александровская улица, in the German era during WWII Adolf Hitler Allé/Adolf-Hitler-Allee and Lenin Gade/Ļeņina iela in Latvia’s Soviet era.
The Latvian Academy of Sciences is housed in one of Riga’s most distinctive buildings, visible from afar. The building is clearly inspired by the so-called “seven sisters” in Moscow, all of which were built in the Staling Gothic style that was characteristic of Soviet prestige buildings through not least the 1950s.
Built in 1957, the Zinātņu Akadēmija in Riga is a fine example of this imposing building style, and the decoration was originally with both hammer and sickle and Latvian national symbols.
Zinātņu Akadēmija is 108 meters high and built as the first skyscraper in Latvia. It is possible to get up to a height of 65 meters on the 17th floor of the building, located at a distance from the center, which gives a very nice view of the old town, Riga’s market halls and along the course of the Daugava.
Around Riga’s old town lies a belt of parks with meandering lakes in them. These are the remains of the city’s former defensive ring with bastions and moats. The defenses were dismantled in the 19th century, and the city then expanded on the former open areas.
Riga itself was surrounded by moats, and to the north of these lay the city’s citadel behind its own bastions and moats. The dividing line between the city and the citadel ran around the street Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela in today’s Riga.
The area of the now historic Citadel is an urban development with a number of new buildings, but on a walk in the area you can also see several former military buildings.
This beautiful church was built as the third on this site. First there was a wooden church here in the town’s Swedish era, then a building from the 1720s and then the current one, which was built 1778-1786 as Peter-Paul-Zitadellen-Kirche by Cristoph Haberland.
The mainly Baroque church has been both Orthodox and Protestant before it was restored in 1987 and furnished as the Ave Sol concert hall.
Riga’s colossal market halls were built before World War I as zeppelin hangars by the Imperial German Air Force. The halls were converted into market halls in 1930, but one can still easily imagine their former function with the dimensions under the roofs.
Today, Centrāltirgus is among Europe’s largest markets of this kind, and you can basically buy anything. The halls themselves are divided into different product categories, and around the halls there are various stalls and shops.
Rīgas motormuzejs is an interesting car museum due to both the bombastic museum building, which is designed as a large radiator grill, and the fine collection of cars on display. It is especially the many Soviet vehicles that you don’t see in many other places, and among the absolute gems are Josef Stalin’s 7.5-tonne limousine and Leonid Brezhnev’s crashed Rolls Royce.
Along the Gulf of Riga to the west of the capital lies Jurmala, which is a 33 kilometer long sandy beach with a string of cosy, interwoven towns along the coast.
The area’s dune landscapes, conifer stands and mineral-rich springs have attracted guests for both bathing and spa treatments since the 19th century. There are still a number of spas and sanatoriums in Jurmala, just as there are a multitude of other fun and exciting activity opportunities and attractions.
Here are hundreds of historic buildings, which originate from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when wealthy citizens flocked here. Back then, the material was wood, but there are also later constructions. In terms of style, you can find both art nouveau, national romanticism and functionalism.
There are also several museums in Jurmala, and the nature in the area offers numerous opportunities for lovely walks, bike rides or various sports activities.
The large provincial town of Jelgava is one of Latvia’s exciting and historic towns. It is the largest city in the region of Zemgale, and it was previously and under the name Mitau the capital of the Duchy of Courland. It officially became a city in 1573 and then the capital and residence of the duke.
As the capital, Jelgava attracted well-heeled and influential citizens; among others from the Baltic German nobility of the time. It can still be seen that there are quite a few fine buildings in the streets. It is not least the city’s magnificent castle that stands as the biggest attraction for the many visitors who make the trip to Jelgava, but there are also other sights such as the Academia Petrina.
Rundāles Pils, together with the nearby castle in Jelgava, are the pearls of Baroque architecture in the Baltics. The castle was built in the years 1736-1740, while the interior mainly dates from 1765-1768 and is done in Rococo. As for the castle in Jelgava, there was no construction from 1740-1763, when the builder, Duke Ernst Johann von Biron, was sent into exile in Russia.
The architect was Italian Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who was also the man behind the Winter Palace in Russian Saint Petersburg. The interior was designed by various Italian masters, and German Johann Michael Graff executed the beautiful stucco. The castle was built as a summer residence for von Biron, who was Duke of Courland.
When Courland became part of the Russian Empire in 1795, Empress Catherine the Great gave Rundāles Pils to Count Valerian Zubov, whose wife later married into the Shuvalov family, who owned the castle until World War I. In 1920, a new Latvian law made Rundāles Pils the property of the Latvian state.
The castle was partially destroyed during the First World War, and for some time afterwards it was used as both apartments and a primary school. During World War II, the castle was not damaged, but the layout of the buildings was changed. In 1972, a palace museum was established and major restoration work began.
The first of the castle’s 138 halls and rooms were opened to the public in 1981, and there are now many rooms and lavishly decorated halls that you can walk around and experience. The surrounding park is also a lovely place, and from here you can really enjoy Rastrelli’s elegant architecture.
The town of Bauska dates back to the 13th century, and it is a town where you can see buildings from large parts of the following period. There are, for example, several old wooden houses from the 18th century, and in the streets you can see several churches such as the Russian-Orthodox Church of St. George/Svētā Georgija pareizticīgo kirkė (Uzvaras ielā 5), the Protestant Church of the Holy Spirit/Svētā Gara kirkė (Plūdoņa ielā 13a) and the Catholic Church/Katoļu įlāna (Katoļu iela 2).
Bauska Borg was built in the 15th century by the Livonian Order. The castle was destroyed several times, most recently in 1706, after which it lay abandoned until it came under restoration in recent years. The ruins are extensive and set beautifully in the landscape. In the castle, there is a museum, Bauskas pils muzejs, which depicts the history of the castle and the ongoing reconstruction.
Kryziu Kalnas is one of Europe’s most bizarre and at the same time impressive sights. In the area with the two hills, crosses have been erected since the 14th century; all with a background in faith. Some are placed in memory of the deceased, while others are set up in connection with prayers.
One can see thousands of crosses covering the area completely in a jumble of impressions. They are not all original from Korshøjen’s first centuries, as the authorities cleared part of the mound during the 20th century. The population quickly set up a new cross, thereby preserving the unique site.
The town of Sigulda is located at the entrance to the national park Gaujas Nacionalá Parka. Sigulda has had a stormy history with Knights of the Order, Russians, Poles and Swedes ruling the area over the centuries.
Later, the Great Nordic War followed in the early 18th century, and later still the plague came here. Today, Sigulda contains many activities, nature experiences and historical memories; only the most important ones are mentioned here.
One of the different sights and trials is Sigulda’s bobsleigh track; Sigulda’s bobsled un kamaniņu trase (Šveices iela 13). It is 1.42 kilometers long, and as a visitor you can try the ride in both summer and winter, which goes through 16 curves towards the goal at a blistering speed. The bobsleigh track opened in 1986 as a training and competition facility for the Soviet bobsleigh and luge teams.
Another form of transport is the Vagoniņš cable car (Jāņa Poruka iela). As the only place in the Baltic countries, you can take a longer cable car ride in Sigulda. You float at a height of 40 meters from Sigulda over the river Gauja to Krimulda. The track opened in 1969.
Brivibas ielā 372
alfaparks.lv
Basteja Bulvāris
bastejapasaza.lv
Centrāltirgus ielā
rct.lv
Ieriķu ielā 3
domina-shopping.lv
Audēju ielā 16
galerijacentrs.lv
Krasta ielā 46
linstow.lv
Stacijas laukums 2
origo.lv
13. Janvāra ielā 8
stockmann.lv
Audēju ielā, Brivibas ielā, Krišjāņa Baronas ielā
Latvijas dzelzceļa muzejs
Uzvaras 2/4
railway-museum.lv
Latvijas Dabas Muzejs
Krišjāņa Barona ielā 4
dabasmuzejs.gov.lv
Lido Center
Krasta ielā 76
ac.lido.lv
Līvu Akvaparks
Vienības gatve 36
akvaparks.lv
Riga Motormuzejs
Eizenšteina ielā 6
motorsmuzejs.lv
Rīgas Zoodārzs
Meža prospectus 1
rigazoo.lv
Before the founding of the Riga itself, the Daugava River was a frequently used trade route used by the Vikings, for example, on their trips to Byzantium.
The naturally occurring location of a river port 15 kilometers up the Daugava from Riga Bay resulted in the first settlement of the tribal livers in the 100s. It was fisheries and agriculture that dominated until the trade grew, among other things, the increased activity of the Vikings.
The settlement also grew with the arrival of German traders. They set up a trading station with the resultant flourishing in the area. With the Germans also came the monk Meinhard of Segeberg, who sought to Christianize the pagan lives. Meinhard established a monastery in 1190, and it was part of the city formation at that time.
In 1199, Albert was appointed bishop of Riga, and he arrived in the city the following year with 23 ships and about 500 crusaders to secure Christianity that had not won the desired place in the 1100s.
In 1201, Albert founded the city of Riga, and the year after the ecclesiastical order of war, the Order of the Swords, which was open to the nobility and the merchants, aimed at Christianizing the pagan people of the area. Five years later, the bishop of established defenses around Riga began, and by introducing a division of land between the church that ruled in Riga and the members of the Order of the Swords, the military presence was strengthened rather than the normal situation with hired order knights returning home.
In addition to military strength, Bishop Albert also secured Riga’s trading position. Through papal decrees, German merchants’ trade in the Baltic was to pass through Riga, whose economy thereby flourished further.
In 1211, the first coin was minted in Riga, and the same year the foundation stone for the city’s cathedral was laid. In 1221, the Riga grocery store achieved some autonomy over the city, but it went until 1225 before the citizens did not have to pay taxes to the church and were given the right to choose the city’s government themselves. The city was thus a reality with its own constitution.
In 1221, Bishop Albert had sought military assistance from the Danish king Valdemar in protecting the church’s land from livelihood restoration from before the church’s arrival. Denmark gained dominion over the areas of present-day Estonia and Latvia; they landed in Livland, among other things, and established a fort in what became Tallinn. Within a year, the threat had diminished and Albert was able to reign from Riga.
In Bishop Albert’s last year before his death in 1229, he conquered new land to Riga, whose position of power was strengthened. In 1237, Alberta’s sword brother order was dissolved and replaced by the Liveland Order, which was a branch of the German Order. The development was strong, and the city became the archdiocese of 1254.
The ever-increasing trade led to membership of the economic and political cooperation in the Hanseatic League from 1282. Riga was already here a major commercial center throughout the region, and much of the transit trade between Russia and Western Europe also went through Riga.
The Hanseatic League weakened over the centuries, destabilizing the established order and political stability in Riga.
For many years the city was strongly influenced by the church and the ruling Livland Order, but with the Reformation in 1522 the influence of the church lapsed and in 1561 the Livland Order was dissolved.
Riga achieved a brief independence as a refuge in the German-Roman Empire in the years 1561-1581, after which the city came under the Polish-Lithuanian state. In time Poland tried to re-introduce Catholicism as a religion in the Protestant country.
During the Polish-Swedish War in 1600-1629, Riga capitulated to the Swedes in 1621. Sweden gained a city characterized by many years of war. Riga was subject to economic decline, hunger and disease, and the 16th century was marked by a century of stagnation.
The Swedish rule was to the benefit of the Protestant people who shared faith with Sweden. Politically, Riga was granted the autonomy of Swedish King Gustav II, and in 1628 the city was declared the second capital of the Swedish kingdom after Stockholm. Throughout Swedish times, Riga was the largest city in Sweden and its controlled areas.
Riga’s time as a Swedish lasted until the Great Nordic War in 1700-1721, when the Russians fought against the Swedes for access to the Baltic Sea. In 1710, the Russians entered Riga, and the Russian rule was confirmed by the Nystad Treaty in 1721.
When Russian troops under Tsar Peter the Great entered Riga in 1710, it was not only Riga’s future that changed. By the Nystad peace treaty, the whole of Sweden’s Latvian territory was transferred to Russia.
Thus, it was in the 18th century that the contours of present-day Latvia formed. In 1721, the region of Vidzeme became part of Russia, in 1772 Latgale and in 1795 Kurland, after which the entire Latvian area was brought together in the kingdom of the tsar.
In the 18th century, things went well for the city. Riga’s formerly great trade developed anew, and also culturally there was a boom; among others, the city’s first public theater opened in 1782.
In the 19th century, there was considerable economic growth in Riga, which after St. Petersburg had Russia’s largest port, and the city was, among other things, the center of the country’s European timber trade.
The construction of the railway was also of great importance for the strategically well-located city. In 1857, Riga’s defense facilities were demolished, and the development of new neighborhoods around the city center occurred quickly.
Despite centuries of Swedish and Russian power in Riga, more than 42% of the city’s citizens were Germans in the 1860s, and as in the days of Bishop Alberta, the official language of administration remained German. It was not until 1891 that Russian became the official language of the entire Baltic region.
In the decades leading up to the First World War, much was built in Riga, including the many Art Nouveau buildings that are unique in their concentration in the world.
Industrial production was also significant in Riga, a Russian powerhouse. In the 1890s, only Saint Petersburg and Moscow had more industrial workers than Riga.
In the city, the Russian Social Democrats stood very strong, and Riga played a role during the 1905 uprising, facing both the German and the Russian nobility.
The Russian Revolution rolled in 1917, and on September 3 of that year Riga had been occupied by Germany. With the Brest-Litovsk Treaty in March 1918, Riga and the Baltic became German territory, but with the subsequent German defeat the treaty was repealed.
In the aftermath of the World War and the Russian Revolution was an opportunity for an independent Latvia, and it was proclaimed on November 18, 1918. Riga had now become the Latvian capital again for the first time since 1581.
After two decades of freedom, Latvia became part of the Soviet Union in 1940, and Riga now became the capital of the Latvian Soviet Republic. In 1941, Riga was again occupied by Germany. It was an occupation that lasted until 1944.
Throughout Riga’s Soviet era, there was a significant influx of residents from across the Union, primarily from Russia. The city manifested itself as the Baltic’s largest city. Here was a good production and thereby the boom of the economy. The population numbered one million, and thus, as Soviet law prescribed, a subway was drawn to the city, which, however, could not be built until the Soviet Union was history.
In 1988, the first Latvian movements against the country’s independence became a reality, and in 1991 Latvia from Riga was able to declare the independent republic of Latvia with Riga as its capital. Since independence, Latvia has become part of the European Union and Riga has been radically restored.
Overview of Riga
Riga is the largest city in Latvia and in three of the Baltic countries, and a visit here is like coming to a major European metropolis with everything that you can imagine, i.e. sights, churches, culture, events, cafes, gastronomy and shopping.
The old town, with cobblestones in the streets, churches in brick gothic, fine museums and well-preserved buildings from the last many centuries, is a very cozy neighborhood. There is an abundance of beautiful buildings here, and it is a nice area just to explore with the narrow streets and tiny alleys.
About the upcoming Riga travel guide
About the travel guide
The Riga travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Latvian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Riga is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
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Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Riga you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Cathedral • City Walls • Art Nouveau • Daugava • Jūrmala
Overview of Riga
Riga is the largest city in Latvia and in three of the Baltic countries, and a visit here is like coming to a major European metropolis with everything that you can imagine, i.e. sights, churches, culture, events, cafes, gastronomy and shopping.
The old town, with cobblestones in the streets, churches in brick gothic, fine museums and well-preserved buildings from the last many centuries, is a very cozy neighborhood. There is an abundance of beautiful buildings here, and it is a nice area just to explore with the narrow streets and tiny alleys.
About the upcoming Riga travel guide
About the travel guide
The Riga travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Latvian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Riga is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Riga and Latvia
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Riga you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Pulvertornis is the only surviving one of the 27 fortress towers that were built into Riga’s defensive walls around the medieval city centre. The tower at least dates back to the year 1300, when it is known to have been mentioned for the first time.
The powder tower was damaged during attack in 1621 and again shelled with cannon balls, which can still be seen in the walls, in 1656 and 1720. In the late 19th century it was restored to something close to its original appearance. The diameter of the tower is 14 meters with walls up to 3 meters thick, and the height is 26 meters.
Lielā Ģilde was originally the building of the town merchant’s guild; it was built in 1354 and completely rebuilt in 1854-1857. Now the building stands in the English Tudor style with a beautiful interior, and the original banqueting hall has been preserved in the 19th century reconstruction.
Today, the building is home to the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Latvijas Nacionālais simfoniskais orķestris, whose concerts take place on site in a very atmospheric setting.
Rīga Castle was built in 1330-1353 by the Livonian Order, which, in agreement with the city government in Riga, could build the castle as a replacement for the previous one, which the city’s citizens had destroyed during a rebellion in the 13th century.
The leader of the Livonian Order used Rīgas pils as a residence for a time, but the constant struggle between the order and Riga’s citizens led to a relocation of the residence to the castle in Cēsis east of Riga. In 1484, the townspeople succeeded in destroying Rīgas pils again, but in the end they lost the battle and were forced to rebuild the castle. It happened in the years 1497-1515.
After the conclusion of the Treaty of Vilnius in 1561, the Livonian Order ceased to exist, and Rīgas pils became Lithuanian. Eight years later, it became one of the Polish-Lithuanian defenses, and generally throughout the 16th and 17th centuries the castle was integrated into the city’s defenses.
In 1621, Riga was invaded and conquered by Sweden, and Rīgas pils became the center of the Swedish administration of the area the following time. Riga later became Russian, and from the beginning of the 18th century, Russia’s governor-general used Rīgas pils as a residence and for the Russian administration.
Between the First and Second World Wars, the president of independent Latvia lived in the castle, which, with Latvia’s entry into the Soviet Union, was set up as the seat of the Soviet youth pioneer organization; All-Union pioneer organization or Всесоюзная пионерская организация.
Today, the castle once again forms the setting for official events, as the Latvian president has his office and holds representative ceremonies here. The president also has an official residence in part of the facility. Rīgas pils also houses a museum.
Since 1760, there have been regular ballet performances in Riga’s theatres. At the city’s leading theatre, Richard Wagner was music director in the period 1837-1839, and during this time there was both a desire and a need for an opera building, so that the repertoire and performances could be expanded.
The institution Latvijas Násionala opera opened as the city’s German theater in 1863. In the building, which was built in a classicist style, the first opera in Latvian was performed in 1883, and now ballet is also in the repertoire.
Kaķu māja is a large building crowned by two black cats on each tower of the house, which was built by a Latvian merchant in 1909.
The merchant had reportedly been excluded from the merchant slave in Lielā Ģilde, which is opposite Kaķu māja. In response to the exclusion, he erected Kaķu māja with the backs of the cats facing Lielā Ģilde as an insult and protest. After a trial, the cats were turned over and the merchant was readmitted to merchant slavery.
The house’s black cats have since then become a kind of unofficial symbol of Riga, and in many places in the city and in its souvenir shops you can come across black cats and the concept of the Riga cat.
The main artery from central Riga to the northwest is Brīvības bulvāris, which stretches more than 12 kilometers from its beginning at Riga’s Old Town.
The history of the boulevard starts with Riga’s trade history; the road led from the busy city and port in the direction of Pskov in Russia, and in the former defenses around Riga, the main gate was on this particular trade route.
Over time, Brīvības bulvāris has had many names. At first the name Smilšu alluded to the dirt road it started as. In the Russian 19th century period it was called Alexander Gade/ Александровская улица, in the German era during WWII Adolf Hitler Allé/Adolf-Hitler-Allee and Lenin Gade/Ļeņina iela in Latvia’s Soviet era.
The Latvian Academy of Sciences is housed in one of Riga’s most distinctive buildings, visible from afar. The building is clearly inspired by the so-called “seven sisters” in Moscow, all of which were built in the Staling Gothic style that was characteristic of Soviet prestige buildings through not least the 1950s.
Built in 1957, the Zinātņu Akadēmija in Riga is a fine example of this imposing building style, and the decoration was originally with both hammer and sickle and Latvian national symbols.
Zinātņu Akadēmija is 108 meters high and built as the first skyscraper in Latvia. It is possible to get up to a height of 65 meters on the 17th floor of the building, located at a distance from the center, which gives a very nice view of the old town, Riga’s market halls and along the course of the Daugava.
Around Riga’s old town lies a belt of parks with meandering lakes in them. These are the remains of the city’s former defensive ring with bastions and moats. The defenses were dismantled in the 19th century, and the city then expanded on the former open areas.
Riga itself was surrounded by moats, and to the north of these lay the city’s citadel behind its own bastions and moats. The dividing line between the city and the citadel ran around the street Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela in today’s Riga.
The area of the now historic Citadel is an urban development with a number of new buildings, but on a walk in the area you can also see several former military buildings.
This beautiful church was built as the third on this site. First there was a wooden church here in the town’s Swedish era, then a building from the 1720s and then the current one, which was built 1778-1786 as Peter-Paul-Zitadellen-Kirche by Cristoph Haberland.
The mainly Baroque church has been both Orthodox and Protestant before it was restored in 1987 and furnished as the Ave Sol concert hall.
Riga’s colossal market halls were built before World War I as zeppelin hangars by the Imperial German Air Force. The halls were converted into market halls in 1930, but one can still easily imagine their former function with the dimensions under the roofs.
Today, Centrāltirgus is among Europe’s largest markets of this kind, and you can basically buy anything. The halls themselves are divided into different product categories, and around the halls there are various stalls and shops.
Rīgas motormuzejs is an interesting car museum due to both the bombastic museum building, which is designed as a large radiator grill, and the fine collection of cars on display. It is especially the many Soviet vehicles that you don’t see in many other places, and among the absolute gems are Josef Stalin’s 7.5-tonne limousine and Leonid Brezhnev’s crashed Rolls Royce.
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