- Address: Riga, Latvia;
- Length: 12 km;
- Sightseeing: Alexander Nevsky Church, Dailes Theater, apartment house, Novogertrudinskaya Church.
The central street of Riga is a street Brivibas, impregnated with the spirit of Europe of different eras, a place where tourists like to walk. It originates from Kalku street, has a length of 12 km, is located along virtually the entire right bank of the city. The old part of the city, so beloved by travelers, is located on Brivibas Street.
Brivibas Street, Riga - history
Historians believe that the street begins its history in the XII century, at this time it was a trade route, and it was located almost on the outskirts of the city, at the exit of the Sand Gates. Medieval Latvia conducted an active trade with neighboring regions, all trade routes were then through a major city of Riga.
Until the beginning of the XIX century, Peschanaya Street was central to the city, but after a severe fire, in 1820, it was named Alexandria and was known by this name until the 1920s. Then it began to be called Brivibas, and after 1949 it is known as Lenin Street. When in the 1990s Latvia gained independence, the renaming of many streets began, the central street of the capital returned its name, under which it is known to this day.
Brivibas Street Attractions
Tourists are very fond of this place because of the large number of historic buildings that have preserved the spirit of Europe and the image of their past. In general, the buildings are known for being designed and erected by architects with world names and the fact that famous people lived in them in different epochs. Among the most memorable buildings can be identified as follows:
- On the street Brivibas, 47 is a house designed by the architect Eugene Laube in the style of the Riga Art Nouveau. The building is characterized by cone-shaped roof slopes, lancet windows and some asymmetry of the facade, which many connoisseurs call "creative disorder in the facade design".
- Very close to the house of Laube is the functioning Orthodox Church of St. Alexander Nevsky . The church was built in 1825 in honor of the triumphant victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. The building has an original design, combining classicism with Byzantine style. The building is located at: Brivibas Street, 56. Several icons in the temple have a great historical value and belong to the XIX century.
- Also on the street Brivibas is the Lutheran Church of St. Gertrude , the period of its erection dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The temple is built in the style of eclecticism with deliberate non-observance of the proportions of the main building and bell tower.
- A significant cultural object located on the main street is the Dailes Theater , built in 1920, which in the Soviet era is called the Latvian Academic Theater. The kind that the building currently has, the theater found in 1976, which is determined by the style of the socialist community.
- At Brivibas, 190 in the early twentieth century was a large profitable house , built on the project of the famous architect Nikolai Timofeevich Yakovlev.
- Until today, preserved the building of the former bicycle factory "Russia" , popular in the late XIX-early XX century. It was here that the first and best bicycles were manufactured, supplied to the Russian Empire and to the court of the Emperors. Until now, the roof of the building is decorated with a large metal weather vane in the form of a spider, forged and attached to the roof at the very beginning of commissioning the building in 1886.
- The history of the Riga tram goes back to the middle of the XIX century. On Brivibas Street there is a 5th tram depot , the main building of which was built in the beginning of the 20th century.
How to get there?
Given that the street Brivibas is the central street of Riga , it will not be difficult to get to it. It originates in the Old Town and extends to the very edge of the city before leaving for Sigulda . So, from the airport to the Old Town, you can take the bus number 22. To travel along Brivibas street, you can use one of the types of public transport: buses №1, №14, №40, №21, №3, №16, trams № 6 , № 3, № 11.