Riga - attractions

The Latvian capital Riga is saturated with a fairy tale and romance. Riot of colors and medieval color transfer to another reality. Riga began its development in the Middle Ages as a port city, rich merchants gathered here, and the powerful masters of the Levon Order built their stone castles. Today Riga is the largest city in the Baltic States with a huge number of attractions and memorable places.

City of Riga - architectural landmarks

Visiting Riga, one can not remain indifferent to modern buildings of cultural significance. This is the building of the Latvian National Library , the Riga Television Tower , the Latvian National Opera and the Latvian National Theater , the building of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Ziemelblasma Palace of Culture .

Tourists, who decided to get acquainted with the culture of the capital of Latvia , are given a unique opportunity to see Riga, whose sights include the most beautiful monuments of architecture. The most famous of them are:

1. Riga Castle - was erected in the first half of the XIV century, a century and a half almost completely destroyed and restored in the early XVI century. Now it is a visiting card of the city. It houses the residence of the President of Latvia.
2. The Swedish gate is a complex of buildings of the XVII century, representing a niche pierced in an apartment house, before there was a defensive tower. This is the only structure that has not been subjected to restorations and restructuring, retaining its original original appearance.
3. The Powder Tower is the only part of the 14th century defense complex of Riga that has survived to the present day. It houses one of the branches of the Military Museum of Latvia .
4. The Alexander Gate is a protected monument of national importance. They are erected in honor of the victory of Emperor Alexander I over Napoleon immediately after the war.
5. Three brothers are a complex of three buildings - White Brother, Middle Brother and Green Brother, which is located on Maza Pils Street. White brother was built at the end of the XV century, the middle brother joined him in the middle of the XVII century, and the Green brother was built in 4 decades.
6. On the street Amatu there are the Great Guild and the Small Guild . They were formed in the XIII century by the townspeople, and represented a collection of people by interests. Merchants and artisans joined to promote and protect their interests.
7. In Riga, a sufficient number of other architectural assets of Latvia. For example, the House of Blackheads of the XIV century, the Court of the Convention , which gathered in one place the buildings of the XIV-XVII centuries, the Yakovlevsky barracks of the XVII century.
8. The earliest architectural monument is Detman's House , built in 1900. A legendary House with black cats , erected in 1909 as Blumer's Profit House , in the famous film "Seventeen Moments of Spring" became a hotel.

Riga, Latvia - sightseeing-temples

Numerous churches located on the territory of the capital, are the main sights of Riga. Among the main of them you can list the following:

1. The Dome Cathedral is the leading spiritual and cultural center of Riga. Its construction lasted for 60 years and was completed in the second half of the 13th century. The cathedral is located on the Dome Square and includes the Cross Gallery and the Dome Monastery. Inside the temple, organ music concerts are held.
2. St. Peter's Church is one of the oldest buildings in Riga. The first mention in the annals of this church dates back to the beginning of the XIII century. The temple was built on the money of the townspeople, artisans and merchants. Until 1985, the church building was the highest in the city, its height is 123.5 m.
3. The old church of Gertrude is located on the octagonal square. The first mention of the temple in this place dates back to the beginning of the XV century. The church was completely burned several times. The Lutheran church received its last vestment after the Swedish-Polish campaign, which ended in 1629.
4. The Cathedral of St. James is the main Catholic church in Latvia. For its long and tragic history, the church building has been destroyed many times and is subject to acts of vandalism and looting. Despite this, during the research and restoration work historians have discovered miraculously preserved icons and images, which now have a high cultural and spiritual value.
5. The Church of Mary Magdalene was built at the end of the 14th century and was a convent. It contained the daughters of wealthy noblemen before they were married and widows of burghers. In 1929 this Catholic church took its modern look.
6. Church of St. John . The temple began its history with a chapel built in 1234. Now this building is included in the list of protected monuments of medieval architecture. In its appearance, the church has collected architectural styles from different eras. This is due to the fact that the building of the church had to be restored and restored many times after the hostilities and fires.
7. Riga Grebenshchikov Old Believer community in the XVIII century was a prayer. Then an orphanage, a school and a hospital were added to her. In the temple there is a six-tiered iconostasis, and the temple itself can accommodate up to five thousand parishioners at the same time.
8. The Anglican Church of the Holy Redeemer is a temple of the mid-19th century made of bright red brick. Its central facade overlooks the Daugava embankment. Church attendants often hold organ music concerts and services in English. Also, the church has a Sunday school.
9. The Nativity Cathedral is an Orthodox church located in a beautiful building next to the Freedom Monument. In Soviet times, the services here were terminated. In 1993 the cathedral again began to receive parishioners.
10. The Church of the Sorrowing Mother of God was erected in the 18th century on the orders of General Brown for the Catholic population. It is located on Zamkova Square, being an integral part of the architectural ensemble of the Riga Castle.
11. The Church of the Holy Trinity is located on the left bank of the Daugava River . The building has a familiar classic view of the Orthodox church. The church was built at the end of the XIX century.
12. The Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin was built in the 1880s. The temple was erected and reconstructed to the donations of the townspeople. The church suffered the burdens of oblivion several times for its existence. Now the temple is active, he normally accepts his parishioners.
13. The Church of St. Paul is a Lutheran church, located almost in the center of Riga. Inside the building there is an organ made in Germany over a hundred years ago.
14. The Church of St. Francis is a functioning Catholic church with two spiers. It is made of red brick and stands in place of the old Catholic cemetery.

The main sights of Riga are museums

For travelers who have briefly visited the Latvian capital, Riga will remember the sights for three days, they include a large number of museums that tell the story of the formation and development of Latvia and the city itself:

1. Tourists and guests of the city are represented in the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation , the Latvian Museum of Architecture, the Latvian Ethnographic Museum .
2. The years of the Second World War did not pass without a trace for the inhabitants of Latvia and the townspeople. To get acquainted with the history of those hard years, the exposition is exhibited in the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia .
3. In the museum of foreign art collected a rich collection of sculpture and painting of foreign masters. There are regular excursions for schoolchildren and tourists.
4. The modern life of the city is displayed in the expositions of the Riga cinema and motor museum , as well as in the museum of pharmacology.

Other sights of Riga

Tourists who want to get acquainted with interesting places worth seeing Riga in the photo, the sights that are there are included monuments, sculptures and parks. The most memorable of them are the following:

1. The Freedom Monument is an unspoken symbol of the country. It was erected in honor of the memory of the fighters for the independence of Latvia. Located on Brivibas Boulevard in the center of Riga.
2. The monument to Latvian shooters is located on the square with the same name. This thirteen-meter-long granite statue, made in the form of two men in military uniform of the times of the Red Army, opened the monument in 1971.
3. Watch "Laima" does not stop its course since 1904, they are located in the center of Riga, near the building of the opera.
4. Well-kept, beautiful parks of Riga, with numerous flower beds, benches and footpaths - Arcadia , Esplanade and Dzeguchkalns , gather thousands of citizens and visitors of the city.
5. The Viestura Garden is a historical public park founded by Peter I. About 80 species of various trees grow on its territory, monuments, sculptures and memorials are erected, there are ponds and an open-air swimming pool.
6. Park Ziedoldarss is interesting because it is located within the city boundaries right between the buildings.