Riga is a very cozy city in Europe, attracting travelers with its cultural as well as natural beauty. It is a city where it is easy to arrange an incredible journey that allows you to get lost in time. For example, plunge into the Middle Ages, or even find yourself in the 18th century, and later, in the evening, joyful but tired of relaxing in a nearby bar and remembering exciting moments that happened during a space-time journey. The city is constantly improving. Today, when it is mentioned, not only the Dome Cathedral, the House of the Blackheads is remembered. There is also a gorgeous zoo, a reconstructed TV tower, and a good museum of vintage cars.
Getting to know the sights of Riga should start from the Old Town. Gothic buildings and other structures are found almost everywhere here. Walking around Riga, it is impossible to pass by the Cathedral, the Town Hall Square with many retail outlets. On the way, you will definitely come across small wool shops. You can also admire the sculpture of the Bremen Town Musicians, St. Peter's Church. The city is famous for a large number of interesting places. Let's talk about the most interesting sights of Riga.
The Dome Cathedral
At the beginning of the 13th century, it was decided to found a new temple, which was later called the Domsky temple. The founder carefully supervised the construction of the cathedral, hired the best craftsmen in Germany, and invested heavily in the business. The construction of the temple was delayed until the second half of the 13th century. The original plans were successfully implemented - the style of the building turned out to be transitional - from Romanesque to Northern Gothic. During the transformation, the original furnishings inside the temple were lost, and after that, the temple burned down completely. By the 16th century, the building was restored, however, due to a lack of the necessary financial resources, the Dome Cathedral received only one tower, to which a wooden "top" was later added. Thanks to this, the temple turned out to be the highest in the area.
Due to the fact that part of the wooden building always needed to be repaired, in the 18th century this material was replaced with metal. Now the height of this tower reaches 96 m, and the temple itself has become the architectural main component of the square. It is difficult to name the style that is inherent in the Dome Cathedral, because its restructuring, which took place so often in different periods of time, brought certain features of many architectural trends. It should be noted that the oldest museum in the country is located in the ensemble of this cathedral. It was founded in the 18th century on the basis of a famous doctor. The collection of this museum includes half a million exhibits that are related to culture, everyday life, the history of the country, as well as a collection on the history of navigation in Latvia, which is considered quite valuable.
The temple is located at the following address: Herdera laukums, 6.
From May to September it is open from 9:00 to 18:00, the rest of the time - from 10:00 to 17:00. Church services are held on major holidays and Sundays. A museum dedicated to the navigation and life of Riga can be visited for 3 EUR. All the money goes to the restoration of the building. Children under 10 years old are admitted free.
Historical Center
The creation of the historical center began at the beginning of the 20th century, immediately after the disposal of some of the buildings. This is the period when features resembling an embankment began to emerge. Subsequently, the historic center turned out to be the border between the heart of Riga and the old city. The city center begins "freedom". The majestic statue can be founded not only by the USA, but also by Latvia, which has been pleasing its residents and tourists since 1935. Unlike the American one, the Latvian symbol of freedom is not holding a torch, but 3 stars, which symbolize the unity of Latvia.
While walking through the historic center, you can often hear the word "Art Nouveau". This term characterizes the Art Nouveau style that dominates here in architecture. The construction of the Latvian National Opera is also interesting. This building is undeniably impressive, as its main façade is built in a classical way with several Ionic columns. In addition, the structure is decorated with allegorical figures.
The heart of the city boasts the animals living in it. At first, beavers literally terrorized Riga, however, now they are being fed and they live in quite good conditions. The ministry tried unsuccessfully to rid the area of animals. Later, it was decided to install special feeders so that citizens could admire the beavers. The historic city center is located at the following address: Centra raions.
Riga castle
Today, not a single trace of the former strength of the Riga Castle can be found, and once it served the brave knights by faith. After the Poles and then the Swedes settled in the building, the protective function of the building practically ended. The Russian government lost this function completely. Despite the fact that the castle is considered the seat of the president of the country, it is in an extremely deplorable situation. This led to its massive restoration, which is about to be completed by the state anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2018.
For some period of time, part of the premises of the Riga Castle was occupied by expositions of 2 museums - the Museum of Foreign Art and the Museum of the History of Latvia. In 2010, the first museum "moved" to another building. The National Museum also plans to move while it operates at its former address.
The Riga Castle can be found at the following address: Pils laukums, 3. It is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00, and on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 18:00. Entrance tickets for adults will cost LVL 2, for children under 17 - LVL 1.5.
St. Peter's Church
Its very high spire, which also has an observation deck, makes it possible to spot the cathedral from afar. With the help of an elevator, tourists can easily climb to a height of 75 m, where they can admire the vast expanses of the city. The temple is located in the historical center of Riga and is considered the oldest building in the city, which dates back to the 13th century. Its tower is almost 124 m high, of which 65 m falls on the spire crowned with a cockerel.
Interestingly, these cockerels had a specific function - they indicated the direction of the wind. They were painted in 2 colors: gold and black. This made it easy to determine the direction of the wind. When the cockerels turned their golden side to Riga, it became clear that the wind was blowing from the sea. The black side meant that the wind was blowing from land. In the first case, the Riga merchants realized that the ships with the goods would be able to get into the bay, in the second - the ships on that day would not be able to enter the port.
The following facts are also interesting: for the first time, watches appeared here only in the middle of the 14th century. According to some reports, in the 14th century, catapults were installed on the roof of the structure, which fired at the Wittenstein building. The church can be found at: Skarnu iela, 19. In the observation tower and the church itself, visitors can visit any day from 10:00 to 18:00 from September to May, from 10:00 to 19:00 from June to August; on Sundays - from 12:00 to 18:00, from 12:00 to 19:00. Monday is the day off.
Adults can buy entrance tickets for LVL 4, and for children under 17 - for LVL 2.
Large and Small Guilds
The Big Guild was located opposite the Small Guild. It was here that local merchants spent a lot of time, and then book publishers and writers. The Great Guild is the oldest public building in the Baltics. The history of the Great Guild dates back to around the 14th century. The small guild was formed at the same time and existed until the 20th century. The current building was built according to a specific drawing by a famous architect.It is known for such striking features of the English Neo-Gothic as the pointed tower overlooking the adjoining garden or the octagonal donjon tower.
From the inside, the building is more interesting. The floors on the stairs are decorated with mosaic clay slabs, and all the windows are stained-glass windows that were ordered specifically for this building. The doors are also very nicely decorated: they are surrounded by wise Latin phrases written in Gothic script. Now the building of the Small Guild is used to organize various holidays, events, conferences, concerts, business events, seminars, balls. Some of the premises of the building are occupied by the Center for Folk Culture and Art. In addition, this Center has made efforts to open entertaining circles for both children and older people.
Located at the following address: Amatu iela, 5.
House of Blackheads
This architectural monument, numbered in the 14th century, used to be exactly the place where various social institutions of the country gathered. Later, the building came under the control of members of the association of foreign merchants; Saint Mauritius was recognized as their patron. The symbol of Mauritius was a black head, which is why the name "Brotherhood of Blackheads" was fixed. This building was used by the blackheads for various representational purposes, some products were also stored here, there was an underground passage leading to the Daugava - to the merchants' own pier.
The building was badly damaged during the bombing. After these events, it was restored to its original location only at the end of the 20th century. The restoration of the building turned out to be a kind of gift for the 800th anniversary of Riga. During the arrival of the heads of foreign states, receptions are organized here. After reconstruction, a museum was placed in the basement. In front of the building there is a statue of Roland, considered a symbol of independence, power and freedom of medieval Riga.
Located at the following address: Ratslaukums, 7. The House of the Blackheads is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. For adults, the ticket price is $ 2, for students - $ 1, minors are allowed to visit the building for free.
Cat house
On the tower of one of the buildings, standing not far from the Great Guild, there are crampons made of copper. With their tails raised, hunched over, they seem to have frozen before the most exciting leap. Figures of cats and became the reason for the emergence of the name, the origin of which worries so many, "Cat's House". This extraordinary and prominent building was shrouded in scandalous popularity and even became the reason for more than one lawsuit. Now statues of cats sit not only on the roof of the building, but also decorate the first floor.
It is a pity, however, contrary to the name "Cat's House", the building does not have a single detail similar to fairy tales. However, he can boast of a rather surprising legend. The building was built by a wealthy merchant at the beginning of the 20th century. He installed the figures of cats on the structure and turned his back to the Guild, where the merchant was trying so hard to get. This led to a scandal, the poor sculptures were turned in a diplomatic direction, and the merchant was asked not to do this anymore. These cats adorn the building today. Interestingly, this particular building was seen in the film "At the New Gate", in which it served as a Berlin hotel.
Today, there is a restaurant on the ground floor of the building, other premises are occupied by offices.
Located at the following address: Meistaru iela, 10.
Latvian Museum of Architecture
This museum, which is a separate subdivision of the State Inspection for the Protection of Cultural Memorials, was founded in 1994. It is not surprising that the Latvian Museum was located in the notorious medieval buildings - “Three Brothers”. The head of the architecture museum is the famous architect Janis Leinieks. Since the museum does not have a permanent exposition, it operates in the mode of exhibition halls. The expositions presented by this museum are dedicated to both the historical Latvian heritage and the architecture of the country.
The recently opened museum has already taken its place along with the famous collections of the city. Its foundations are notable for the richest heritage. The museum contains about 9 thousand extraordinary exhibits: there are many materials and documents associated with such important names in the architecture of the country as Wilhelm Boxlaf, Christoph Haberland, Janis Baumanis, Eijen Laube and others.
You can find it at the following address: Maza Pils iela, 21. The museum is open on Mondays from 9:00 to 18:00, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 to 17:00, on Friday from 9:00 to 16:00 ... Weekends are Saturday and Sunday.
Museum of old cars
The road to this Motor Museum takes a lot of time both by tram and by car. However, this frightens few people, because you can get stuck in the museum for more than 1 hour. It is located in Mezciems, far from popular tourist places, and sometimes even the residents themselves do not know how to get to it. The collection of the museum is so rich that it is considered the best in all of Europe among such collections. This museum founded the club of antique cars, which appeared at the end of the 20th century.
A modern building was built especially for the auto museum using materials brought from Finland. It was opened in 1989, and after 3 years it received the status of a state museum. In addition to cars, you can admire a special gas station, horse-drawn carts of the 20th century, a copy of a gray telephone booth. The Motormuseum has a restoration workshop, which is engaged not only in the repair of its equipment, but also in the restoration of exhibits of other similar museums. The museum can be found at the following address: 6 Eisenstein Street, open Monday to Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00.
Monument to the Bremen Town Musicians
This sculptural ensemble is represented by 4 fairy-tale heroes of the famous Grimm - a dog, a rooster, a donkey, a cat. The musicians are "captured" at the time when they looked into the house of forest robbers through the window. The monument was erected in the Old Town of the country at the end of the 20th century. The sculpture, which was cast by Christa Baumgartel, hides the deepest political meaning - the end of the Cold War. From the worn nose of the donkey, one can understand that many tourists continue to hope for the "mystical" power of this sculpture to fulfill all desires.
Those who have already managed to make a cherished wish by rubbing the character's nose should not be upset, because 3 other heroes will also be able to fulfill their innermost desire. The most cherished can be performed by a rooster, despite the fact that it is not so easy to reach its nose, some still succeed. According to another opinion, each of the animals is capable of increasing the chances of fulfilling 1 wish. The monument is located near Skarnu Street, in the immediate vicinity of the Church of St. Peter.
Riga TV tower
Riga TV Tower is located in Zakusala. Its height is 368 m, making it the 3rd highest in all of Europe and 1st in the EU. In just half a minute by elevator, it is easy to climb to the platform, located at an altitude of 97 m. Climbing here, tourists will find themselves in the highest place in the country. By the way, at the same height there is a cockerel decorating the Dome Cathedral. The TV tower was built for 9 years, construction ended at the end of the 20th century. It was built from materials that were not quite usual for that time: steel sheets, while reinforced concrete was usually used.
Interestingly, the appearance of the TV tower in those years was striking, it was considered a perversion, although today the building corresponds to design concepts. Due to the fact that the tower was created not of concrete, but of metal, in hot weather it “grows” by several meters. For some period of time, a restaurant was located at the top of this TV tower, slightly below the observation area. True, they did not find a place for equipping a kitchen corner, and they had to lift the food.It was also extremely cold in the establishment, and it was considered very costly to provide heating specifically for this establishment.
The Riga TV Tower can be found at the following address: Zakusalas krastmala, 1.
