Latvia, RIGA

Riga is the capital of Latvia, the largest city in the Baltic States, and the second largest city of the Eastern Baltic.

Riga is experiencing a new Renaissance as the capital of Latvia, and many large-scale restoration projects on old buildings have made Riga one of the most attractive cities in Europe. Most famously, Riga is home to the largest concentration of Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture in the world. Riga has become an increasingly popular destination for Europeans drawn by its old town, its historical importance, and its reputation as having the best nightlife in Europe.



History

Riga was founded in 1201 by Albert of Bremen as a base for the Northern Crusades. It developed as the major trade hub of the Eastern Baltic during the high days of the Hanseatic League, ruled by the Archbishop of Riga. The Reformation reached Riga in 1522, which ended the Archbishops' power. After the fall of the Hansa, Riga became a part of first the Swedish and then the Russian Empires, before becoming the capital of independent Latvia in 1918. Riga remained the capital through the Soviet period, and emerged in the 1990's as the capital of newly-independent Latvia.

Germans have inhabited the city since its establishment by Albert, and throughout most of its history Germans were the elite while Latvians remained a lower class. Their position as the elite continued through the Imperial period of Riga. As such, much of the architecture in Riga has been heavily influenced by Germany. The Germans were forcibly repatriated after the Nazi occupation of 1941-44.

Much of Riga was bombed in World War II--the ruins were left to decay until independence, when the government, realizing the tourism potential, began to invest in reconstructing and restoring the old buildings. Because of this, Riga has one of the most complete old towns in Europe.

Talk

The official language is Latvian, but in practice Riga is a bilingual city with Latvian and Russian as the main languages: 50% of the people are native speakers of Latvian and 50% of Russian, and the vast majority is bilingual. English is widely spoken by younger people and by people in the tourism industry, and also by some older people. German is also quite prevalent, but English is a much safer option.

See

Riga has several districts. The ones most interesting to tourists are the Old Town and the area around the Freedom Monument, located nearby.

A walking tour is by far the best way to see these two districts. The tourist office, located inside the House of Blackheads, offers both guided tours and free pamphlets, complete with detailed descriptions of many buildings, for independent walks. These walks cover the old town and the main city centre sights as well as heading out to view the Art Nouveau district. It's all pretty small scale so it's easy to do each of these in around an hour, or linger and read every detail in the booklet - in the absence of any signs or plaques around the city the booklet gives you an insight to what you are seeing. Private companies also operate tours. If you want to get away from the 'touristic areas' Alternative tours on bike and on foot are also available, aswell as a free city tour that runs everyday from St Peters Church at 12:00. Look for a yellow suitcase.

A virtual walk through the Old Riga is available at vecriga.info




Party

Riga is a beautiful city as in summer as in winter. In every season you can discover something new in Riga. You can enjoy lots of restaurant and bars placed outside in a quiet street of center or Old Riga or can feel the real rhythm of party in the clubs in snowing Riga.

Main things you should know about Riga are:

•Party mood from Thursday to Sunday.

•The colder weather is outside, the warmer atmosphere inside - bars & clubs.

•Unique activities

•Best party hostesses

(There are a lot of web sites, which will provide you with latest info, about upcoming parties in Riga)

Latvian girls are very, very beautiful :)




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