Riga
Steeped in over 800 years of history and recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, Old Riga is the heart and soul of Latvia’s capital.
Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states, home to one third of Latvia's population and one tenth of the Baltic states' population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga's territory covers 307.17 square kilometres (118.60 square miles) and lies between one and ten metres above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture.
Riga was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2006 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships and the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications. (Wikipedia)
Main attractions
- House of Blackheads
- House of Mentzendorff
- St. Petri Church
- Freedom Monument
- Riga Central Market
- Latvian National Opera
- Doma Cathedral
- Alberta Street: Art Nouveau
- Open Air Ethnographic Museum
- Riga Zoo
- Riga Motor Museum
- Latvian National Museum
- Arsenals
- Latvian War Museum