[LATVIA] Riga Old Town

14:42 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Riga, Latvia’s capital city, was founded in 1201 and over the following 800 years was occupied by Germans, Poles, Swedes and Russians. Latvia finally became an independent country in 1991 after long years of Soviet domination. In 1997, Riga Old Town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.



I arrived Riga in late noon after visiting Hill of Crosses and Rundale Palace. I booked an apartment through Airbnb and it’s right in the heart of old town. This souvenir shop was where I collected the keys.



After putting my luggage, it’s time for dinner.













Lido is a restaurant which serves traditional Latvian food. This old town branch is only a short walk from where I was staying.





The restaurant is self service. You can select, mix and match as you like, pile up your tray and head to the cashier before enjoying your meal.





The food is relatively cheap and good. These two dishes only cost around 11 euros.



Above is the map of Riga (click to enlarge). All the important attractions are numbered and circled. The white star near Livu Square (No.6) is where I stayed for two nights.



In the next morning, I began to explore the old town of Riga on foot. The first attraction is St. Peter’s Church (No.3 on the map above) which is located nearest to where I stayed.



St. Peter’s Church was first built from timber in 1209, then rebuilt in stone. It is one of the oldest medieval buildings in the Baltic.



A lift inside the spire takes visitors to two panorama platforms offering view over the red roofs of the Old Town and across the River Daugava.



The back view of the church.





Interior of St. Peter’s Church.






Located just behind St. Peter’s Church is St John’s Church.



St John’s Church was constructed from a small chapel since the 13th Century, the church is a parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. 



Behind St. Peter’s Church, there’s an interesting sculpture, the Bremen Town Musician statue. It is based on one of the many Brother Grimm Fairytales. It is a story about a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster who were past their prime. They decided to head out for Bremen to become musicians. On the way, they found a cottage that has robbers inside and they decided to scare the robbers by standing on each other’s back and make noise. It worked and the robbers ran away. The original statue was created in Bremen, Germany in 1951. Then the city of Bremen gave Riga a similar one in 1991.



St Saviour’s Church, Riga’s only Anglican Church was constructed in 1857.



Back of the church.



Next, I visited the House of Blackheads (No.2 in the map). It was constructed in the 14th century and served as a guild for unmarried merchants. The building was substantially ravaged and pillaged during World War II. In 1999, the House of Blackheads was restored as a precise copy of the original building. The tourist information office is now located inside it.



A statue of Roland, stands in front of House of Blackheads.



In front of House of Blackheads is the Town Hall Square. During World War II, the square was completely destroyed. However, today the Town Hall has been completely restored, just like House of Blackheads and Schwabe’s House and the statue of Roland.



From Town Hall Square, I walked to Riga Cathedral which is located at Dome Square.







The entrance fee is 3 euros. Children under age 10 and use of camera is free.



This cathedral is famous for its organ which is used in many concerts and recitals.



Some repair works are ongoing on the organ pipes. This is how it is supposed to look like.



Riga Cathedral was built as Bishop Albert’s Cathedral in 1211 and has been rebuilt several times since. Today it exhibits a mixture of late Romanesque, early Gothic and Baroque architectural style.





This baptismal basin was taken from Ikskile to Riga and displayed in the yard of Riga Cathedral in 1893. Since Easter 2009, this baptismal basin stands in the middle nave of the cathedral.







The yard of the cathedral.



Some of the ruins of the cathedral were placed around the yard.



This weathervane decorated the Dom spire till 23 April 1985. In December 1985, it was replaced by a replica of the ancient weathervane.







A visitor requested to take a selfie with my son inside the cathedral.



Walking around the Dome Square where the city’s best outdoor cafes and bars are situated.













Nearby Dome Square is the Three Brothers. Three Brothers is a charming group of residential houses each from a different century, the oldest dating back to the 15th century.



According to legend, the buildings were constructed by men from one family. Today, the premises house the Latvian Museum of Architecture and the State Inspection for Heritage Protection.



Next, I headed to Riga Castle. It has served as the seat of various rulers throughout the centuries.



After the independence was restored in 1991, the castle became the primary workplace of the President of Latvia. It is not opened to the public.



The castle as seen from another angle.



The Riga Castle overlooks the Vansu Bridge. It is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Daugava River in Riga.



Across the Daugava River, you can see the Sun Stone, an office skyscraper which is the highest building in Riga.



Walking along Torna Street, there are many interesting sculptures of human head.







The Powder Tower is one of Riga’s fortification towers and was originally called the Sand Tower. It dates back to 1330. It gained its current name in the 17th century when gun powder was stored in the tower. Since 1919, it houses the Latvian War Museum.



After that, I went back to Torna Street to see the Swedish Gate.



Swedish Gate was erected in 1698 as part of Riga Wall to provide access to barracks outside the city wall.



The Swedish Gate is the last remaining gate from the old city walls.



Along the city wall, you can see The Ghost, an artwork created within the framework of the “Art in the Public Space” programme implemented by the philanthropists Boris and Inara Teterev in collaboration with the City of Riga.



One side of the Torna Street is the city wall and the other side is a collection of red roofed buildings known as Jacob’s Barrack which now host various restaurants, bars and cafes, beauty salons, travel agencies and souvenir shops. I had lunch here at Taverna restaurant.



A Latvian meal is seldom complete without pork. This Latvian dish is called Pelēkie zirņi, grey peas which are boiled and then fried with bacon and served with kefir. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy it but it’s worth a try.



Another dish is more common, sausage with potatoes.



Last but not least, I stopped by the Cat House. It is known for the two cat sculptures, with arched back and raised tail on its roof. It is said the owner of this house wanted the cats to be placed with their tails turned towards the House of the Great Guild (merchant’s association) which is nearby as he held a grudge against its members when he was refused entry to the guild.



Even more remarkable to the story is the Guild was outraged by this act and brought the case to the court. After a long drawn out court battle, the two parties came to an agreement. The merchant turn the cat’s backside away from the Guild and the Guild would accept him into their ranks. Be sure to look out for the black cats on the roof of this unassuming yellow building while you are in Riga.



The Small Guild building (craftsmen’s association) was erected since 1864.



Livu Square is where the Large Guild Hall (merchant’s association) and Small Guild Hall (craftmen’s association) are.





Well, this summarised my sightseeing in Riga Old Town. But this is not all Riga has to offer. Riga is full of architectural gems, especially its Art Nouveau buildings which I will introduce in the next posting.