Old Riga
Vecrīga (Latvian: Old Riga) is the historical center of Riga, Latvia, located on the east side of Daugava River. Vecrīga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as Riga Cathedral and St. Peter's church.
History
Vecrīga is the original area of Riga and consists of the historic city limits before the city was greatly expanded in the late 19th century. In the old days, Vecrīga was protected by a surrounding wall except the side adjacent to the Daugava river bank. When the wall was torn down, the waters from Daugava filled the space creating (Riga City Canal).
Heritage
In the 1980s Vecrīga's streets were closed to traffic and only area residents and local delivery vehicles are allowed within Vecrīga's limits with special permits. Vecrīga is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed as "Historic Centre of Riga".
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Old Town Riga is a popular entertainment district in the historical and geographical center of the Latvian capital, featuring cobble-stone streets and an abundance of architectural gems.
Relax and be entertained in Old Town:
- Spread your arms out on Rozena Street, the narrowest street in Riga, where you can touch opposite walls at once
- Have a meal at one of the TOP 10 restaurants in Riga,
- View the churches of Old Town and a stunning view of Riga from the 72-meter high St Peter’s Church tower,
- Visit one of the arts and crafts houses or souvenir stalls on Skarnu Street, where it is also possible to learn about the city’s rich trade history
- Get a feeling of tranquility right in the center of Riga by visiting either John’s Courtyard or Konventa Courtyard,
- Enjoy one of the many art galleries or history museums,
- Party in one of the many music clubs in Old Town
Riga – a member of the Hanseatic League
In the Middle Ages, Riga had a mighty port and was a full-fledged member of the Hanseatic League, which was a confederation of merchant cities on the Baltic Sea in the Baltic region and Northern Germany. The prosperity of this era can be seen by visiting the Small and Great Guild halls, as well as the House of the Blackheads with the statue of Rolands in front of it.
Old Town Riga architecture
Old Town Riga, with its narrow cobble-stone streets, not only features goregeous Medieval-era buildings, but unique sacral structures as well.
Craftsmen and artist houses
Buildings in the growing city were constructed by guilds of craftsmen and artists. Old Town is a striking example of how cities were built back in the day.
The buildings in Old Town are varied and constructed during different periods of history. It features over 500 buildings built in various architectural styles – Romanticism, Gothic, Mannerism, Baroque, Eclectic, Modernism, etc.
Visit the Dannenstern building featuring an exhibition on how prosperous Riga residents once lived , the trio of historical buildings known by locals as the Three Brothers, as well as Riga Castle, the Powder Tower and the many other architecturally and historically important edifices.
Old Town churches
In a relatively confined territory, five religious denominations were able to live peacefully with one another – each of them having its own church.
Old Town Riga’s most well-known churches:
- Riga Dome Cathedral – the seat of the Latvian Lutheran Church’s archbishop, its foundation stone was laid in the 13th century and features a magnificent organ with outstanding sound
- St Peter’s Church – features the highest church tower in the city with a viewing platform;
- St Jacob’s Church is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church’s cardinal in Latvia.
Cultural landmark
- In 1967 Old Town was recognized as a national protected zone,
- Since 1987 is a town planning landmark,
- Since 1997, the historical center of Riga has been included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
- In 2007, thanks to Old Town’s panorama and silhouette, Riga was granted the European Heritage Label
- Most buildings in Old Town have the status of cultural heritage landmarks
Since 13 century the Old Riga is the economic, financial and cultural centre of Baltic region. Riga was never simply the city of Latvia. There were many times, when Riga was grasped; Riga was also involved in many long internal conflicts. Until the beginning of 20th century the Germans were main inhabitants if Riga. Then the national structure changed and mostly Latvians and Russians were the ones, who lived in the capital of Latvia. Later representatives of such nationalities as Lithuanians, Poles etc. have joined. All these changes have affected the cultural development of the city; special influence was on architecture of the Old city, where nowadays it is possible to meet the lines of German, Russian, Italian and Dutch architecture.
To the most well-known masterpieces of architecture of the Old city is the Riga castle. It is the greatest and well remained medieval castle in northern Europe. The Dome Cathedral - the greatest church in Northern Europe, which at the beginning of the 20th century could have been proud of having the greatest working wind-box in the world.
On the small territory of Old city there could have existed five various confessions in the same time. Each confession had a church which has remained up to now. The Old Riga is a unique part of the city, which was included in the list of the UNESCO world's cultural heritage.
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