Latvia 2017

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Riga - The Heart of Europe

  From Vilnius, I took a bus to Riga, the capital of Latvia, at the mouth of the Daugava river. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. The historical centre of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of its Art Nouveau architecture and the 19th century wooden architecture.
 
  In Riga, I started the tour in the Vērmanes Garden. Then, I made a sightseeing tour through the city with passing by the Nativity of Christ Cathedral, which is the largest Orthodox cathedral in the Baltic provinces, built between 1876 and 1883, the Freedom Monument, honouring killed soldiers during the Latvian War of Independence, Bastejkalns, a beautiful park, close to the old town, and the Riga Castle, which was founded in 1330 and rebuilt between 1497 and 1515. Today, it's the official residence of Latvians President. After a little coffee break at "Parunasim", I continued the tour around the beautiful old town of Riga. Other famous places in the old town are the Three Brothers, the oldest building complex, of dwelling houses in Riga, the Riga Cathedral, St. Peter's Church and the Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums) with the House of the Blackheads.


   In generally, it is recognized, that Riga has the largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in the world. When Art Nouveau was at the highest point of its popularity at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, Riga experienced an unprecedented financial and demographic boom. Between 1910 and 1913, there were built between 300 and 500 new buildings each year in the style of Art Nouveau.

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