Riga, Latvia

 

Art Nouveau Building in Riga

Riga has 700K of Latvia’s 2 million people. About 50% of the population is of Russian heritage in the city, while the country is 30% Russian.  Originally, a Livonian settlement, the Germans came in 1201, the historic founding date of the city. Today it has a large industrial port and was a Hanseatic city. Our tour began viewing some of the 800 Art Nouveau buildings built from 1890 to 1910. Most of these buildings have been beautifully restored in recent years after having been divided up into small apartments during Soviet times. Next was the marketplace inside five buildings from the 1930s in the basement are freezers and storage. We passed a Stalinist skyscraper (wedding cake) built in the 50s like what you see in Moscow.

Organ in Pulpit in Dome Cathedral

The 1935 Freedom Monument has three stars for the 3 regions of Latvia. During Soviet times the meaning was changed to the 3 Baltic states under Mother Russia. We walked to Livonian Square, with the 17^th century merchant guild building, Dome square with the Dome Cathedral, and Town Hall Square with the Town Hall on one side, and the symbol of the city, Blackhead House on the other. Dome Cathedral has a 6718 pipe, 124 stop organ built in 1884. Some of our group returned the next day for a concert. The Blackhead House was a society with St. Maurice as it’s patron saint, who was a Moor, hence the black head. Established in 1413, the first House was built in 1518. The building was destroyed in WW II, then rebuilt with donations from the Riga community in 1999.

Blackhead House

In the afternoon, we were entertained by the “smallest folklore show in the world”, so claimed because the danced on a platform about the size of a piano bench. They invited Jane, one of the passengers, to try it. Later they played a string instrument called a kokle.

That evening we had dinner with a local family: Klinta, Edgar, and their 4 year old daughter, Lela. They had both been journalists, but Klinta is now studying to become a clinical psychologist.