"Riga Castle on the banks of River Daugava was founded in 1330 but has been extensively rebuilt over the centuries, especially by the Swedes around 1641 when they seized the city. Today it is the official residence of the President of Latvia as well as home to several museums. "
"Extension of the Castle."
"Your guess is as good as mine - a dog maybe. Not my darling wife on the right, LOL."
"Two lonely musicians (right) in Dome Square; Jane, being a generous Brit is about to donate some Euros to the girls. The building opposite the girls is the Riga Parliament. The Monument to the Latvian Riflemen (left) is not without controversy - some argue it is a symbol of communist rule and should be destroyed, while others feel it's a necessary reminder of the rifilemen that lost their lives in WWI."
"The market square which is the centre of most things in Riga and popular with tourists. The main attraction here is the House of Blackheads (origins 14th century but rebuilt in 1995) which once hosted a brotherhood of foreign merchants and now serves as both a museum and concert hall. The Roland Statue (nephew of Charlemagne) stands in the middle of the Town Hall Square. "
"The House of the Blackheads was originally built during the early 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners in Riga. The building was bombed to a ruin by the Germans in 1941 and the remains were demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was completed in 1999."
" The Powder Tower (left) served as one of the Riga defensive system buildings, built originally early 14th century, when it may have been called the Sand Tower; the name Powder appeared later. In 1937 it was re-structured as the Latvian War Museum. The building (right) is called the Cat House built in 1909; it is said that the owner wanted the cats to be placed with their tails up and turned towards the nearby Great Guild as he held a grudge against its members."
"Swedish Gate (left) built in 1698 to celebrate the Scandinavian occupation of Riga. The city`s executioner resided in the apartment above the gate who, being a romantic, placed a red rose in his window the night before a good execution, thus notifying the public of what was on the programme for the next day. The Riga Dome Cathedral (right) built in 1211 and restored in the late 19th century still holds regular services and also concerts. "
Riga, Latvia
(30th May 2018)During the night we made the short journey on to Riga, which, like several other ports along the northern Baltic coastline, are growing in popularity as stops for cruise liners. I guess this is largely due to the collapse of communist dominated eastern Europe and the freedom that ex-USSR states are now enjoying to encourage tourism and bring western money into their economies.
The ship was able to navigate up the River Daugava to moor a short walk to the centre of the old town. We walked past Riga Castle which is now home to the country's president as well as several museums and official residencies and through Dome Square where two young lady musicians were playing violin and cello in the center of the square. Dome Square, which is also the location of the cathedral, holds many events here, especially in the summer when there are open-air bars and live music. We were quite early in the day and the year and not much was happening whilst we were there; the musicians gave us a flavour of what it is probably like at the height of the season.
The objective of our walk was the market square in the centre of the old town; at one time this was the heart of the city and today it is still the home to the city council, the house of Black Heads and many other tourist attractions. In the center you will see a statue of Roland, whose uncle was the famous military commander and Emperor Charlemagne; ironically the statue is said to be a symbol of peace, which ultimately he did achieve by encouraging the Carolingian Renaissance, a cultural and intellectual revival in Europe.
Of the places we visited Riga was perhaps the least exciting for us (illustrated by the lack of many photos) but having said that we had a very enjoyable day and given a bit more time we could probably have seen more, e.g. to quote the internet 'Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage site of cobblestones and breathtaking river views'. By the time we had walked back to the ship we could honestly say that we'd had a great day.
