how old is riga

What is the history of Riga?

A sheltered natural harbour 15 km (9.3 mi) upriver from the mouth of the Daugava — the site of today's Riga — has been recorded, as Duna Urbs, as early as the 2nd century. It was settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe.

Why old Town Riga is a popular entertainment district?

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.

What to do in the old town of Riga?

There is a lot to tell about the Old Town Riga, cause this part of the city is very special! Riga was established in 1201 and is very well known for its well-preserved churches, cathedrals, city walls, medieval streets, and architecture.

Is Riga a state city in Latvia?

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Riga. Ogre is a state city, but it is also part of Ogre Municipality. Unlike the other listed entities, it is not a first-level administrative division of Latvia. Jēkabpils, Ogre and Valmiera are also state cities. However, they are also part of municipalities and serve as second-level administrative divisions.

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How old is Riga Old Town?

Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture.

How old is Latvia?

The territory known today as Latvia has been inhabited since 9000 BC. In the first half of 2000 BC, the proto-Balts or early Baltic peoples arrived. They are the forefathers of the Latvian people. After wars from 1600 on, Rīga is conquered by Sweden under Gustavus Adolphus.

When was Riga founded?

in 1201Founded in 1201, the city of Riga was the seat of Albert's bishopric and a base for the conquest of the lands of Livonia to the northeast. The city joined the Hanseatic League in 1282 and became the dominant trading center on the eastern bank of the Baltic Sea. In the 1520s, the Reformation took root in Riga.

How old is Latvian language?

The earliest texts in Latvian, a Roman Catholic catechism and a Lutheran catechism, both written in Gothic script, date from the 16th century. The first grammar of the language appeared in the 18th century, and by the end of the 19th century the literary language was well developed.

Is Latvia poor or rich?

Being rich in a poor country also has costs....Advertisement.RankCountryGDP-PPP ($)51Latvia37,33052Romania36,62253Croatia36,20154Panama36,085140 more rows•Aug 1, 2022

What was Latvia before 1918?

From the mid-16th to the early 18th century, Latvia was partitioned between Poland and Sweden, but by the end of the 18th century the whole of Latvia had been annexed by expansionist Russia.

What is the oldest city in Latvia?

LudzaLudza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre of Ludza Municipality that is located nearby the Russian border. The population as of 2020 was 7,667.

What does Riga mean?

noun. line [noun] a row of written or printed words.

When did Russia take over Latvia?

June 17, 1940On June 17, 1940, Latvia was invaded and occupied by the Red Army. On June 20 the formation of a new government was announced, and the Soviets organized elections in which only one list of candidates was allowed.

Which one is oldest language in world?

The world's 10 oldest languages in the worldEgyptian – 2690 BC (circa. 4700 years old) ... Sanskrit – 1500 BC (circa. 3500 years old) ... Greek – 1450 BC (circa. 3500 years old) ... Chinese – 1250 BC (circa. 3300 years old) ... Aramaic – 1100 BC (circa. 3100 years old) ... Hebrew – 1000 BC (circa. 3000 years old)More items...•

Is Latvian older than Lithuanian?

The differences between Lithuanian and Latvian can be summarized in very broad terms by saying that Lithuanian is far more archaic than Latvian and that modern written Lithuanian could in many instances serve as a “protolanguage” for it.

Is Latvian similar to polish?

The most similar to Slavic languages are the Baltic Languages: Latvian and Lithuanian, but only 3% of the vocabulary is similar. Polish has many words borrowed from German, French and English – but there are numerous words that are “false friends” among Slavic languages.

How old is Lithuania?

Although Lithuania was first recorded as a country in 1009, the first people are thought to have settled in the territory as far back as the 10th millennium BC. The first Baltic tribes arrived some 7,000 years later and settled near the Baltic Sea.

What Latvia is famous for?

Latvia is famous for its abundant nature, stunning beaches and far-reaching history. Latvia is known for having the world's tallest women, one of the oldest flags and Daina folk music. But that's just scratching the surface. Latvia is a nation with plenty of quirks where adventure awaits around every corner.

Do all Latvians speak Russian?

About a quarter of the population of Latvia is predominantly Russian-speaking — about the same proportion as neighboring Estonia.

Did Latvia fight in ww2?

Latvian soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict against their will, and in 1943 180,000 Latvian men were drafted into the Latvian Legion of the Waffen-SS and other German auxiliary forces.

Who founded Riga?

Today, 1201 is still celebrated as the founding of Riga by Albert —integral to the "bringer of culture" ( German: Kulturträger) myth created by later German and ecclesiastical historians that Germans discovered Livonia and brought civilization and religion to the virulently anti-Christian pagans.

Where did the name Riga come from?

The origin of the name of Riga has been speculated to be related to ancient Celts—based on root similarity to words such as Rigomagos and Rigodunon, or that it is a corrupted borrowing from the Liv ringa meaning loop, referring to the ancient natural harbor formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava and being and earlier and common Liv place name for such formations. The evidence is conclusive, however, that Riga owes its name to its already-established role in commerce between East and West, as a borrowing of the Latvian rija, for warehouse, the "y" sound of the "j" later transcribed and hardened in German to a "g"—most notably, Riga is named Rie (no "g") in English geographer Richard Hakluyt 's 1589 The Principal Navigations, and the origin of Riga from rija is confirmed by the German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610): " Riga nomen sortita est suum ab aedificiis vel horreis quorum a litus Dunae magna fuit copia, quas livones sua lingua Rias vocare soliti. " ( The name Riga is given to itself from the great quantity which were to be found along the banks of the Duna of buildings or granaries which the Livs in their own language are wont to call Rias. )

What was the main occupation of the residents of Riga in the 12th century?

Archeological digs at the sites of Riga Town Hall (Albert) Square ( Latvian: Rātslaukums) and at the corner of Peldu and Ūdensvada streets offer glimpses into Riga's residents of the 12th century. These show that Riga was inhabited mainly by the Kurs, Kursified Livs, and Livs of the Daugava river basin. They occupied themselves mainly with crafts in bone, wood, amber, and iron; fishing, animal husbandry, and trading.

What is the history of Latvia?

From the 13th century to the birth of nationalism in the 19th and independence in the 20th, Latvia's and Riga's history are intertwined, a chronicle of the rise and fall of surrounding foreign powers over the Latvians and their territory. As a member of the Hanseatic League, Riga's prosperity grew throughout the 13th–15th centuries—with Riga ...

When did German traders start visiting Riga?

German traders began visiting Riga and its environs with increasing frequency toward the second half of the 12th century, via Gotland. Bremen merchants shipwrecked at the mouth of the Daugava established a trading outpost near Riga in 1158. The monk Meinhard of Segeberg, a missionary, arrived from Gotland in 1184.

How did Albert ensure the future of Riga?

Albert had ensured Riga's commercial future by obtaining papal bulls which decreed that all German merchants had to conduct their Baltic trade through Riga. In 1211, Riga minted its first coinage, and Albert laid the cornerstone for the Riga Dom. Riga was not yet secure as an alliance of tribes failed to take Riga. In 1212, Albert led a campaign to compel Polotsk to grant German merchants free river passage. Polotsk conceded Kukenois ( Koknese) and Jersika, already captured in 1209, to Albert, recognizing his authority over the Livs and ending their tribute to Polotsk.

Where is the Daugava River?

The Daugava River ( Western Dvina, Dúna in Old Norse) has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Viking's Dvina-Dnieper navigation route via portage to Byzantium. A sheltered natural harbor 15 km upriver from the mouth of the Daugava—the site of today's Riga—has been recorded as an area of settlement, the Duna Urbs, as early as the 2nd century, when ancient sources already refer to Courland as a kingdom. It was subsequently settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe who had arrived during the 5th and 6th centuries, about the same time that Riga began to develop as a center of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages.

What river is Riga on?

Riga, Latvian Rīga, city and capital of Latvia. It occupies both banks of the Daugava ( Western Dvina) River, 9 miles (15 km) above its mouth on the Gulf of Riga. Pop. (2011) 658,640; (2015 est.) 641,007. The Old Town of Riga, Latvia, astride the Daugava (Western Dvina) River.

When was Riga captured?

Riga was briefly an independent city-state but passed to Poland in 1581. It was captured by Sweden in 1621 and then taken in 1709–10 by Peter the Great, with Sweden formally ceding the city to Russia by the Peace of Nystad in 1721.

What was the name of the settlement in the 12th century?

An ancient settlement of the Livs and Kurs, Riga emerged as a trading post in the late 12th century. Seagoing ships found a natural harbour where the small Ridzene River once flowed into the Daugava, a major trade route to points east and south from the Viking Age onward. Albert of Buxhoevden arrived in 1199 with 23 ships ...

When did Latvia become a republic?

Latvia’s independence was declared in Riga on November 18, 1918, and the city became the new republic’s capital. With the Russian border closed to eastern trade, the port’s transit role declined, but its agricultural and timber exports became the core of the national economy. Industry shifted to consumer goods, among them the world’s smallest camera, the VEF Minox. The ķegums hydroelectric power station was completed 30 miles (roughly 50 km) upstream in 1939, and domestic and international flights to Riga’s airport began in the 1920s. The University of Latvia, the Art Academy of Latvia, and the Latvian Conservatoire (now the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music) were established in 1919–22, and the Latvian Open-Air Ethnographic Museum (1924) was just one example of the repositories of national history and culture to appear in the 1920s. Public education tripled the number of municipal schools in the city, serving a diverse ethnic population with instruction in nine languages. Among Riga’s Germans was Paul Schiemann, a leader of the European minorities movement and framer of Latvia’s laws on cultural autonomy for minorities. A large community of Russian refugees made Riga a critical listening post for Western intelligence regarding the Soviet Union.

What is the Riga port?

Today Riga’s port facilitates export and transit trade from Russia and Belarus to European ports and beyond; a daily ferry carries passengers and cars to Stockholm. The Via Baltica highway is a major trucking route to Tallinn, Kaunas, and Warsaw.

When did Latvia join the EU?

Latvia was admitted to the United Nations in autumn 1991 and joined the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) military alliance in 2004. Riga hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003, the NATO summit in 2006, and Latvia’s EU presidency in 2015.

When was the Latvian Conservatoire established?

The University of Latvia, the Art Academy of Latvia, and the Latvian Conservatoire (now the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music) were established in 1919–22, and the Latvian Open-Air Ethnographic Museum (1924) was just one example of the repositories of national history and culture to appear in the 1920s.

What is the old town of Riga?

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. Tree Brothers.

When did Riga get the European Heritage Label?

In 2007, thanks to Old Town’s panorama and silhouette, Riga was granted the European Heritage Label

What are the three brothers in Riga?

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 many other architecturally and historically important edifices.

When did Riga become a member of the Hanseatic League?

In 1282 , Riga became a member of the Hanseatic League, strengthening its position as an important trading city in the region.

Where to spread your arms out in Riga?

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 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;

Is Riga a cultural landmark?

Cultural 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.

How to get there

Even if you had never heard of Riga before, there shouldn’t be any problems getting there. Going by car, bus, train, airplane, or ferry, you can get to Riga from almost any country in the world.

Best time to visit Riga

Summer, autumn, and winter. Everything depends on your wishes and expectations!

About Old Town Riga

There is a lot to tell about the Old Town Riga, cause this part of the city is very special! Riga was established in 1201 and is very well known for its well-preserved churches, cathedrals, city walls, medieval streets, and architecture.

What is the oldest church in Riga?

This Lutheran church is one of the oldest monument in Riga, though it looked now looks completely different from the original building, of which very little remains. What can be seen today is for the most part from the 15th and 17th centuries. The church’s 123-meter steeple, dominating the city, is unmissable. From there, the view of the Old Town and of the Daugava River is breath-taking, but make sure to go on a clear day. That being said, the interior should not be overlooked, as its three basilicas provide a fascinating insight into Riga ’s history. The church also holds temporary exhibitions of works by local artists.

What is the most famous cathedral in Riga?

Although Saint Peter’s is the more famous of the two, this church is Riga’s cathedral and deserves to be seen in its own right. It is so beautiful composer Franz Liszt wrote a piece in its honor. Built in the 13th century, it’s the largest medieval church in the Baltics but, like a lot of Riga’s landmarks, it has undergone extensive modifications since its foundation. Don’t forget to have a look at its organ, one of the biggest in Europe, and at its medieval cloisters.

Is Riga a good place to visit?

Riga has become a top holiday destination for travelers from all over the world. The Old Town is the city’s very heart, showcasing well-preserved medieval architecture and narrow cobbled streets at every corner. From astonishing architecture to world-class museums, take a look at the top 10 things to see and do in this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Is Riga a hotspot?

Riga is an increasingly popular party hotspot, combining all the fun of big Western European cities and none of their high prices. The nightlife is concentrated in the Old Town, conveniently also where most hostels are located. There’s a little of everything hiding in Riga after dusk, from huge mainstream clubs to quiet cozy bars to alternative cultural centers. Have fun, but beware of stumbling on the cobblestones and of scammers preying on drunk tourists.

How many vintage cars are there in Riga?

Riga Motor Museum has more than 100 vintage automobiles and motorcycles. Every moto fan must find some time to visit this place and learn more about the history of vehicles in the Baltic States throughout the years.

What is the oldest park in Riga?

Vērmanes Garden is the oldest park in Riga and one of the locals’ favorite places to run from the fast pace of city life. There are a lot of different events happening in the park every day and you can also meet friendly locals. All you need to bring is a good mood and maybe a blanket to sit. Instagram. janajz.

What is the most popular city in the Baltic States?

Riga is probably the most vibrant city in the Baltic States and there are plenty of things to see and do in this wonderful place. No matter who you are and what you love to do, your trip to Riga will be perfect if you visit these stunning attractions.

What is the Freedom Monument in Latvia?

If Americans are proud of the Statue of Liberty, then Latvians has their Freedom Monument! This huge 42-meters tall monument is an iconic symbol of Latvia, built to honor soldiers who died during the Latvian War of Independence in 1918-1920. Your trip to Riga won’t be complete until you see it.

What is the biggest graffiti in the Baltic States?

Pērkons Saule Daugava. This is a must-visit for people who enjoy street art. Pērkons Saule Daugava is the biggest graffiti in the Baltic States, created by famous Latvian street artists, Rudens Stencil and Kiwie. More than 1,500 spray cans were used to make this 800 square meters graffiti!

What is the biggest theater in Latvia?

Latvian National Theater. The Latvian National Theater is the biggest theater in Latvia, built between 1899-1902. Some of the most important cultural events take place here but even if you visit during the quiet hours, you will be amazed by the breathtaking beauty of the building itself. Instagram.

Where is Miera Iela?

Miera Iela is the hippest place in Latvia, where many local pubs and clubs are located. If you do have at least a little bit of hipster inside of you, you will love Miera Iela and all the crazy people in it!

Where is the old centre of Riga?

Source: meunierd / Shutterstock.com. Vecrīga. The old centre of Riga on the right bank of the Daugava River is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On these scurrying cobblestone streets and sociable squares are Riga’s oldest houses and churches. Vecrīga is stacked with restaurants, nightspots, art galleries and museums.

What is the oldest house in Riga?

Three Brothers. At 17, 19 and 21 Mazā Pils Street stand the oldest complex of houses in Riga, dating from the 15th century. The oldest facade is no. 17, which has a mix of Gothic and Renaissance in its crow-stepped gable and the pointed arch on its doorway.

What is the capital of Latvia?

The capital of Latvia is the largest city in the three Baltic states and is home to one third of Latvia’s total population. There’s a youthful vitality to Riga that shines through in its thumping nightlife, trendy dining spots and thriving alternative scene. Riga has an absorbing history to uncover, as a Medieval Hanseatic League member, ...

Why did Art Nouveau flourish in Riga?

The reason for this proliferation of Art Nouveau is that Riga had a financial boom and needed fashionable homes for a growing bourgeoisie when the movement was flourishing.

How many towers are there in Riga?

Source: shutterstock. Swedish Gate. In Medieval times Riga was protected by a mighty wall with 20 towers and a 90-metre-wide moat that would later be turned into the Pilsētas Kanāls. Of the eight gates that used to control entry to the city the sole survivor is the Swedish Gate.

How many buildings are there in Riga?

Riga is an Art Nouveau wonderland, with more than 800 buildings, a third of the city’s stock, dating from the prime years of the movement at the start of the 20th century.

What is the cathedral in Riga?

An enduring symbol for Riga, the “Dome Cathedral” is the seat of the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia.

Overview

The history of Riga, the capital of Latvia, begins as early as the 2nd century with a settlement, the Duna urbs, at a natural harbor not far upriver from the mouth of the Daugava River. Later settled by Livs and Kurs, it was already an established trade center in the early Middle Ages along the Dvina-Dnieper trade route to Byzantium. Christianity had come to Latvia as early as the 9th century, but it was the arrival of the Crusades at the end of the 12th century which brought the Germans and fo…

Founding of Riga

Ascent of Riga as a center of German commerce

Under the supremacy of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden

Industrial harbor city of the Russian Empire

Capital of independent Latvia

Soviet and Nazi period

Restoration of independence