Top 10 photos of Riga

Brivibas piemineklis - the Freedom Monument

Unveiled in 1935, the Freedom Monument honours soldiers killed in the Latvian War of Independence (1918 - 1920) and is seen by many as the main symbol of a free, independent and sovereign Latvia. Located in the centre of Riga on Brivibas Bulgaris (Freedom

Reflections on Riga

There have been Christmas trees in Riga for half a millennium. This mirror tree celebrates that fact

The Latvian Riflemen

The Latvian riflemen - the Red Rifles - played a significant role in the Bolshevik revolution and Russian civil war. For this reason, their monument, now outside the museum of occupation, is contentious.

The railway crosses the Daugava

Rigas Doms - the Protestant cathedral

Originally constructed in the early thirteenth century on the site of a church built in 1211 by Albert of Riga, the Protestant Cathedral (Rigas Doms) is one of the largest medieval churches in the Baltic States. Known as the Dome Cathedral from the German

Spring in Riga

Riga offers beautiful parks close to the centre of the city in which one can relax and enjoy the sun (in summer). Look for the lighthouse! It has to be said that the weather in Riga is somewhat changeable. While the temperatures can get up to the mid-twen

Access to the sea

A trade route for millenia, the river Daugava is the probably reason for Riga's location. A settlement known as Duna Urbs was recorded in the second century CE on the site of modern day Riga where the river forms a natural harbour.

Medieval streets in Riga

Central Riga can give the feeling of travelling back in time. The cobbled streets and narrow alleyways of the old town give an impression of the 19th century.

Riga´s parks turn blue at night

Andrejs Upits

Andrejs Upits (Andrei Upitis) is a famous Latvian poet and author. Born in 1877 and dying in 1970, he was a polyglot teacher and Communist polemicist. Despite, or because of this, he managed to have his works banned twice during his lifetime.