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| The House of Blackheads, a group of two buildings on the right, is a landmark of the Old Town in Riga, Latvia. St. Peter's Church with a high tower and a spire stands at left. The Baltic town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, draws a large number of tourists from around the world. / Courtesy of Sandra Iriste |
Latvia to hold various events for centennial celebrations in 2018
By Park Yoon-bae
RIGA, Latvia ― The picturesque Latvian capital has such a rich cultural heritage that one can easily discover diverse architectural styles, from Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque cathedrals to art nouveau.
In particular, Riga's Old Town, or Old Riga, is full of medieval charm and some of its cultural assets date back to the 13th century.
This calm, small and beautiful Baltic town's cobblestoned roads make visitors feel as if they are traveling back through time to the Middle Ages.
The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Riga served as the European Capital of Culture in 2014.
"Riga is more than 800 years old. We are really proud of the city's architectural diversity," said Anna Blaua, PR account executive at the Riga Tourism Development Bureau.
She said the city is home to the largest collection of art nouveau buildings in the world. She noted Riga was named one of the world's most "hipster" capitals by the Daily Mail.
Riga is one of the greenest capitals in Europe, with 17 big parks, and it is also a flavor city promoting Latvian food, according to her.
Riga was officially founded at the mouth of the Daugava River in 1201 by Bishop Albert, following the German Crusades. It became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1282.
A tour of the Old Town offers a glimpse of the German influence in medieval times, Christianization and the Reformation, as well as Swedish and Russian rule.
The town also shows its tumultuous history of German invasion and Latvia's annexation by the Soviet Union during World War II.
Municipal authorities plan to hold festivals, cultural events and food festivities as part of next year's centennial celebration of the country's 1918 proclamation of independence.
For a taste of Latvian cuisine, Riga has many restaurants featuring food made from Baltic cod, salmon, herring, pork, mutton and beef. Visitors can also enjoy fresh vegetables, mushrooms, blueberries and cranberries.
Bars and pubs offer many different beers. The city is also well known for Riga Black Balsam, an "elixir" liqueur claimed to have the power to cure all diseases, including colds. It is made with herbs mixed in vodka. Its alcoholic content is 45 percent.
House of Blackheads
A visit to the Old Town can start at the landmark House of Blackheads in front of the Riga Town Hall. The house was built in 1334 as a venue for meetings and banquets for public organizations.
The building's present name stemmed from the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in the largest port city in the Baltic region. The Blackheads occupied the house in the 17th century.
It was reconstructed several times from 1522 to the late 19th century, adding lion figures above the front doors and St. George's figure in the annex.
The building was severely damaged and pillaged during World War II. It was rebuilt in 1999 as an exact copy of the original, with a magnificent Dutch Renaissance facade and amazing ceiling paintings. It is now under renovation.
At the portal of the house are reliefs of St. Mary and St. Maurice, the leader of the Roman Legion who was one of the patrons of the Brotherhood of Blackheads. St. Maurice was traditionally depicted as a black soldier in knight's armor.
St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church is an imposing red brick building built initially of timber in 1209, then rebuilt later in stone. It is one of the biggest and most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture in Latvia.
The reconstruction work in the late 17th century added a Baroque-style tower to the Lutheran church. The 123-meter tower consists of three open galleries alternating with three cupolas and topped with a spire and a weather vane in the form of a rooster.
The church has not changed much despite its neo-Gothic restoration in the 19th century and damage during WWII.
A lift inside the tower takes visitors to two platforms that provide a fantastic panoramic view over the Old Town and across the Daugava River.
The church was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 as part of Riga's historic center.
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| Dome Cathedral / Korea Times photo by Park Yoon-bae |
Dome Cathedral
Dome Cathedral stands at the edge of Dome Square, the largest square in the heart of Old Riga. It is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral with a weathercock.
It was built as Bishop Albert's cathedral in 1211 and has been rebuilt several times since. The bishop came from Bremen, Germany.
The cathedral displays a mixture of late Romanesque, early Gothic and Baroque architectural styles. It is famous for its pipe organ that is often used in concerts and recitals.
There are many good cafes, bars and restaurants around the square.
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| Swedish Gate / Courtesy of Uldis Vilks |
The Swedish Gate was erected in 1698 as a part of Riga's medieval fortification walls while the Swedes ruled the city.
It provided access to barracks outside the city wall. It was opened at sunrise and closed at sunset.
The gate is the only remaining gate to Old Riga, set in the largest surviving section of the town wall. It is a vestige of the Swedish occupation of the city, which lasted from 1629 to 1711.
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| Powder Tower and War Museum / Courtesy of Tevijas Sargs |
Powder Tower
The Powder Tower is one of the fortification towers in Riga. It was originally called the Sand Tower, and dates back to 1330.
Rebuilt several times, it acquired its current name in the 17th century when the city began storing gunpowder there.
The tower is 25.6 meters high, with a diameter of 14.3 meters. Its wall thickness is estimated at three meters.
It stands alongside the War Museum, which was built in 1919. It features medieval and modern military history.
The museum highlights Latvians' involvement in the 1905 Russian Revolution and World War I, as well as the proclamation of independence and establishment of statehood.
Three Brothers
The charming Three Brothers are the town's three oldest residential stone houses, each from a different century but grouped together.
The oldest dates back to the 15th century, while another building is decorated with four big figures showing it was built in 1646. The Three Brothers are near St. James Cathedral.
According to legend, the buildings were constructed by men from one family. One building now houses the Latvian Museum of Architecture.
These buildings do not look magnificent or extravagant. But they have architectural value as the oldest buildings in Riga.
In front of the structure, an old man plays a horn. When this reporter and other Korean journalists arrived there Sept. 25, he played the Korean national anthem and Arirang.
Art nouveau
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| An art nouveau building / Courtesy of Latvian Institute |
One of the most distinctive art nouveau quarters is in Riga's Elizabetes and Alberta streets. The exteriors of many buildings are decorated with beautiful sculptures and ornaments.
Well-known architect Mikhail Eisenstein, father of famous Russian filmmaker Sergey Eisenstein, designed some of the art nouveau buildings.
Anyone who wants to know more about the architectural style can visit the Riga Art Nouveau Museum in Alberta street.
Freedom Monument
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| Freedom Monument / Courtesy of Viktors Descenko |
The statue of liberty, Milda, holds three gold stars that represent Latvia's three regions ―vvv Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale.
The motto inscribed on the base reads: "For the Fatherland and Freedom."
Construction of the 42.7-meter monument was financed through public donations. It was unveiled on Nov. 18, 1935, on the 17th anniversary of the country's independence from Russia.
It also reminds visitors of the Baltic way, in which nearly 2 million people stood hand in hand between Estonia's Tallinn, Latvia's Riga and Lithuania's Vilnius on Aug. 23, 1989, to call for their sovereignty from the USSR.
The 600-kilometer human chain attracted one in three inhabitants of the three Baltic states.
Museum of Occupation
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia was established in 1993 to commemorate the wrongdoings committed by foreign powers against Latvia and its people from 1940 to 1991.
Archive documents and artifacts are on display to raise public awareness of the 51 years of occupation.
Latvia, which proclaimed independence and established statehood in November 1918, was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 and then by Nazi Germany in 1941. The Soviet Union then occupied the Baltic state again from 1944 to 1991.
During the occupations, Latvia and its people suffered atrocities, including the Holocaust and the deportation of more than 40,000 Latvians to Siberia.
The museum also features partisan struggles against the foreign occupiers.
Any Korean visitor will find that Korea and Latvia have historic similarities. Korea was occupied and ruled by Japan for 35 years from 1910.
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| Central Market / Courtesy of LIAA |
Central Market
The Central Market is one of Europe's largest and oldest open-air markets.
It has five food pavilions inside large converted Zeppelin hangars. Around and between them stalls sell everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and clothes.
The market has more than 3,000 stands.
On a Friday morning in late September, people crowded the market to find good bargains for groceries and other daily necessities.
