Riga travel guide

Since Riga didn't get as destroyed during WWII as Germany, it has today some of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture. These buildings got built in the late 19th century and early 20th century with heavy ornamentation. The elaborated facades can contain anything from flowers and pillars to semi naked women and grotesque faces stirring down at you from high above. While you probably need to be some kind expert to appreciate all the nuances, you can easily distinct the Art Nouveau from the concrete and even older wooden houses which it shares the neighbourhood with.

Don't let the bustling market area outside Central Market distract you for a visit inside the giant halls, for it's absolute fabulous. Just the building itself is worth a visit. The roof is constructed of five huge, used zeppelin hangars, giving the indoor market an very airy fell. Each hall deals with one kind of food products like meat, fruit, dairy, fish and pastries. It's all fresh stuff, straight from the farms, making the neighbouring supermarket's range looks a bit sad. It can get packed and vendors can seem a bit reserved even unfriendly at first, but it's possible to get a smile from them.

The Freedom Monument honours the killed soldier during the Latvian War of Independence from Russia in 1918-20. The 42 metres tall granite column was erected in 1935, just five years before Latvia lost its independence again to respectively Soviet Union (1940 and 1945-91) and Nazi Germany (1941-45). So the symbol of independence is of the greatest importance for the Latvians today as it was then. Oddly, the monument survived the Soviet times without being knocked over. If the weather permits, there will be stern looking guards standing at the base.

The charm of Riga's Old Town lies in the fact that it's still very much alive, and not some tarted up open air museum with pretty churches. The rugged streets are worn and the old houses holds more great things than souvenirs shops. There are lots of bars and clubs, with a thriving nightlife as a consequence. But there are also forgotten corners with dilapidated buildings and walls which just adds to the great atmosphere of Old Riga. UNESCO have been kind enough to enlist the historical part of Riga consisting of Old Town along with the 'newer' suburbs of Art Nouveau houses and wooden buildings in neoclassical style.

This 108 m tall monster of classic Soviet architecture is locally known as 'Stalin's birthday cake'. Officially is the Academy of Science, Zinātņu Akadēmija, but today it's less science with more space taken up by anyone from astrologists to private enterprises. It was built between 1953-56 and is similar to other Stalin-era skyscrapers like the Moscow State University, Palace of Culture in Warsaw and Hotel Ukrania in Kiev. It was completed without the Stalin portrait that was supposed to be a part the facade, for Stalin died during the construction in 1953 and was quickly disowned afterwards - but the Latvians were probably alright with that.

Riga is full of quirky sights. Take this not-so-small Soviet-era concrete monument. Erected in 1985 to honour the Soviet army's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Nazis were after all in more contempt than the Soviet occupation force, so this fine piece of communist art has been left alone.

Riga is the most shabby of the Baltic capitals. The city center still has a fair share of depressing Soviet concrete apartment blocks with neglected courtyards. They were, and still are, working class neighbourhoods with a diverse population of rough looking drunks, old people in drab clothes and young stylish mums in high heels. The few shops are small and their selection haven't been upgraded since the Soviet times, or so it seems. A wander around in one of these concrete ghettos makes a fascinating reality check that the Baltic nations haven't fully stepped out of their dark past.