The whole of Latvia is a travel challenge, with the most important pillars of its tourism being culture -indicatively, we mention its monuments, castles, mansions, arts, crafts and intangible heritage-, its beautiful nature, local cuisine, but also the opportunity that the country offers to live unforgettable travel experiences, including staying in a prison cell! Today, it is one of the three Baltic countries, along with Estonia and Lithuania, while until 1991 it belonged to the Federal Republics of the former USSR. The current independent state of NE Europe has a total area of 64.589 sq. km. -equivalent to almost half the area of Greece- and a population approaching 2 million, a ratio that makes the country rather sparsely populated, with a population density that is among the lowest in Europe.
Inversely proportional to its population and size is its rich and turbulent history, which is vividly reflected in its impressive monuments, its diverse nature, the puzzle of which is completed by vast beaches, mountains and forests of astonishing beauty, lakes and rivers that constitute wetlands of international importance, as well as its architectural identity, which is sealed by the uniqueness of one of the world's largest concentrations of Art Nouveau buildings, which adorn the capital Riga.
After all, since gaining its independence, Latvia has been trying to shake off its Soviet past - which in no way means that Latvians do not honor and respect their history - while at the same time rediscovering its architectural history, aspiring to become an economically prosperous democracy, on the model of Western European states and pursuing a European present and future, within the framework of which its dynamic presence in the travel scene of Europe and beyond is also part of it.
The multifaceted Riga
The doll-like capital Riga, characterized by its high quality of life, has rightfully been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, and it steals the show with its labyrinthine, cobbled streets, its emblematic squares, and the Daugava River, the watery boundary between the Old and New Towns. Houses with colorful facades, elegant hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues, which have nothing to envy from those in the rest of Europe, characterize the historic center of the city, which is undoubtedly the most vibrant and cosmopolitan in the Baltics.
Latvia is a country that loves authenticity and tradition, however, this does not prevent it from having adopted some Western influences, which further reinforce the fact that it is the entire country, but especially its capital, an ideal destination for an unforgettable long weekend. The multifaceted Riga exudes a welcome positive energy and is sure to monopolize your time, as its list of attractions is long and extremely interesting.
The Dome Cathedral, with its characteristic red bricks, is a landmark for the capital, and the homonymous square, Dome Square, is not only the largest in the Old Town, but also the heart of the entire Riga, as all activities meet here, through the seven streets that converge like arteries at this point. The Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and summarizes the city's long-standing historical, architectural, cultural and artistic heritage, since it was built in the early 13th century, by the Bishop of Riga Albert. As for Dome Square, its development began in the late 19th century, when many pre-existing buildings were demolished to make way for the church, and its construction was completed in 1936.
The magnificent House of the Blackheads, on Town Hall Square, is also one of Riga's top attractions, preserving and showcasing both the unique historical heritage of the legendary Blackheads Brotherhood and the history of Riga itself. The square also hosts the monument that reminds everyone that here, historically, the world's first decorated Christmas tree can be found!
A visit to the Quiet Center district, just a 10-minute walk from the Old Town, is also a must, where the most famous and remarkable buildings in Art Nouveau architecture, an art style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for which the Latvian capital is a true Mecca, are concentrated, crowned by Alberta Iela - "iela" means "street" -, eight of the houses of which have been recognized as architectural monuments of national significance. The Church of St. Peter is the tallest in Riga and at the same time one of the oldest and most remarkable buildings of medieval monumental architecture in the Baltic countries. The panoramic view of the city from the 57-meter-high bell tower of the church includes medieval and modern Riga, the Daugava River with the harbor, as well as the building of the National Library of Latvia or the Castle of Light, as it is also called. It is located on the left bank of the Daugava and opened its gates in August 2014, designed by the world-famous Latvian architect Gunārs Birkerts. Visible from St. Peter's is the impressive Riga Central Market, which when it first opened in 1930 was recognized as the largest, best and most modern in Europe. Its iconic buildings, originally built as hangars for the German army's Zeppelins, today serve as market stalls, often called the "belly" of the city, since here you can buy almost everything the Latvian countryside has to offer, from fish, vegetables and fruits, to honey and flowers.
Rundale Palace and Museum
Rundale Palace is one of the most important reasons to leave the capital Riga, even for a while. It is perched on the fertile plains of Zemgale, in the south of Latvia, and most of its interior decorations were created between 1765 and 1768, when a sculptor from Berlin, Johann Michael Graff, and Italian painters from St. Petersburg, Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi, worked on the palace. The halls in the east wing of the palace - the Gold Hall, the White Hall and the Great Gallery - are open to the public, the central square is home to the Duke's Suite, with reception rooms and private rooms, while the eastern square is a fully renovated suite of Duchess' rooms. The Rundale Museum’s exhibition spaces feature exhibitions of applied art, fine art and historical exhibits, and the Museum has even joined the Union of Royal Residences of Europe, an organization that brings together the most prominent palaces in Europe, including Versailles, Schönbrunn and Sanssouci. Of course, like any self-respecting Baroque palace, Rundale is adorned with a French-style park with a garden overgrown with rose bushes, decorative flower beds, a fountain and the famous “green amphitheater”, all open to the public. The park - which in the summer becomes the hosting space for the Garden Festival - was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli along with the palace building and occupies only 10 hectares of land, a space that nevertheless proved capable of accommodating a complex labyrinth of alleys, intersecting paths, pergolas and thickets.
Kemeri National Park
Kemeri National Park, in the Jūrmala region, west of Riga, is of unique importance for its great biodiversity, mineral waters and therapeutic mud. The park stands out for its diverse canvas of wetlands, which are the ideal environment for mosses, lichens, fungi and marshes, with Great Kemeri being one of the largest of its kind in Latvia. Lake Kanieris, protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, is one of the best birdwatching sites in the park, and even has a birdwatching tower. The park also protects the famous natural springs and muds, which have been used for centuries due to their therapeutic properties, the existence of which led to the development of many resorts, thermal baths and health resorts during the 19th and 18th centuries, when the park was popular with patients from all over Europe, who came here for therapeutic sulfur baths and mud baths.
Exploring Sigulda
Sigulda is located in the heart of the primeval valley of the Gauja River. Due to the reddish Devonian sandstone, which forms steep cliffs and caves on both banks of the river, Sigulda is also called the "Switzerland of Vidzeme".
After the restoration of Latvian independence in 1991, emphasis was placed on preserving Sigulda's public monuments and parks, as well as improving the city's tourist profile. A traditional Opera Festival is held every summer in the ruins of the local Castle, the City Festival is celebrated in May, when the cherry trees bloom, while in autumn Sigulda is truly magical, as the colors of the tree foliage create an unreal scene.
Gauja National Park, in Vidzeme, is the largest national park in Latvia, with an area of 918 sq km, stretching from the NE of Sigulda to the SW of Cēsis, always along the Gauja River valley, from which it was named. The Park is adorned with more than 500 historical and cultural monuments, including hill forts, stone castles, churches, manor houses, watermills and windmills, all intertwined with legends and stories. The Park is home to almost 900 species of plants, 149 species of birds and 48 species of mammals, which fully justifies the fact that, since 2004, Gauja National Park has been part of the Natura 2000 Network, as a conservation area for protected species and habitats.
The recently reconstructed medieval Turaida Castle, in the Vidzeme region, on the opposite bank of the Gauja River from Sigulda, began construction in 1214 on the orders of the Archbishop of Riga Albert. After a fire in 1776, it was abandoned and gradually destroyed, reaching the beginning of the 20th century, when only some fragments of the defensive wall and a few other buildings, including the main tower, remained. Since 1976, regular archaeological excavations have been carried out, followed by restoration and conservation work, which have revealed the castle's earlier state. The renovated buildings present exhibitions on the history of the monument, while from the observation point of the main tower the view of the unique landscape of the picturesque Gauja Valley and the area of the Reserve Museum is unparalleled. Another excellent way to see not only Turaida Castle, but also Sigulda Castle, the Krimulda Manor and the entire valley and the Gauja River is the Sigulda Cable Car, which offers a unique experience.
If you are leaving Latvia and would like to take with you an authentic souvenir, identified with the country itself, this could be none other than Baltic amber or "Sunstone", as it is also called. It is one of the most valuable forms of amber, with more than 256 different shades, ranging from deep purple to the color of honey. Latvia, in addition to being a country that has amber, like the rest of the wider Baltic region, has been known for centuries as "Dzintarzeme" (Land of Amber), because it was once the most important commercial crossroads on the Amber Road, a trade route that transported Baltic Amber to the North, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, during the Middle Ages.
For this trip to magical Latvia, we warmly thank the Latvian travel agency Magnetic Latvia (www.latvia.travel) and the airline airBaltic (airbaltic.com).
