Riga, Latvia's capital and international gateway is considered to be the cultural center of the three Baltic Republics.
Not to be confused with the Balkans, the three Baltic Republics, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, bordering northern Europe's Baltic Sea, were the most European of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Since 1991 and the dissolution of the USSR, all three have become independent republics and, most recently, proud new members of NATO. Their joyous relief at coming out from under the Soviet umbrella and their eagerness to show off their varied and fascinating cultures--long hidden behind an iron veil--are evident in their efforts to share them with the West and America in particular.
A turbulent history of both military and cultural invasions by Vikings, Roman legions, crusading Teutonic knights, imperial Russian armies, and most recently by Panzer divisions and annexation by Soviet Russia has left a unique legacy in all three countries of marvelously preserved and restored medieval castles and each capital city enriched by an "Old Town" of wonderfully diverse architecture and great historic interest.
A good place to begin an exploration of these newly rediscovered treasures is Latvia, the middle republic. Riga, Latvia's capital and international gateway is considered to be the cultural center of the Baltics. This ancient city is noted for what many consider to be the finest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe as well as its guildhalls and churches. In the 13th to 15th centuries, Riga was a major center of the Hanseatic League, a powerful association of merchants trading with Central and Eastern Europe. Riga prospered from its trade. Its Old Town-- historically its Medieval center--reflects this period in its architecture, although most of its earlier buildings have been destroyed by fire and war. In the 19th century it once again became a very important economic center, and the suburbs of the Medieval town were rebuilt, first in classical style wooden buildings and then in Jugendstil, a highly decorative movement of the late 19th century originating in Germany around Munich and expressed in voluptuous illustrations, typography, furniture and architecture.
The so-called Medieval section of the old city contains a great variety of architectural styles, ranging from classical, Gothic and Art Nouveau to Russian Proletariat to modern. While there is still architectural evidence of the years under Russian occupation--neighborhoods of grim block-like apartment complexes and the Academy of Sciences ("Stalin's Birthday Cake") building--much restoration is underway, and the results are very much worth exploring on foot. Many parts of the old town have been made traffic-free and, in fact, Brivibas bulvaris (Freedom Boulevard) is a pedestrian walkway that separates this section of town from the newer areas. Riga once was a fortified city, walled in by high ramparts with turrets and fortified gates. These walls were eventually torn down, though a few small sections remain with the so-called Swedish Gate being the oldest remaining portion and the Powder Tower perhaps the best preserved. While the walls were built between the 13th and 16th centuries, the Swedish Gate dates back to 1698 to mark the Scandinavians' occupation of Riga.
