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... About sightseeing in Riga.

George Gordon Byron said: «He who loves not his city, can love nothing»

Riga is located on the banks of the Daugava, a full, wide river which flows into the Baltic Sea. Riga, the capital of Latvija and one of the biggest cities of this country, was founded by Bishop Albert in 1201.This year is accepted as the year of birth of Riga. In 1225, Riga was granted the rights of a city. In 1282 Riga joined the Hanseatic League. In the course of its lifetime Riga has heard the clash of Polish, Swedish, Russian, German swords. Every turn of history left marks in the architectuak image of the ancient part of the city.

The oldest and most beatiful part of Riga occupies 60 ha.Many of its historical and architectual monuments have survived to this day.The Dome Cathedral is the most famous of them. It has become a symbol of the Old town of Riga.The construction of it started in 1211 and completed in 1270. The spire was 140 metres high and it was the highest spire in the city, but after reconstruction in 1776 the tower acquired the present height of 90 metres. The famous organ of Dome was made in 1884. At that time it was the biggest in the world. It has 6718 pipes (трубы).

St.Peter`s Church was first mentioned in 1209. It was built as the main church of the town and it is said to be the best sample of Gothic architecture in the Baltics. But church tower had quite a bad luck. For the first time it was collapsed in 1666. It was burnt down several times and was restored only in 1971. Nowadays from the observation platform in the tower you can enjoy bird`s-eye view of Riga.

St. Jacob`s Church is the one of the oldest churhes in Riga. It was first mentioned in 1226. It was built as a church for suburb`s people. Now it is called Catholic Cathedral.

The Riga castle was built by the Sword Order. It was first mentioned in 1209. It was destroyed and the present building was completed by 1515. Today it is the official residence of the president of latvia and 3 museums are housed there.

Also in the tourist guide you can find information about the Anglican Chursch, «Three Brothers» ensemble, «Swedish Gate», the Powder Tower and the Bastion Hill. The last is the remains of the Sand Bastion that was a part of Riga fortification system.Later this place was turned into a city park with a canal and planted greenery.

The monument of Liberty takes a cpecial place in the history of Latvia. It is the spiritual centre of the nation, a symbol of people`s longing for independence.It was biult in 1935 with the help of people`s donations. The author of the project was an outstanding Latvian sculptor Karlis Zale. The image of liberty, holding 3 stars in stretched hands symbolizes unity of the country.

The parks and gardens of Riga occupy 660 ha.The oldest is Viestura garden. The other sights of Riga you shouldn`t miss when you visit Riga are: the National Opera and Ballet House (called White House), the National Theatre, Museum of the History of Riga, the Grand Guild Hall.

In Riga`s present face each historical epoch can beeasily traced by special types of building, by their architectual and decorative features.You may come across different styles.