A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Riga, Latvia’s capital, is set on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava. This provided it with a strategic position at the crossroads of trade routes.
Founded in 1201, Riga was a member of the Hanseatic League, commonly known as The Hansa. This was a medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Riga is also known for its wooden buildings, art nouveau architecture, and medieval Old Town.
Stunning architecture as we sailed into port.
Riga has the largest concentration of buildings designed in the Jugendstil style in the world. Most buildings date from between 1904 -1914.
St. Peter's Church tower
The House of the Blackheads in the old town of Riga. The original building (the largest public building in Riga) was erected in 1334 as a warehouse, meeting and celebration place for merchants.
From mid-15th century it was also used by the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried merchants, shipowners and foreigners. Additionally, it is the site of the first decorated Christmas tree, which was erected in 1510.
Close-up of either side of the doorway above:
We started out for a tour and a snack at Mentzendorff's house, a typical merchant's house situated in a 17th century building in the Old Town.
The Central Marketplace has very large buildings which look like
airplane hangers. They were used to store zeppelins during the war.
Produce was for sale - everywhere - piled high and spread out on tables.
Latvians apparently love to go mushrooming, so there were many booths selling these unusual yellow-orange funnel-shaped mushrooms called Gailene (Chanterelle) that looked like a melted candle. They are also found in groups, so if you find a patch, you've found a lot of them.
Notably pricey in other countries, one reason these mushrooms are prized is that worms don't like them.
But there were also many other items for sale, from suitcases to hats to lingerie.
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