Riga, Heart of Freedom

Owing to its clean natural environment and advantageous geographical location, Riga is the most important city beside the Baltic Sea. The 800 years old city has numerous buildings, all constructed in different style, and an abundance of culture. It is definitely worth visiting.

Release time : 2017-03-02 16:18:00

source : Lonely Planet

Owing to its clean natural environment and advantageous geographical location, Riga is the most important city beside the Baltic Sea. The 800 years old city has numerous buildings, all constructed in different style, and an abundance of culture. It is definitely worth visiting.

There is a legend about the origin of the city. Once upon a time, a long ago, before the city of Riga was founded, a tall strong man named Lielais Kristaps (Big Christopher) carried people across the Daugava River. Kristaps lived in a cabin on right bank of the river. While sleeping at night, Kristaps heard a small child crying on the other side of the river. He immediately rose to fetch the child, and began to carry it across the river. Half way across, the child became so heavy that Kristaps barely managed to get to the other bank. Exhausted, he laid the child down to sleep in his shack, and fell asleep himself. The following morning Kristaps awoke to find a large chest of gold coins where the child had been. Upon his death, the money was used to found the city of Riga, the first building was built on the spot where Kristaps cabin had once stood. Now, Daugava and a small canal divide the city into three parts.

Old Town, the Heart of Riga

The Freedom Monument is a memorial located in Riga, honoring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. Unveiled in 1935, the 42-metre high monument, constructed from granite, travertine, and copper, often serves as the focal point of public gatherings and official ceremonies in Riga. The sculptures and bas-reliefs of the monument, arranged in thirteen groups, depict Latvian culture and history. The core of the monument is composed of tetragonal shapes on top of each other, decreasing in size towards the top, completed by a 19-metre high travertine column bearing the copper figure of Liberty lifting three gilded stars.

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