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

trade purposes. The Swedish Gate was called so in 1698 to celebrate Sweden’s occupation of the city. A legend tells of how a local girl, who fell selflessly in love with a Swedish soldier on duty near the Swedish Gate, was sealed within the City Walls by the gate as warning to others and a punishment for fraternizing with the soldier, something very much prohibited at the time. Apparently, any visitor, him or herself capable of selfless love, visiting the wall at midnight can still hear the unhappy girl whispering, “I love him.”

Market in Hangar

Riga Central Market is Europe's largest market and bazaar in Riga. It is one of the most notable structures from the 20th century in Latvia and has been included in UNESCO World Heritage Site list together with Old Riga in 1998. The main structures of the market are five pavilions constructed by reusing old German Zeppelin hangars and incorporating Neoclassicism and Art Deco styles. In the five pavilions, you can separately buy fishes, meat, dairy, articles of daily use, and agricultural products. Outside the pavilions, there are also many customers and you can buy all kinds of fruits, vegetables, local products, cheap clothes, flowers and so on. This market is open 24 hours a day. At night, you can eat bread and home-made cheese. You can even find pig heart, pig heads, pig ears and pig feet here. Chef Mārtins Sirmais said these ingredients originated from Russian cuisine but now people do not eat them anymore. He is a famous cook that usually appears on cuisine TV shows. He runs a restaurant located at wall of the Old City. The major ingredients he uses are fresh vegetables, fishes, and fruits, but he cooks them in a fantastic way.

New Art, New Life

New City of Riga is at the right bank of the peaceful canal of the city. Radisson is probably the tallest building at this area. Because of its unique shape, local residents do not like this hotel, but SkyBar at the top floor is a great place