Riga travel guide — Riga tourism and travel information

Riga travel guide

about Riga

Rīga (German: Riga, Estonian: Riia, Lithuanian: Ryga), situated on the Baltic Sea coast at the mouth of the Daugava river, is the capital of Latvia and a major regional port and industrial centre. Riga is the biggest city in the Baltic States. The city's population has fallen since Latvia's independence from 910,000 (in 1991) to 747,000 (in 2003). Only 42% of Riga's inhabitants are ethnic Latvians (2003).

Riga history

In 1158 AD Baltic-German traders founded a commercial settlement at Riga in Livland or Livonia. In 1201 German Archbishop Albert of Buxhoeveden-Bremen and Riga granted Riga city rights. Riga as well as Livonia and Prussia came under the protection of the Holy Roman (German) Empire, which included archbishops among its subordinate rulers. At the time of Martin Luther Livonia and Prussia became Protestant.

A member from 1282 of the powerful Hanseatic League of northern European trading cities, Riga employed German as its official language of administration until the imposition of Russian in 1891 (all birth, marriage and death records are in German until then). In 1900 Riga's population of 282,943 was composed of rougly 50% Baltic Germans, a quarter Latvians, and a quarter Russians.

After a period as a free city (1561-1581) Riga came under the rule of first the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and then Sweden (1621-1710) and subsequently Russia. After the region's terrible losses during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), Riga enjoyed rapid growth as a leading port and later industrial city of the rising Russian empire, its population doubling in the latter half of the 18th century and again in the first half of the 19th, and more than quadrupling in 1850-1900.

Near cities to Riga

• Jurmala travel guide 24 km
• Ogre travel guide 32 km
• Tukums travel guide 57 km
• Ligatne travel guide 65 km
• Cesis travel guide 80 km
• Joniskis travel guide 85 km
• Sabile travel guide 93 km
• Talsi travel guide 97 km
• Aloja travel guide 100 km
• Valdemarpils travel guide 100 km

Near webcams to Riga

• Riga webcam 0 km
• Riga webcam 1.0 km
• Pärnu webcam 160 km
• Kuressaare webcam 170 km
• Viljandi webcam 180 km
• Otepää webcam 190 km
• Voru webcam 200 km
• Tartu webcam 220 km
• Haapsalu webcam 220 km
• Paide webcam 230 km

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Riga travel services

cheap flights to Riga

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Riga travel insurance

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City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of Essential Travel Ltd., leading online travel insurance company, we can offer you health travel insurance for Riga, accident health Riga travel insurance, all using our online Riga travel insurance form. We also offer travel insurance for other cities in Latvia. This offer is available for UK residents only.

Riga real estate

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City Travel Guide comes with Riga real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Riga property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in Latvia, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Riga.

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Riga travel books

Riga travel guide books

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Riga maps and atlases

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