1.
Riga
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Riga is the capital and the largest city of Latvia. With 696,593 inhabitants, Riga is the largest city in the Baltic states, the city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Rigas territory covers 307.17 square kilometres and lies one and ten metres above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member, Rigas historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden, Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, and the 2006 IIHF Mens World Ice Hockey Championships. It is home to the European Unions office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, Riga is served by Riga International Airport, the largest airport in the Baltic states. Riga is a member of Eurocities, the Union of the Baltic Cities, another theory could be that Riga was named after Riege, the German name for the River Rīdzene, a tributary of the Daugava. The river Daugava has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Vikings Dvina-Dnieper navigation route to Byzantium. A sheltered natural harbour 15 km upriver from the mouth of the Daugava — the site of todays Riga — has been recorded, as Duna Urbs and it was settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe. Riga began to develop as a centre of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages, Rigas inhabitants occupied themselves mainly with fishing, animal husbandry, and trading, later developing crafts. German traders began visiting Riga, establishing a nearby outpost in 1158, along with German traders also arrived the monk Meinhard of Segeberg to convert the Livonian pagans to Christianity. Catholic and Orthodox Christianity had already arrived in Latvia more than a century earlier, Meinhard settled among the Livs, building a castle and church at Ikšķile, upstream from Riga, and established his bishopric there. The Livs, however, continued to practice paganism and Meinhard died in Ikšķile in 1196, in 1198, the Bishop Berthold arrived with a contingent of crusaders and commenced a campaign of forced Christianization. Berthold was killed soon afterwards and his forces defeated, pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians. Bishop Albert was proclaimed Bishop of Livonia by his uncle Hartwig of Uthlede, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen, Albert landed in Riga in 1200 with 23 ships and 500 Westphalian crusaders. In 1201, he transferred the seat of the Livonian bishopric from Ikšķile to Riga, the year 1201 also marked the first arrival of German merchants in Novgorod, via the Dvina. To defend territory and trade, Albert established the Order of Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202, open to nobles, in 1207, Albert started on fortification of the town. Emperor Philip invested Albert with Livonia as a fief and principality of the Holy Roman Empire, until then, it had been customary for crusaders to serve for a year and then return home
2.
Latvia
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Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64,589 km2. The country has a seasonal climate. Latvia is a parliamentary republic established in 1918. The capital city is Riga, the European Capital of Culture 2014, Latvia is a unitary state, divided into 119 administrative divisions, of which 110 are municipalities and 9 are cities. Latvians and Livs are the people of Latvia. Latvian and Lithuanian are the two surviving Baltic languages. Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries, the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language, Latvia and Estonia share a long common history. Until World War II, Latvia also had significant minorities of ethnic Germans, Latvia is historically predominantly Protestant Lutheran, except for the Latgale region in the southeast, which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic. The Russian population has brought a significant portion of Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Republic of Latvia was founded on 18 November 1918, however, its de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II. The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation of Soviet rule and it ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990, and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991. Latvia is a democratic and developed country and member of the European Union, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, CBSS, the IMF, NB8, NIB, OECD, OSCE, and WTO. For 2014, Latvia was listed 46th on the Human Development Index and it used the Latvian lats as its currency until it was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014. The name Latvija is derived from the name of the ancient Latgalians, one of four Indo-European Baltic tribes, henry of Latvia coined the Latinisations of the countrys name, Lettigallia and Lethia, both derived from the Latgalians. The terms inspired the variations on the name in Romance languages from Letonia. Around 3000 BC, the ancestors of the Latvian people settled on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The Balts established trade routes to Rome and Byzantium, trading local amber for precious metals, by 900 AD, four distinct Baltic tribes inhabited Latvia, Curonians, Latgalians, Selonians, Semigallians, as well as the Livonians speaking a Finnic language
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Riga Cathedral
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This article is about the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of Riga. See other articles for the Roman Catholic cathedral and the Orthodox cathedral, Riga Cathedral is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Riga, the cathedral is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Latvia, and is featured in or the subject of paintings, photographs and television travelogues. Like all of the ancient churches of the city, it is known for its weathercock, the church is commonly called the Dome Cathedral, a tautology as the word Dome comes from the German Dom meaning cathedral. Built near the River Daugava in 1211 by Livonian Bishop Albert of Riga and it has undergone many modifications in the course of its history. David Caspari was rector of the school in the late 17th century. His son Georg Caspari also served at the cathedral, religious services were prohibited during the Soviet occupation from 1959 to 1989, and the cathedral was used as a concert hall. In 2011 the copper roofing above the nave was replaced, in 2015 the tower exterior was also re-plated and its wooden support structure renewed. The organ of the Riga Cathedral was built by E. F. Walcker & Sons of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in 1882–83 and it has four manuals and one pedalboard. It plays 116 voices,124 stops,144 ranks, and 6718 pipes and it includes 18 combinations and General Crescendo. A tape of Latvian composer Lūcija Garūta playing the organ for a cantata during World War II captured the sound of battle nearby, the Riga Dom Cathedral Boys Choir has performed internationally, recording the Riga Mass by Uģis Prauliņš and other works. List of cathedrals in Latvia Riga Cathedral official website Riga Cathedral official website in English Photographs of the Riga Cathedral
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St. Peter's Church, Riga
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St. Peters Church is a Lutheran church in Riga, the capital of Latvia, dedicated to Saint Peter. It is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. First mention of the St. Peters Church is in records dating to 1209, the church was a masonry construction and therefore undamaged by a city fire in Riga that year. The history of the church can be divided into three periods, two associated with Gothic and Romanesque building styles, the third with the early Baroque period. The middle section of the church was built during the 13th century, the only remnants of this period are located in the outer nave walls and on the inside of a few pillars in the nave, around which larger pillars were later built. The second period dates to 1408–09, when master builders Johannes Rumeschottel from Rostock supervised the construction of the sanctuary, the sanctuary was almost finished by 1409, but due to the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War it was completed and dedicated only in 1419. Other construction work was interrupted by the plague in 1420 and resumed in the 1430s, the 13th-century church was reconstructed in 1456–66 to conform to the newly built sanctuary. Both constructions were joined in the 1470s, thereby creating a mighty basilica with three aisles and ornate vaulted ceilings, the old bell tower was replaced in 1456, and a bell was hung in the new tower in 1477. A136 metres octagonal steeple was added to the tower in 1491, the tower collapsed 11 March 1666, destroying a neighboring building and burying eight people in the rubble. The cornerstone for a new tower was laid 29 June 1667, the third period of construction dates to 1671–90, with the construction of the western facade and the new tower. The roof, vaulted ceilings and furnishings were also renovated during this time, jacob Josten, the Dutch-born master builder of Riga, designed the tower and supervised its construction, which was begun April 1671 by the master mason Heinrich Henicke. Josten was replaced in 1675 by Rupert Bindenschu, the master builder of Riga. The tower was completed in 1677, but it, along with the interior, were destroyed already 21 May 1677. First service in the church took place 14 September 1679. Renovation of the tower began 1686 and was designed by the city engineer Friedrich S. von Dahlen, the city council did not approve of the half-finished steeple, and so it was torn down in 1688. A new 64.5 metres copper-roofed steeple, designed by Bindenshu, was then built, a sphere and rooster were set atop the steeple 10 May 1690. This tower was the tallest wooden construction in Europe at the time, the western facade of the church was also altered in the later 17th century. The brick construction was covered with limestone from Salaspils and Koknese
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St. John's Church, Riga
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St. Johns Church is a Lutheran church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 24 Skārņu Street, the window, with others, was installed around 1900. The church is built on the site of the palace of Albert of Riga. In 1234 Dominican friars took responsibility for the small chapel. It was extended around 1330, and continued as a Dominican chapel and parish church until 1523, and it continued as a parish church of the reformed Evangelical Lutheran Church. From 1587 there was expansion of the church, in stages. The church suffered damage in Rigas great city fire of 31 May 1677. The church is a place of worship, with more than a thousand registered members. It is also a popular tourist venue, and is open to visitors when guides are available. The church is used as a concert venue, due to its large size
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