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
3.
World Heritage Site
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A World Heritage Site is a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations, specifically by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some form of significance. UNESCO regards these sites as being important to the interests of humanity. The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common culture, under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The program was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the Worlds Cultural and Natural Heritage, since then,192 state parties have ratified the convention, making it one of the most adhered to international instruments. As of July 2016,1052 sites are listed,814 cultural,203 natural, in 1959, the governments of Egypt and Sudan requested UNESCO to assist their countries to protect and rescue the endangered monuments and sites. In 1960, the Director-General of UNESCO launched an appeal to the Member States for an International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, the campaign, which ended in 1980, was considered a success. The project cost $80 million, about $40 million of which was collected from 50 countries, the projects success led to other safeguarding campaigns, saving Venice and its lagoon in Italy, the ruins of Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan, and the Borobodur Temple Compounds in Indonesia. UNESCO then initiated, with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the United States initiated the idea of cultural conservation with nature conservation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature developed similar proposals in 1968, the Convention came into force on 17 December 1975. As of June 2016, it has been ratified by 192 states, including 188 UN member states plus the Cook Islands, the Holy See, Niue, a country must first list its significant cultural and natural sites, the result is called the Tentative List. A country may not nominate sites that have not been first included on the Tentative List, next, it can place sites selected from that list into a Nomination File. The Nomination File is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and these bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. There are ten selection criteria – a site must meet at least one of them to be included on the list, up to 2004, there were six criteria for cultural heritage and four criteria for natural heritage. In 2005, this was modified so there is now only one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of outstanding value and meet at least one of the ten criteria. Thus, the Geneva Convention treaty promulgates, Article 53, PROTECTION OF CULTURAL OBJECTS AND OF PLACES OF WORSHIP. There are 1,052 World Heritage Sites located in 165 States Party, of these,814 are cultural,203 are natural and 35 are mixed properties
4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
Latvian language
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Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It was previously known in English as Lettish which remains the standard today in various forms in most other Germanic languages, there are about 1.3 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and 100,000 abroad. Altogether,2 million, or 80% of the population of Latvia, of those,1.16 million or 56% use it as their primary language at home. The use of the Latvian language in areas of social life in Latvia is increasing. Latvian is a Baltic language and is most closely related to Lithuanian, in addition there is some disagreement whether Latgalian and New Curonian, which are mutually intelligible with Latvian, should be considered varieties or separate languages. Latvian first appeared in Western print in the century with the reproduction of the Lords Prayer in Latvian in Sebastian Münsters Cosmographia Universalis. Latvian belongs to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family and it is one of two living Baltic languages with an official status. The Baltic languages are of particular interest to linguists because they retain many archaic features believed to have present in the early stages of the Proto-Indo-European language. There is some evidence to suggest the existence of a Balto-Slavic language group after the break-up of Proto-Indo-European, there exist a number of Baltic words that are similar to Sanskrit or Latin and which lack counterparts in Slavic languages. Latvian, Lithuanian, Armenian, Albanian, Slavic and Indo-Iranian languages are grouped as satem languages, while the possession of many archaic features is undeniable, the exact manner by which the Baltic languages have developed from the Proto-Indo-European language is not clear. According to some speculations, the Eastern Baltic languages split from Western Baltic between 400 and 600. The differentiation between Lithuanian and Latvian started after 800, with a period of being one language. At a minimum, transitional dialects existed until the 14th century or 15th century and this process of consolidation started in the 13th century after the Livonian Crusade and forced christianization. These tribes came under Livonian rule thus forming a political, economic. The oldest known examples of written Latvian are from a 1530 translation of a made by Nikolaus Ramm. Until the 19th century, the Latvian language was influenced by the German language. In the middle of the 19th century the First Latvian National Awakening was started, led by “Young Latvians” who popularized the use of Latvian language, participants to this movement laid the foundations for standard Latvian and also popularized the Latvianization of loan words. However, in the 1880s, when Czar Alexander III came into power, during this period, some Latvian scholars even suggested adopting Cyrillic for use in Latvian
6.
Daugava
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The River Daugava or Western Dvina is a river rising in the Valdai Hills, Russia, flowing through Russia, Belarus, and Latvia and into the Gulf of Riga. The total length of the river is 1,020 km,325 km in Russia,338 km in Belarus, within Latvia it flows through Latgale, Zemgale, Vidzeme and Riga, before flowing into the Gulf of Riga. The total catchment area of the river is 87,900 km2,33,150 km2 of which are within Belarus. According to the Max Vasmers Etymological Dictionary, the toponym Dvina clearly cannot stem from a Uralic language, the river began experiencing environmental deterioration in the era of Soviet collective agriculture and a wave of hydroelectric power projects. Ruba, Vitebsk, Beshankovichy, Polotsk with Boris stones strewn in the vicinity, Navapolatsk, Dzisna, Verkhnedvinsk, krāslava, Daugavpils, Līvāni, Jēkabpils, Pļaviņas, Aizkraukle, Jaunjelgava, Lielvārde, Kegums, Ogre, Ikšķile, Salaspils and Riga. Beginning around the sixth century AD, Viking explorers crossed the Baltic Sea and entered the Daugava River, in medieval times the Daugava was an important navigation trading route for transport of furs from the north and Byzantine silver. In Belarus, water pollution of the Daugava is considered severe, with the chief sources being treated wastewater, fish-farming. Daugava River photos at flickr Richard C, francis W. Carter and David Turnock. Environmental problems of East Central Europe
7.
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
8.
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
9.
UNESCO
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations based in Paris. It is the heir of the League of Nations International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation, UNESCO has 195 member states and nine associate members. Most of its offices are cluster offices covering three or more countries, national and regional offices also exist. UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs, education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and it is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. UNESCO and its mandate for international cooperation can be traced back to a League of Nations resolution on 21 September 1921, on 18 December 1925, the International Bureau of Education began work as a non-governmental organization in the service of international educational development. However, the work of predecessor organizations was largely interrupted by the onset of World War II. On 30 October 1943, the necessity for an organization was expressed in the Moscow Declaration, agreed upon by China, the United Kingdom, the United States. This was followed by the Dumbarton Oaks Conference proposals of 9 October 1944, a prominent figure in the initiative for UNESCO was Rab Butler, the Minister of Education for the United Kingdom. At the ECO/CONF, the Constitution of UNESCO was introduced and signed by 37 countries, the Preparatory Commission operated between 16 November 1945, and 4 November 1946—the date when UNESCOs Constitution came into force with the deposit of the twentieth ratification by a member state. The first General Conference took place between 19 November to 10 December 1946, and elected Dr. Julian Huxley to Director-General and this change in governance distinguished UNESCO from its predecessor, the CICI, in how member states would work together in the organizations fields of competence. In 1956, the Republic of South Africa withdrew from UNESCO claiming that some of the organizations publications amounted to interference in the racial problems. South Africa rejoined the organization in 1994 under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, UNESCOs early work in the field of education included the pilot project on fundamental education in the Marbial Valley, Haiti, started in 1947. This project was followed by missions to other countries, including, for example. In 1948, UNESCO recommended that Member States should make free primary education compulsory, in 1990, the World Conference on Education for All, in Jomtien, Thailand, launched a global movement to provide basic education for all children, youths and adults. Ten years later, the 2000 World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, UNESCOs early activities in culture included, for example, the Nubia Campaign, launched in 1960. The purpose of the campaign was to move the Great Temple of Abu Simbel to keep it from being swamped by the Nile after construction of the Aswan Dam, during the 20-year campaign,22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated. This was the first and largest in a series of campaigns including Mohenjo-daro, Fes, Kathmandu, Borobudur, the organizations work on heritage led to the adoption, in 1972, of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Committee was established in 1976 and the first sites inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978, since then important legal instruments on cultural heritage and diversity have been adopted by UNESCO member states in 2003 and 2005
10.
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
11.
House of the Blackheads (Riga)
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House of the Blackheads is a building situated in the old town of Riga, Latvia. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornamentations. The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28,1941, the current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Media related to House of Blackheads at Wikimedia Commons
12.
Riga Castle
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Riga Castle is a castle on the banks of River Daugava in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The castle was founded in 1330 and its structure was thoroughly rebuilt between 1497 and 1515. Upon the castles seizure by the Swedes, they constructed spacious annexes in 1641, the fortress was continually augmented and reconstructed between the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometime in the 1930s, some work was done by architect Eižens Laube. The Latvian government declared the castle its residence in 1938, today it is the official residence of the President of Latvia as well as home to several museums. Due to constant conflict with Rigans the Order chose to build a new castle beyond the borders of the rather than to rebuild the original castle. The site occupied by Convent of the Saint Spirit – a hospital and shelter for the poor – was chosen, the Rigans eventually lost the fight and were forced to rebuild the castle – the restoration was finished in 1515. After the Union of Wilno order ceased to exist in 1561 the Castle became Lithuanian, Riga came under Swedish rule and the Castle was used to house Swedish administration. After the city came under the Russian Empire in the early 18th century, since 1922 the castle became residence of the President of Latvia. After Soviet occupation the castle housed Council of People Commissars of Latvian SSR in 1940–1941, in 1941 the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union moved into northern part of the castle, which therefore became known as the Pioneer Castle. Several museums are housed in the part of the castle. After the independence of Latvia was restored the northern part of the Castle again became the residence of the President of Latvia, the original Castle was a three-floor building which enclosed a rectangular courtyard and had four rectangular towers in its corners. After the Castle was demolished in 1484 it was rebuilt with two towers replaced by round towers following the latest developments of military technologies, the Castle experienced vast development during 17th century when it was almost constantly under construction. In 1682 Arsenal was attached to the castle, it was torn down one hundred years later. The builders who worked on the reconstruction of the Riga Castle, around 22,21 on the night of 20 June 2013, fire broke out in the castle and the firefighters were called in. The castle was guarded by the military police, after midnight authorities declared the fire reached the highest level, being seen across the Daugava river. Shortly before 2 a. m, the roof of the castle was no longer visible, at 3,53 in the morning the source of the fire was spotted, and at 4,45 a. m. the traffic was restored on the embankment 11. Novembra, between Akmens and Vanšu bridges, the Riga agency of State Fire and Rescue Service gathered all resources available, including aid from the Jūrmala fire department
13.
Riga City Council
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Riga City Council is the government of Riga City, the capital of Latvia. It is located in the Riga Town Hall at the Town Hall Square in the heart of Riga. The Riga City Council consisting of 60 councillors who are elected every 4 years is established on the basis of party factions. The Presidium of the Riga City Council consists of the Chairman of the Riga City Council, the heads of Riga, representing the town inhabitants, were mentioned in documents already in 1210. It is unknown when the first town council was formed, in the 13th century the town council governed the town and acted as legislature, but in the 14th century – also as a judicial authority. However, an assembly of Riga inhabitants preserved a great role in settling important. The post of councilman position actually became a lifelong post, the rights of the town council were restricted after Riga became subordinate to the King of Poland and Lithuania, Stefan Báthory. Disagreements between the Riga Town Council and guilds about the right of governing the town became aggravated at the end of the 16th century and it reached its culmination during the so-called “Calendar Unrests”, though the town council maintained its dominance. Discordance flared up again in the first half of the 17th century when guilds managed to support from Sweden which governed Riga at that time. After Riga fell into the jurisdiction of Russia, it became a province center, however, the town council, representing the interests of the German nobility, tried to preserve its influence in Riga. With alternating success it managed to do so by 1889, an administrative town reform took place in Russia in 1870, reaching also Riga in 1877. The City Council and the City Board were formed, and the City Mayor was elected, during the Independent Republic of Latvia Riga was officially recognized as the capital of Latvia, with the Riga City Council governing it. After the governmental overturn of 1934, the Cabinet of Ministers became the head of the city, after the Soviet occupation in 1940, administrative structure of Riga was reorganized. A provisional Executive Committee was formed, in 1941, the city was divided into six districts to facilitate police surveillance and management of nationalized properties. Such a system was preserved also after World War II, from time to time the number of districts, the Deputy Council of Working People governed Riga. It was elected once in two years, the Council elected the Executive Committee. In reality these procedures were formal, and the city administration realized decisions inspired by the totalitarian regime’s leading organs. The process of restructuring started on February 15,1990 with the adopted by the Supreme Council on the local governments of rural municipalities, regions, towns
14.
Neighbourhoods in Riga
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The borders of the micro regions only partly coincide with the borders of the districts and suburbs, and common borders were only at an initial stage. Historically, even smaller micro region divisions were used, an example would be Spilve, that consisted of Beķermuiža, Krēmeri, Voleri, Rātsupe and Liela muiža. The fact, that smaller regions had no officially existing borders often created trouble as the interpretation of them among inhabitants. 2008, the Riga City Council Development Agency began work on the new Riga regions and this plan is not yet officially confirmed, but when it is, Riga will consist of 58 neighbourhoods, each with its own centre, its own unique architectural form and landscape. However, they are not intended to be a form of administrative division
15.
Dzirciems
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Dzirciems is a Riga neighbourhood located in the Pārdaugava side of Riga. It mainly consists of Soviet-style apartment buildings built in the 1970s, M. Darza street Konsula street Skriveru street Slokas street Jurmalas Blv. Vidusskola Riga Stradiņš University Maxima Rimi Statoil Mego Maxima Mego Statoil Neste
16.
Katlakalns
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Katlakalns is a neighbourhood of Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is linked to Ķengarags and Maskavas forštate by the Southern Bridge erected in 2004-2008, katlakalns village of Ķekava parish also belongs to this neighborhood
17.
Ziepniekkalns
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Ziepniekkalns is a neighborhood of Riga, Latvia. It is located in the Pārdaugava section of Riga close to the southern border. Ziepniekkalns is the latest out of all Rigas neighborhoods and it was built in the late 1980s and early 1990s and mostly consists of Soviet-built 10 story apartment buildings. However, there are many older buildings in Ziepniekkalns constructed in the early 1960s. There is a major contrast between older 3 story buildings and newer 10 story ones, in the mid-1990s, route 19 trolleybus was extended to the heart of new Ziepniekkalns and now terminates at the IKI supermarket. The bus route 40 runs through the city center to Jugla
Media related to Vecrīga at Wikimedia Commons
