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Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...
, on a flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the
2006 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second ...
,
2013 World Women's Curling Championship The 2013 World Women's Curling Championship (branded as the Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women's Curling Championship 2013 for sponsorship reasons) was held at the Volvo Sports Centre in Riga, Latvia from March 16 to 24. It marked the first time ...
and the
2021 IIHF World Championship The 2021 IIHF World Championship () took place from 21 May to 6 June 2021. It was originally to be co-hosted by Minsk, Belarus and Riga, Latvia, as the IIHF announced on 19 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany. Their joint bid won by a very tight margin ...
. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named the European Region of Gastronomy. In 2016, Riga received over 1.4 million visitors. The city is served by Riga International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the Baltic states. Riga is a member of Eurocities, the
Union of the Baltic Cities Union of the Baltic Cities (''UBC'') is a voluntary, proactive network mobilizing the shared potential of the member cities for democratic, economic, social, cultural and environmentally sustainable development of the Baltic Sea region. Origi ...
(UBC) and Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).


Etymology

There are numerous and speculative theories for the origin of the name ''Riga'': * It is an adapted borrowing from the Livonian ''ringa'' meaning loop, referring to the ancient natural harbour formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava River. * It could be derived from Riege, the German name for the River Rīdzene, a former tributary of the Daugava. * Bishop Albert claimed credit from his campaign to conquer and convert the local populace, as coming from the Latin ''rigata'' ("irrigated"), symbolising an "irrigation of dry pagan souls by Christianity". However, the most reliably documented explanation is the affirmation by German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610) that Riga's name comes from its already established role in trade: "''Riga nomen sortita est suum ab aedificiis vel horreis quorum a litus Dunae magna fuit copia, quas livones sua lingua Rias vocare soliti.''" ("Riga obtained its name from the buildings or warehouses found in great number along the banks of the Duna, which the Livs in their own language are accustomed to call Riae."). The "j" in Latvian ''rīja'' (REE-eh) hardened to a "g" in German. English geographer
Richard Hakluyt Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America'' (1582) and ''The Pri ...
(1589) corroborates this account, calling Riga ''Rie'', as pronounced in Latvian.


History


Founding

The river Daugava has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Vikings' Dvina–Dnieper navigation route to Byzantium.Bilmanis, A. Latvia as an Independent State. Latvian Legation. 1947. A sheltered natural harbour upriver from the mouth of the Daugava—the site of today's Riga—has been recorded, as ''Duna Urbs'', as early as the 2nd century. It was settled by the
Livs The Livonians, or Livs ( Livonian: ''līvlizt''; Estonian: ''liivlased''; Latvian: ''līvi'', ''lībieši''), are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to northern and northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian, a Uralic language ...
, a Finnic tribe. Riga began to develop as a centre of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages. Riga's inhabitants occupied themselves mainly with fishing,
animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...
, and trading, later developing crafts (in bone, wood, amber, and iron). The '' Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' testifies to Riga having long been a trading centre by the 12th century, referring to it as ''portus antiquus'' (ancient port), and describes dwellings and warehouses used to store mostly flax, and hides. German traders began visiting Riga, establishing a nearby outpost in 1158. Along with German traders the monk
Meinhard of Segeberg Saint Meinhard (b. 1134 or 1136 - died August 14 or October 11, 1196) was a German Augustinian canon regular and the first Bishop of Livonia. His life was described in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia. His body rests in the now-Lutheran Riga Cat ...
Vauchez et al. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2001 arrived to convert the Livonian pagans to Christianity. Catholic and Orthodox Christianity had already arrived in Latvia more than a century earlier, and many Latvians had been baptised. Meinhard settled among the Livs, building a castle and church at Uexküll (now known as Ikšķile), upstream from Riga, and established his bishopric there. The Livs, however, continued to practice
paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity, early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions ot ...
and Meinhard died in Uexküll in 1196, having failed in his mission.Germanis, U. The Latvian Saga. 10th ed. 1998. Memento, Stockholm. In 1198, the Bishop Berthold arrived with a contingent of crusaders and commenced a campaign of forced Christianisation. Berthold died soon afterwards and his forces were defeated. The Church mobilised to avenge this defeat. Pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians. Bishop Albert was proclaimed
Bishop of Livonia The Diocese of Livonia, later Roman Catholic Diocese of Inflanty was a territorial division of the Roman Catholic Church established in 1186 as the Diocese of Üxküll and promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Riga in 1255. Re-established afte ...
by his uncle Hartwig of Uthlede, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg in 1199. Albert landed in Riga in 1200 with 23 shipsLaffort, R. (censor), ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', Robert Appleton Co., 1907 and 500 Westphalian crusaders.Tolstoy-Miloslavsky, D. ''The Tolstoys: Genealogy and Origin''. A2Z, 1991 In 1201, he transferred the seat of the Livonian bishopric from Uexküll to Riga, extorting agreement to do this from the elders of Riga by force.


Under Bishop Albert

The year 1201 also marked the first arrival of German merchants in Novgorod, via the Dvina.Dollinger, P. ''The Emergence of International Business 1200–1800'', 1964; translated Macmillan and Co edition, 1970 To defend territoryReiner et al. ''Riga''. Axel Menges, Stuttgart. 1999. and trade, Albert established the Order of Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202, which was open to nobles and merchants. The Christianisation of the Livs continued. In 1207, Albert started to fortify the town.Zarina, D. ''Old Riga: Tourist Guide'', Spriditis, 1992 Emperor Philip invested Albert with Livonia as a fiefMoeller et al. History of the Christian Church. MacMillan & Co. 1893. and principality of the Holy Roman Empire. To promote a permanent military presence, territorial ownership was divided between the Church and the ''Order'', with the Church taking Riga and two-thirds of all lands conquered and granting the ''Order'' a third.Palmieri, A. ''Catholic Origin of Latvia'', ed. Cororan, J.A. et al. ''The American Catholic Quarterly Review'', Volume XLVI, January–October 1921. Philadelphia. Until then, it had been customary for crusaders to serve for a year and then return home. Albert had ensured Riga's commercial future by obtaining papal bulls which decreed that all German merchants had to carry on their Baltic trade through Riga. In 1211, Riga minted its first coinage, and Albert laid the cornerstone for the Riga Dom. Riga was not yet secure as an alliance of tribes failed to take Riga. In 1212, Albert led a campaign to compel Polotsk to grant German merchants free river passage. Polotsk conceded Kukenois ( Koknese) and Jersika to Albert, also ending the Livs' tribute to Polotsk.Kooper, E. ''The Medieval Chronicle'' V. Radopi, 2008. Riga's merchant citizenry chafed and sought greater autonomy from the Church. In 1221, they acquired the right to independently self-administer Riga and adopted a city constitution.Wright, C.T.H. ''The Edinburgh Review'', ''The Letts'', 1917 That same year Albert was compelled to recognise Danish rule over lands they had conquered in Estonia and Livonia.Murray, A., ''Crusade and Conversion on the Baltic Frontier, 1150–1500''. Ashgate, London. 2001. Albert had sought the aid of King Valdemar of Denmark to protect Riga and Livonian lands against Liv insurrection when reinforcements could not reach Riga. The Danes landed in Livonia, built a fortress at Reval ( Tallinn) and set about conquering Estonian and Livonian lands. The Germans attempted, but failed, to assassinate Valdemar."The Ecclesiastical Review", Vol. LVI. ''American Ecclesiastical Review''. Dolphin Press. 1917. Albert was able to reach an accommodation with them a year later, however, and in 1222 Valdemar returned all Livonian lands and possessions to Albert's control.Fonnesberg-Schmidt, I. ''The Popes and the Baltic Crusades, 1147–1254''. Brill. 2006. Albert's difficulties with Riga's citizenry continued; with papal intervention, a settlement was reached in 1225 whereby they no longer had to pay tax to the Bishop of Riga,Švābe, A., ed. Latvju Enciklopēdija. Trīs Zvaigznes, Stockholm. 1953–1955 (in Latvian) and Riga's citizens acquired the right to elect their magistrates and town councillors. In 1226, Albert consecrated the Dom Cathedral, built St. James's Church, (now a cathedral) and founded a parochial school at the Church of St. George. In 1227, Albert conquered OeselFletcher, R.A., ''The Conversion of Europe: From Paganism to Christianity, 371–1386AD''. Harper Collins. 1991. and the city of Riga concluded a treaty with the Principality of Smolensk giving Polotsk to Riga.Michell, Thomas. ''Handbook for Travelers in Russia, Poland, and Finland''. London, John Murray, 1888. Albert died in January 1229.Fonnesberg-Schmidt, I., ''The Popes and the Baltic Crusades, 1147–1254''. Brill, 2007 He failed in his aspiration to be anointed archbishop but the German hegemony he established over the Livonia would last for seven centuries.


Hanseatic League

In 1282, Riga became a member of the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. The Hansa was instrumental in giving Riga economic and political stability, thus providing the city with a strong foundation which endured the political conflagrations that were to come, down to modern times.


Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Swedish and Russian Empires

As the influence of the Hanseatic League waned, Riga became the object of foreign military, political, religious and economic aspirations. Riga accepted the Reformation in 1522, ending the power of the archbishops. In 1524, iconoclasts targeted a statue of the Virgin Mary in the cathedral to make a statement against religious icons. It was accused of being a witch, and given a trial by water in the Daugava river. The statue floated, so it was denounced as a witch and burnt at Kubsberg. With the demise of the
Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...
during the Livonian War, Riga for twenty years had the status of a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire before it came under the influence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Treaty of Drohiczyn, which ended the war for Riga in 1581. In 1621, during the Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625), Riga and the outlying fortress of
Daugavgrīva Daugavgrīva (german: Dünamünde; pl, Dynemunt; russian: Усть-Двинск or ''Ust`-Dvinsk'') is a neighbourhood in North West Riga, Latvia on the left bank of the Daugava river. In this neighbourhood there is a Swedish-built fortress ...
came under the rule of
Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
, King of Sweden, who intervened in the Thirty Years' War not only for political and economic gain but also in favour of German Lutheran Protestantism. During the Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), Riga withstood a siege by Russian forces. Riga remained one of the largest cities under the Swedish crown until 1710, a period during which the city retained a great deal of autonomous self-government. In July 1701, during the opening phase of the Great Northern War, the '' Crossing of the Düna'' took place nearby, resulting in a victory for king
Charles XII of Sweden Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of t ...
. Between November 1709 and June 1710, however, the Russians under
Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
besieged and captured Riga, which was at the time struck by a plague. Along with the other Livonian towns and gentry, Riga capitulated to Russia, but largely retained their privileges. Riga was made the capital of the Governorate of Riga (later, Livonia). Sweden's northern dominance had ended, and Russia's emergence as the strongest Northern power was formalised through the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. At the beginning of the 20th century Riga was the largest timber export port in the Russian Empire and ranked the 3rd according to the external trade volume. At the same time, Riga was also the third largest city in Russian Empire. During these many centuries of war and changes of power in the Baltic, and despite demographic changes, the Baltic Germans in Riga had maintained a dominant position. By 1867, Riga's population was 42.9% German. Riga employed German as its official language of administration until the installation of Russian in 1891 as the official language in the Baltic provinces, as part of the policy of
Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
of the non-Russian-speaking territories of the Russian Empire, including
Congress Poland Congress Poland, Congress Kingdom of Poland, or Russian Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It w ...
, Finland and the Baltics, undertaken by Tsar Alexander III. More and more Latvians started moving to the city during the mid-19th century. The rise of a Latvian
bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...
made Riga a centre of the Latvian National Awakening with the founding of the Riga Latvian Association in 1868 and the organisation of the first national song festival in 1873. The nationalist movement of the Neo-Latvians was followed by the socialist New Current during the city's rapid industrialisation, culminating in the
1905 Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...
led by the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party.


World War I

The 20th century brought World War I and the impact of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
of 1917 to Riga. As a result of the battle of Jugla, the
German army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
marched into Riga on 3 September 1917. On 3 March 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, giving the Baltic countries to Germany. Because of the armistice with Germany of 11 November 1918, Germany had to renounce that treaty, as did Russia, leaving Latvia and the other Baltic States in a position to claim independence. Latvia, with Riga as its capital city, thus declared its independence on 18 November 1918. Between World War I and World War II (1918–1940), Riga and Latvia shifted their focus from Russia to the countries of Western Europe. The United Kingdom and Germany replaced Russia as Latvia's major trade partners. The majority of the Baltic Germans were resettled in late 1939, prior to the occupation of Estonia and Latvia by the Soviet Union in June 1940.


World War II

During World War II, Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940 and then was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941–1944. On 17 June 1940, the Soviet forces invaded Latvia occupying bridges, post/telephone, telegraph, and broadcasting offices. Three days later, Latvian president Karlis Ulmanis was forced to approve a pro-Soviet government which had taken office. On 14–15 July, rigged elections were held in Latvia and the other Baltic states, The ballots held the following instructions: "Only the list of the Latvian Working People's Bloc must be deposited in the ballot box. The ballot must be deposited without any changes." The alleged voter activity index was 97.6%. Most notably, the complete election results were published in Moscow 12 hours before the election closed. Soviet electoral documents found later substantiated that the results were completely fabricated. The Soviet authorities, having regained control over Riga and Latvia imposed a regime of terror, opening the headquarters of the KGB, massive deportations started. Hundreds of men were arrested, including leaders of the former Latvian government. The most notorious deportation, the June deportation took place on 13 and 14 June 1941, estimated at 15,600 men, women, and children, and including 20% of Latvia's last legal government. Similar deportations were repeated after the end of WWII. The building of the KGB located at 61
Brīvības iela Brīvības iela is the central street of Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is more than 12 km long, going through all of Riga from the historical centre to the outskirts. History The street was the beginning of an important trade route - ...
, known as 'the corner house', is now a museum. Stalin's deportations also included thousands of Latvian Jews. (The mass deportation totalled 131,500 across the Baltics.) During the Nazi occupation, the Jewish community was forced into the Riga Ghetto and a
Nazi concentration camp From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...
was constructed in Kaiserwald. On 25 October 1941, the Nazis relocated all Jews from Riga and the vicinity to the ghetto. Most of Latvia's Jews (about 24,000) were killed on 30 November and 8 December 1941 in the Rumbula massacre. By the end of the war, the remaining Baltic Germans were expelled to Germany. The Soviet Red Army re-entered Riga on 13 October 1944. In the following years the massive influx of labourers, administrators, military personnel, and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics started. Microdistricts of the large multi-storied housing blocks were built to house immigrant workers. By the end of the war, Riga's historical centre was heavily damaged from constant bombing. After the war, huge efforts were made to reconstruct and renovate most of the famous buildings that had been part of the skyline of the city before the war. Such buildings were, amongst others, St. Peter's Church which lost its wooden tower after a fire caused by the Wehrmacht (renovated in 1954). Another example is the House of the Blackheads, completely destroyed, its ruins subsequently demolished; a
facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...
was constructed in 1995. In 1989, the percentage of Latvians in Riga had fallen to 36.5%.


21st century

In 2004, the arrival of low-cost airlines resulted in cheaper flights from other European cities such as London and Berlin, and consequently a substantial increase in numbers of tourists. In the spring of 2006, the hitherto biggest party of hospitality exchange service HC took place in Riga, counting 430 participants from 36 countries. On 21 November 2013, the roof of a supermarket collapsed in Zolitūde, one of the neighbourhoods of the city, possibly as a result of the weight of materials used in the construction of a garden on the roof. Fifty-four people were killed. Latvian President Andris Bērziņš described the disaster as "a large-scale murder of many defenceless people". Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014. During Latvia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2015, the 4th Eastern Partnership Summit took place in Riga.


Geography

Riga is the second largest city (after Vilnius) in the three
Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Riga is home to approximately one tenth of the three Baltic countries' combined population.


Administrative divisions

* Central District () * Kurzeme District () * Zemgale Suburb () * Northern District () * Vidzeme Suburb () * Latgale Suburb () Riga's administrative divisions consist of six administrative entities:
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, Kurzeme and
Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...
districts and the
Latgale Latgale ( ltg, Latgola; ; ger, Lettgallen; be, Латгалія, Łathalija; pl, Łatgalia; la, Lettgallia), also known as Latgalia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region and is north of the Daugava River. While m ...
, Vidzeme and Zemgale suburbs. Three entities were established on 1 September 1941, and the other three were established in October 1969. There are no official lower-level administrative units, but the Riga City Council Development Agency is working on a plan, which officially makes Riga consist of 58 neighbourhoods. The current names were confirmed on 28 December 1990.


Climate

The climate of Riga is humid continental (Köppen ''Dfb''). The coldest months are January and February, when the average temperature is but temperatures as low as can be observed almost every year on the coldest days. The proximity of the sea causes frequent autumn rains and fogs. Continuous snow cover may last eighty days. The summers in Riga are mild and rainy with an average temperature of , while the temperature on the hottest days can exceed .


Government

The head of the city government in Riga is the mayor, or officially the Chairman of the Riga City Council. He is assisted by one or more Vice Mayors (deputy mayors). The current mayor since October 2020 is
Mārtiņš Staķis Mārtiņš Staķis (born 4 July 1979) is a Latvian politician and businessman, currently serving as Mayor of Riga since 2020. He served as a deputy of the 13th Saeima, the Latvian parliament, until he resigned on 5 June 2020. On 29 August 2020, S ...
elected from
Movement For! Movement For! ( lv, Kustība Par!) is a liberal political party in Latvia.
, which is a part of the Development/For!/ Progressives faction, but on 24 March 2022, he left the party. The three other parties in the governing coalition each received a Vice Mayor post. The city council is a democratically elected institution and is the final decision-making authority in the city. The Council consists of 60 members or deputies who are elected every four years. The Presidium of the Riga City Council consists of the Chairman of the Riga City Council and the representatives delegated by the political parties or party blocks elected to the City Council. From February to October 2020, the offices of the Mayor and Vice Mayors were suspended and the council itself had been dissolved and replaced by an interim administration of representatives from three governmental ministries until snap elections were held in 2020.


Demographics

With 605,800 inhabitants in 2022 as according to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Riga was the largest city in the
Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
, though its population has decreased from just over 900,000 in 1991 and it is expected to be decrowned by Vilnius. Notable causes include emigration and low birth rates. According to the 2017 data, ethnic Latvians made up 44.03% of the population of Riga. Slavs (mainly Eastern ones) made up the same percentage - Russians formed 37.88%,
Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...
3.72%, Ukrainians 3.66%,
Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
1.83%, other ethnicities consisted 8.10%. By comparison, 60.1% of Latvia's total population was ethnically Latvian, 26.2% Russian, 3.3% Belarusian, 2.4% Ukrainian, 2.1% Polish, 1.2% are Lithuanian and the rest of other origins. Upon the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991, Soviet-era immigrants (and any of their offspring born before 1991) were not automatically granted Latvian citizenship because they had migrated to the territory of Latvia during the years when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union. The proportion of ethnic Latvians in Riga increased from 36.5% in 1989 to 42.4% in 2010. In contrast, the percentage of Russians fell from 47.3% to 40.7% in the same time period. Latvians overtook Russians as the largest ethnic group in 2006. In 2013 citizens of Latvia made up 73.1%, non-citizens 21.9% and citizens of other countries 4.9% of the population of Riga.


Historic population figures


Economy

Riga is one of the key economic and financial centres of the
Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
. Roughly half of all the jobs in Latvia are in Riga and the city generates more than 50% of Latvia's GDP as well as around half of Latvia's exports. The biggest exporters are in wood products, IT, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transport and metallurgy. Riga Port is one of the largest in the Baltics. It handled a record 34 million tons of cargo in 2011 and has potential for future growth with new port developments on Krievu Sala. Tourism is also a large industry in Riga and after a slowdown during the global economic recessions of the late 2000s, grew 22% in 2011 alone. Riga was intended to become the global financial centre in the former Soviet Union. One bank, which provided high levels of secrecy for its customers, promoted itself as "We are closer than Switzerland!" (russian: «Мы ближе, чем Швейцария!») On 28 July 1995, twenty Latvian banks with assistance of persons from the
Paris Stock Exchange Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV. As of 2022, the 795 companies listed had a combined market ...
organised the Riga Stock Exchange which was the first Latvian stock exchange in Riga. File:Latvias Banka.JPG, Bank of Latvia File:Riga stock exchange.jpg, Riga Stock Exchange early 20th century. Now The Art Museum Riga Bourse


Culture


Theatres

* The Latvian National Opera was founded in 1918. The repertoire of the theatre embraces all opera masterpieces. The Latvian National Opera is famous not only for its operas, but for its ballet troupe as well. * The
Latvian National Theatre The Latvian National Theatre ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālais teātris) is one of the leading professional theatres in Latvia. The building is in the Eclectic style and is an architectural and artistic monument. The country of Latvia was proclaimed ...
was founded in 1919. The Latvian National Theatre preserves the traditions of Latvian drama school. It is one of the biggest theatres in Latvia. * The
Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre The Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre ( lv, Mihaila Čehova Rīgas Krievu teātris, russian: Рижский русский театр имени Михаила Чехова), colloquially referred to as the Russian Theatre ( lv, Krievu teātris ...
is the oldest professional drama theatre in Latvia, established in 1883. The repertoire of the theatre includes classical plays and experimental performances of Russian and other foreign playwrights. * The Daile Theatre was opened for the first time in 1920. It is one of the most successful theatres in Latvia and is distinguished by its frequent productions of modern foreign plays. * Latvian State Puppet Theatre was founded in 1944 and presents shows for children and adults. * The
New Riga Theatre New Riga Theatre ( lv, Jaunais Rīgas teātris) is a theatre in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 1992. Several world known Latvian directors have started their career in this theatre, like Alvis Hermanis, Viesturs Kairišs among others. Di ...
was opened in 1992.


World Choir Games

Riga hosted the biannual 2014 World Choir Games from 9 to 19 July 2014 which coincided with the city being named European Capital of Culture for 2014. The event, organised by the choral foundation, Interkultur, takes place at various host cities every two years and was originally known as the "Choir Olympics". The event regularly sees over 15,000 choristers in over 300 choirs from over 60 nations compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in over 20 categories. The competition is further divided into a Champions Competition and an Open Competition to allow choirs from all backgrounds to enter. Choral workshops and festivals are also witnessed in the host cities and are usually open to the public.


Architecture

The radio and TV tower of Riga is the tallest structure in Latvia and the Baltic States, and one of the tallest in the European Union, reaching . Riga centre also has many great examples of Gothic revival architecture, such as the
Kalpaka Boulevard Library The Kalpaka Boulevard Library (Latvian: ''Bibliotēka Kalpaka bulvārī'') is a branch of the University of Latvia libraries located on its eponymous street in central Riga, Latvia. It is housed in a historic mansion built between 1874–78 to d ...
, and a bevy of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
architecture, as well as a medieval old town.


Art Nouveau

Riga has one of the largest collections of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
buildings in the world, with at least 800 buildings. This is due to the fact that at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when Art Nouveau was at the height of its popularity, Riga experienced an unprecedented financial and demographic boom. In the period from 1857 its population grew from 282,000 (256,200 in Riga itself and another 26,200 inhabitants beyond the city limits in the patrimonial district and military town of Ust-Dvinsk) to 472,100 in 1913. The middle class of Riga used their acquired wealth to build imposing apartment blocks outside the former
city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...
. Local architects, mostly graduates of Riga Technical University, adopted current European movements and in particular Art Nouveau. Between 1910 and 1913, between 300 and 500 new buildings were built each year in Riga, most of them in Art Nouveau style and most of them outside the old town. File:Edificio modernista en Alberta iela 13, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 01.jpg,
Alberta iela Albert Street ( lv, Alberta iela) is a street in central Riga known for its Art Nouveau buildings. It was built in 1901 and named after Bishop Albert, who founded Riga in 1201. Many of the apartment buildings along the street were designed b ...
13 File:Edificio modernista en Alberta iela 2a, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 02.JPG, Alberta iela 2a File:Alberta ielā 12 20120728-05.JPG, Staircase of Alberta ielā 12 File:A. Čaka iela 26 Rīga 03.jpg, Aleksandra Čaka iela 26 File:La salle à manger (musée dart nouveau, Riga) (7562659988).jpg, Riga Art Nouveau Museum File:Edificio modernista en Strelnieku Iela 4a, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 01.JPG, Strēlnieku iela 4a FILE:0871 LVA Riga art noveau relief meistaru iela 10.jpg, meistaru iela 10 relief FILE:0872 LVA Riga art noveau relief.jpg, Strelnieku iela relief


Sports

Riga has a rich basketball history. In the 1950s, Rīgas ASK became the best club in the Soviet Union and also in Europe, winning the first three editions of the European Cup for Men's Champions Clubs from 1958 to 1960. In 1960, ASK was not the only team from Riga to take the European crown. TTT Riga clinched their first title in the European Cup for Women's Champion Clubs, turning Riga into the capital city of European basketball because for the first and, to date, only time in the history of European basketball, clubs from the same city were concurrent European men's and women's club champions. In 2015, Riga was one of the hosts for EuroBasket 2015.


Sports clubs

* Basketball **
BK VEF Rīga VEF Rīga is a Latvian professional basketball team that is based in Riga, Latvia. VEF Rīga is a nine-time Latvian Basketball League champion. History Early years The club name VEF came from the radio manufacturing company VEF which created th ...
– a professional basketball team that is a three-time Latvian champion. VEF also participates in high-level international competition such as Eurocup **
Barons LMT BK Barons/LDz (previously Barons/LMT) was a professional basketball club which is based in Riga, Latvia. The team played in the first division of Latvian Basketball League. History Barons kvartāls was an integral part of Latvia's recent basket ...
– a men's basketball team, two-time Latvian champion, as well as the
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
FIBA EuroCup winner ** TTT Riga – a women's basketball team, which between 1960 and 1982 won eighteen FIBA EuroLeague Women titles * Ice hockey **
Dinamo Riga Dinamo Riga ( lv, Rīgas Dinamo) is a professional ice hockey team based in Riga, Latvia. It is a member of the Latvian Hockey Higher League. The club is affiliated with HK Zemgale/LLU. The club was re-founded on 7 April 2008 as a successor of ...
– a professional ice hockey club established in 2008. It played in the Kontinental Hockey League until 2022. Dinamo was established as a successor to the former hockey team with the same name, which was founded in 1946 but ceased to exist in 1995. ** HK Riga – a junior hockey club, playing in the Minor Hockey League *
Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
** Riga FC – Riga Football Club, commonly referred to as Riga FC, were established in 2015 after a merger of two Riga based teams – FC Caramba Riga and Dinamo Rīga. In 2018 they became champions of the
Virslīga Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is Op ...
Latvian Higher League for the first time. ** RFS – FK Rīgas Futbola Skola, known as RFS are based on the Riga Football School (RFS) academy, established in 1962. **
FS Metta-LU FK Metta (also called FK Metta/Latvijas Universitāte from 2007 till the end of 2018 season) is a professional Latvian football club in Riga. As of 2012 they play in the Latvian Higher League. Metta play their home games at Daugava Stadium. Unt ...
– founded in 2006. Metta play their home games at Daugava Stadium. ** JDFS Alberts – Jura Docenko Futbola Skola Alberts, commonly referred to as JDFS Alberts was founded as a football school in 2008 and subsequently became a professional Latvian football league team. **
Riga United FC Riga United FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 2007. The club plays at the School 49 ground in Riga. Riga United men's first team plays in Latvian League 2 Riga Division, the men's reserve team plays in Latvian League 3 and the Ladies tea ...
** FC New Project ::Dissolved Football Clubs :* Skonto FC – Skonto FC was a football club established in 1991. The club won fourteen successive Latvian Higher League titles. For a long time it provided the core of the
Latvian national football team The Latvia national football team ( lv, Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. They have never qualified for the F ...
. Following financial problems, the club was demoted to the Latvian First League in 2016 and went bankrupt in December of that year and subsequently dissolved. :*
JFK Olimps JFK Olimps was a Latvian football club, playing in the top division of Latvian football. The club was from the city of Riga. According to a study from January 2011, the club was the youngest team in Europe, with an average age of 19.02 years. ...
– JFK Olimps played in the top division of Latvian football. The club was founded in 2005 and dissolved in 2012. According to a study from January 2011, the club was the youngest team in Europe, with an average age of 19.02 years.


Sports facilities

*
Arena Riga Arena Riga ( lv, Arēna Rīga) is an indoor arena in Riga, Latvia. It is primarily used for ice hockey, basketball and concerts. Arena Riga holds a maximum of 14,500 and was opened on 15 February 2006. It was built to be used as one of the v ...
– a multi-purpose arena built in 2006 as the main venue for the
2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2006 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 70th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 45 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for ...
. It can hold up to 14,500 people and has hosted ice hockey, basketball and volleyball events, as well as Red Bull X-Fighters * Skonto Stadium – a football stadium, built in 2000. It is the main stadium used for games of the
Latvian national football team The Latvia national football team ( lv, Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. They have never qualified for the F ...
and the home stadium of Riga FC. The stadium was previously the home stadium of Skonto FC prior to the team's dissolution. * Daugava Stadium – a stadium built in 1958, used for both
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and athletics *
Latvijas Universitates Stadions Latvijas Universitātes Stadions was a multi-use stadium in Riga, Latvia. It was used mostly for football and rugby matches and was the home stadium of FK Rīga FK Rīga was a Latvian football club based in Riga. They played in the Virsl ...
* Biķernieku Kompleksā Sporta Bāze – Latvia's leading
motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
complex


Sports events

* EuroBasket 1937 *
1999 European Athletics Junior Championships The 1999 European Athletics Junior Championships were held in Riga, Latvia on August 5–8. Men's results Women's results Medal table Referenceseuropean-athletics- European Athletics- GBR Athletics- GBR AthleticsHistoria Europy Juniorów ...
* EuroBasket Women 2009 *
2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2006 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 70th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 45 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for ...
*
Riga Marathon The Riga Marathon (also known as the Rimi Riga Marathon) is an annual road marathon held in Riga, Latvia, since 1991. A flat, single-lap marathon course in the Baltic states, Baltics' largest city. The marathon course has been measured and certif ...
*
2013 World Women's Curling Championship The 2013 World Women's Curling Championship (branded as the Titlis Glacier Mountain World Women's Curling Championship 2013 for sponsorship reasons) was held at the Volvo Sports Centre in Riga, Latvia from March 16 to 24. It marked the first time ...
*
2014 Cricket Latvia play Masstor Cricket Club Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrele ...
* EuroBasket 2015 *
2016 Men's World Floorball Championships The 2016 Men's World Floorball Championships were the 11th World Championships in men's floorball. The tournament took place in Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, ...
*
2021 IIHF World Championship The 2021 IIHF World Championship () took place from 21 May to 6 June 2021. It was originally to be co-hosted by Minsk, Belarus and Riga, Latvia, as the IIHF announced on 19 May 2017 in Cologne, Germany. Their joint bid won by a very tight margin ...
* FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2021


Transport

Riga, with its central geographic position and concentration of population, has always been the infrastructural hub of Latvia. Several
national roads National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
begin in Riga, and European route E22 crosses Riga from the east and west, while the
Via Baltica European route E 67 is an E-road running from Prague in the Czech Republic to Estonia and by ferry to Finland. It goes via Prague, Wrocław, Warsaw, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Riga, Tallinn, Helsinki. The route is known as the Via Baltica ...
crosses Riga from the south and north. As a city situated by a river, Riga also has several bridges. The oldest-standing bridge is the Railway Bridge, which is also the only railroad-carrying bridge in Riga. The Stone Bridge (''Akmens tilts'') connects
Old Riga Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...
and Pārdaugava; the
Island Bridge Island Bridge (), formerly Sarah or Sarah's Bridge, is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey, in Dublin, Ireland which joins the South Circular Road to Conyngham Road at the Phoenix Park. Island Bridge and the surrounding area (often known ...
(''Salu tilts'') connects Maskavas Forštate and Pārdaugava via
Zaķusala Zaķusala ( en, 'Hare Island') is one of several islands in the Daugava river in the central part of Riga, the capital of Latvia. A part of the city's Salas neighbourhood, Zaķusala is home to the Riga Radio and TV Tower, which was completed in 1 ...
; and the
Shroud Bridge Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to '' burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous S ...
(''Vanšu tilts'') connects Old Riga and Pārdaugava via Ķīpsala. In 2008, the first stage of the new
Southern Bridge The Southern Bridge ( lv, Dienvidu tilts) is an extradosed bridge built across the Daugava River in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The bridge was constructed between 2004 and 2008, and was opened on November 17, 2008. Construction of the access ...
(''Dienvidu tilts'') route across the Daugava was completed, and was opened to traffic on 17 November. The Southern Bridge was the biggest construction project in the Baltic states in 20 years, and its purpose was to reduce
traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
in the city centre. Another major construction project is the planned Riga Northern transport corridor; its first segment detailed project was completed in 2015. The Freeport of Riga facilitates cargo and passenger traffic by sea. Sea ferries connect Riga Passenger Terminal to
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
operated by Tallink. Riga has one active airport that serves commercial airlines—the Riga International Airport (RIX), built in 1973. Renovation and modernisation of the airport was completed in 2001, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the city. In 2006, a new terminal extension was opened. Extension of the runway was completed in October 2008, and the airport is now able to accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A340, Boeing 747, 757, 767 and 777. Another terminal extension is under construction . The annual number of passengers has grown from 310,000 in 1993 to 4.7 million in 2014, making Riga International Airport the largest in the Baltic States. The former international airport of Riga, Spilve Airport, located from Riga city centre, is used for small aircraft, pilot training and recreational aviation. Riga was also home to a military air base during the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
Rumbula Air Base Rumbula is an air base located southeast of Riga city centre in Latvia. The airfield was used for military purposes in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s it was used as temporary passenger airport for bigger planes until the new Riga Internatio ...
. Public transport in the city is provided by Rīgas Satiksme which operates a large number of trams, buses and trolleybuses on an extensive network of routes across the city. In addition, up until 2012 many private owners operated minibus services, after which the City Council established the unified transport company ''Rīgas mikroautobusu satiksme'', establishing a monopoly over the service. Riga International Coach Terminal provides domestic and international connections by
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
. As the population of Riga city started to approach 1 million people in the 1980s, the city became eligible (under the Soviet standards of the time) for the construction of a subway system Riga Metro, which would have been paid for by the Soviet government. However, the population decline and shortage of funding following Latvian independence put an end to this plan. Riga is connected to the rest of Latvia by domestic trains operated by the national carrier
Passenger Train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
, whose headquarters are in Riga. The main railway station is the Riga Central Station. It has stops for public transport along the streets Satekles iela, 13. janvāra iela Marijas iela, and Merķeļa iela. There are also international rail services to Russia and Belarus, and plans to revive passenger rail traffic with Estonia. International overnight service is with Latvia Express trains ( lv, Latvijas Ekspresis). A TEN-T project called Rail Baltica envisages building a
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
way line via Riga connecting Tallinn to Warsaw using
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
, expected to be put into operation in 2024. Latvian Railways ( lv, Latvijas dzelzceļš or ''LDz'') operates the Latvian Rail History Museum in Riga.


Universities

* University of Latvia (LU) *
Art Academy of Latvia The Art Academy of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija) is an institution of higher education and scientific research in art, located in Riga, Latvia. The neo-Gothic brick building is located on Krišjānis Valdemārs Street, next to t ...
(LMA) * Riga Technical University (RTU) * Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) * Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) *
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga The Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (''SSE Riga'' or lv, Rīgas Ekonomikas augstskola) is a business school in Riga, Latvia. It is a subsidiary of the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE). The school was founded in 1994 by the Stockholm Sc ...
(SSE Riga) *
BA School of Business and Finance BA School of Business and Finance ( lv, Banku Augstskola) is one of the leading, self-financing business schools in Latvia. It was founded in 1992 as a Banking College under the Bank of Latvia and received accreditation in 1997 In 2007 BA Scho ...
(BA) * Transport and Telecommunication Institute (TTI) *
Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration The RISEBA University of Applied Sciences ( lv, Biznesa, mākslas un tehnoloģiju augstskola "RISEBA") is a private international business school located in Riga, Latvia. Until April 2016 it was known as the "Riga International School of Economic ...
(RISEBA) * Turība University * Riga Aeronautical Institute (RAI)


Notable people


Public service

* Sir Isaiah Berlin (1909–1997), a British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas *
Emil Friedrich von Boetticher __NOTOC__ Emil Friedrich von Boetticher (1836–1907) was a politician, burgomaster of Riga and its representative on the Livonian state council. Boetticher was born 1 October 1836 at Riga, the youngest son to the Riga merchant and landowner Ca ...
(1836–1907) a politician, burgomaster of Riga *
Friedrich Heinrich von Boetticher __NOTOC__ Friedrich Heinrich von Boetticher (1826–1902) was a German publisher, bookseller, scholar and art historian. Boetticher was born 23 June 1826 in Riga, the tenth of 17 children of the merchant and landowner Carl von Boetticher (1782- ...
(1826–1902) a German publisher, bookseller, scholar and art historian. *
Deniss Čalovskis Deniss Čalovskis (born 1985 in Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian computer hacker. He is the creator of the Gozi virus. Calovskis is a certified Data Protection Officer (DPO). Hacker In February 2015, Deniss Čalovskis was extradited to the U.S ...
(born 1985), Latvian computer hacker who created the Gozi virus. * Valdis Dombrovskis (born 1971), a Latvian politician and EU Commissioner * Laila Freivalds (born 1942), former Swedish Minister for Justice and
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden The deputy prime minister of Sweden ( sv, Ställföreträdande statsminister) is the deputy head of government of Sweden. The incumbent deputy prime minister is Ebba Busch. The Swedish constitution allows the prime minister to appoint one of th ...
* Juris Hartmanis (born 1928), a Latvian-American computer scientist, won the 1993 Turing Award * Nicolai Hartmann (1882–1950), a Baltic German philosopher, an important metaphysician *
Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, ''Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Mohrun ...
(1744–1803), a German philosopher, theologian, poet and literary critic * Albert Woldemar Hollander (1796–1868), a German educator and pedagog. * Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903–1994), an Israeli public intellectual and polymath *
Yosef Mendelevich Yosef Mendelevitch (or Mendelovitch) (b. 1947 in Riga), was a refusenik from the former Soviet Union, also known as a "Prisoner of Zion" and now a politically unaffiliated rabbi living in Jerusalem who gained fame for his adherence to Judaism and ...
(born 1947), a Jewish refusenik from the Soviet Union, known as a ''"Prisoner of Zion"'' *
Ernst Munzinger Ernst Gustav Adolf Munzinger (6 July 1887 – 23 April 1945) was a German businessman and lieutenant colonel in Army intelligence. After World War I, Munzinger became a supporter of the growing National Socialist movement in his home country, ...
(1887–1945), German
Abwehr The ''Abwehr'' (German for ''resistance'' or ''defence'', but the word usually means ''counterintelligence'' in a military context; ) was the German military-intelligence service for the ''Reichswehr'' and the ''Wehrmacht'' from 1920 to 1944. A ...
(Army intelligence) officer, later anti-Nazi *
Valters Nollendorfs Valters Nollendorfs is board chair of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and a professor emeritus of German language and literature at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Nollendorfs was born 22 March 1931 in Riga, Latvia, where his fath ...
(born 1931), chairman of the board of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia * Alfred Rosenberg (1892–1946), a Baltic German theorist and ideologue of the Nazi Party * Johann Steinhauer (1705–1779) a Latvian entrepreneur, social reformer and landowner *
Charlotte Wahl Charlotte Wahl née Mundel, (1817–1899), was a Latvians, Latvian philanthropist who founded of many charitable organizations and is said "to have been the most decorated woman of her time." Life and work Charlotte Mundel was born in Riga, La ...
(1817–1899), a Latvian-born philanthropist * Tatiana Warsher (1880–1960), a Russian archaeologist known for her studies of
Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...


The Arts

* Rutanya Alda (born 1942), a Latvian-American actress *
Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov ( rus, Михаил Николаевич Барышников, p=mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf; lv, Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Latvian-born R ...
(born 1948), a Russian dancer, choreographer and actor *
Léopold Bernhard Bernstamm Léopold Bernhard Bernstamm (20 April 1859 – 22 January 1939), also written as Léopold-Bernhard Bernstam, Léopold Bernard Bernstamm or Leopold Adolfovich Bernstam, was a Baltic German sculptor active in France and Russia. He was one of the o ...
(1859–1939), a Russian sculptor * Gunnar Birkerts (1925–2017), a Latvian-American architect *
Leonīds Breikšs Leonīds Breikšs (8 April 1908 – 30 September 1942) was a noted Latvian poet, journalist and nationalist. His Latvian-based country style sits with contemporaries including Aleksandrs Pelēcis, Jānis Medenis, Gunārs Freimanis, Broņislav ...
(1908–1942), a Latvian poet, author and newspaper editor *
Jacob W. Davis Jacob William Davis (born Jākobs Jufess; 1831–1908) was an American tailor of Latvian-Jewish origin who is credited with inventing modern jeans. Growing up in Latvia, he emigrated to the United States as a young man and spent some time in ...
(born ''Jākobs Jufess'') (1831–1908) an American tailor, invented modern
jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
. * Mikhail Eisenstein (1867–1920) a Latvian civil engineer and architect * Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948), a Soviet Russian film director, filmed '' Battleship Potemkin'' * Heinz Erhardt (1909–1979), a Baltic German comedian, musician and entertainer * Artur Fonvizin (1883–1973), a Soviet painter of watercolours * Elīna Garanča (born 1976), a Latvian operatic mezzo-soprano * Philippe Halsman (1906–1979), an American portrait photographer * Aivars Kalējs (born 1951), a Latvian composer, organist and pianist * Gidon Kremer (born 1947), a Latvian classical violinist and conductor * Barbara von Krüdener (1764–1824), a Baltic German author, religious mystic and Pietist Lutheran theologian. * Ivan Krylov (1769–1844), a Russian fable writer * DJ Lethal (born 1972), an American music producer, real name ''Leor Dimant'' * Alan Melikdjanian (born 1980), a Latvian-American independent filmmaker known as ''
Captain Disillusion Alan Melikdjanian (; Russian: Алан Меликджанян; born April 13, 1980), known by the alias Captain Disillusion, is a Soviet-born American independent filmmaker and YouTuber. Melikdjanian has been active in the founding of video-sha ...
'' * Raimonds Pauls (born 1936), a Latvian composer and piano player * Kristjan Jaak Peterson (1801–1822), an Estonian poet * Valentin Pikul (1928–1990), a Soviet historical novelist * Marie Seebach (1829–1897) a German actress. * Ksenia Solo (born 1987), a Latvian-Canadian actress and activist


Science

* Ernst von Bergmann (1836–1907), a Baltic German surgeon, pioneer of aseptic surgery * Walter von Boetticher (1853–1945) a German historian, genealogist and physician. *
Jakob Benjamin Fischer Jakob Benjamin Fischer (13 October 1731 – 25 July 1793) was a Baltic German naturalist and apothecary. Life and work Jakob Benjamin Fischer was born in Riga and studied to become an apothecary there. Between 1756 and 1758, he studied natural sc ...
(1731–1793), a Baltic German naturalist and apothecary *
Lola Hoffmann Lola Hoffmann (also known as Helena Jacoby) (March 19, 1904 – April 30, 1988) was a German Jewish Chileanphysiologist and psychiatrist. Early life and education Lola (Helena) was born in Riga, then part of the Russian Empire, to a well-off ...
(1904–1988), a physiologist, psychiatrist and guide to self-development and transformation *
Charles Kalme Charles Ivars Kalme ( lv, Kārlis Ivars Kalme, November 15, 1939 – March 20, 2002) was a Latvians, Latvian United States, American chess master and a mathematician. Kalme was born in Riga, Latvia on November 15, 1939. At the conclusion of Wo ...
(1939–2002), an American mathematician and International Master of chess *
Karlis Kaufmanis Kārlis Kaufmanis (February 21, 1910, Riga, Latvia – June 21, 2003, Clearwater, Florida) was a Latvian-American astronomer. He is noted for his theory, on which he delivered a public lecture more than a thousand times, that the Star of Bethle ...
(1910–2003), astronomer, he lectured that the Star of Bethlehem was a conjunction in 7 BC of the planets Jupiter and
Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
* Mstislav Keldysh (1911–1978), a Soviet mathematician, worked on the first artificial satellite * George Nagobads (born 1921), American physician, recipient of the Paul Loicq Award. * Wilhelm Ostwald (1853–1932), a Baltic German chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 * Georg August Schweinfurth (1836–1925) a Baltic German botanist and ethnologist who explored East Central Africa. * Georg von Tiesenhausen (1914–2018), a Baltic German American rocket scientist. *
Juris Upatnieks Juris Upatnieks (born 7 May 1936 in Riga) is a Latvian-American physicist and inventor, and pioneer in the field of holography. Upatnieks fled the Latvia with his parents at the close of World War II, seeking asylum in Germany. In 1951 the famil ...
(born 1936), a Latvian-American physicist and inventor, pioneer in the field of holography. * Friedrich Zander (1887–1933), a Baltic German engineer, designed the first Soviet liquid-fuelled rocket * Walter Zapp (1905–2003), a Baltic German inventor, he created the Minox subminiature camera.


Sport

*
Helmuts Balderis Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis (born 31 July 1952) is a Soviet former ice hockey player. He played right wing, participated in the Soviet team's losing effort in the Miracle on Ice, and played part of a single season in the NHL after being drafted in ...
(born 1952) a Latvian former ice hockey player * Dāvis Bertāns (born 1992), a Latvian professional basketball player *
Jānis Beinarovičs Jānis Beinarovičs (June 5, 1907 – August 27, 1967) was a Latvian athlete who won the Latvian Master's title in Greco-Roman wrestling four times between the years 1935 to 1938. He joined the Second Riga Athletic Club (2 R.A.K.) at the age of 17 ...
(1907-1967), a Latvian wrestler * Andris Biedriņš (born 1986), a Latvian former basketball player * Sergejs Boldaveško (born 1970), retired ice hockey player, born in Riga * Teddy Blueger (born 1994), ice hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins * Tanhum Cohen-Mintz (1939–2014), an Israeli basketball player *
Kaspars Dubra Kaspars Dubra (born 20 December 1990) is a Latvian professional football defender who plays for RFS. He plays as a centre-back and as a defensive midfielder. Club career Skonto Riga Dubra started playing football at the age of seven, as ...
(born 1990), a footballer with 50 caps for
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
* Zemgus Girgensons (born 1994), ice hockey player, highest-ever drafted Latvian in the NHL Entry Draft * Jørgen Hviid (1916–2001), a Danish and Latvian athlete; ice hockey, speed skating and sailing. *
Miervaldis Jurševskis Miervaldis (Walter) Jurševskis (November 6, 1921 in Riga, Latvia – March 15, 2014 in Burnaby, British Columbia) was a Latvian-Canadian chess master, and a professional artist. Jurševskis learned chess from his father at the age of six, but ...
(1921–2014), a Latvian-Canadian chess master and a professional artist. * Matīss Kivlenieks (1996–2021), an ice hockey goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets * Jeļena Ostapenko (born 1997) women's tennis player,
2017 French Open – Women's singles Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese ...
winner * Sandis Ozoliņš (born 1972), Latvian ice hockey player, a seven-time NHL All-Star,
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
champion * Marians Pahars (born 1976), footballer with 75 caps for
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
* Alexei Shirov (born 1972), Latvian / Spanish chess grandmaster, ranked world No. 2 in 1994 * Mikhail Tal (1936–1992), Soviet-Latvian chess grandmaster, 8th. World Chess Champion. *
Valdis Valters Valdis Valters (born August 4, 1957) is a retired Latvian professional basketball player. He played at the point guard position for the senior USSR national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest players to have played the game in Europe in ...
(born 1957) a retired Latvian basketball player.


Twin towns – sister cities

Riga is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: *
Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...
, Denmark *
Almaty Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
, Kazakhstan * Astana, Kazakhstan * Beijing, China * Bordeaux, France *
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, Germany *
Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
, Australia * Dallas, United States * Florence, Italy *
Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...
, Lithuania * Kyiv, Ukraine *
Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
, Japan *
Norrköping Norrköping (; ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Linköp ...
, Sweden *
Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...
, Finland * Rostock, Germany * Santiago, Chile *
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Sweden *
Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
, China * Taipei, Taiwan * Tallinn, Estonia *
Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...
, Estonia * Tashkent, Uzbekistan * Tbilisi, Georgia * Vilnius, Lithuania * Warsaw, Poland * Yerevan, Armenia


See also

* Riga Charter, on cultural heritage conservation, adopted here in 2000 *
Riga Region Riga Region ( lv, Rīgas reģions), officially Riga Planning Region ( lv, Rīgas plānošanas reģions) and shortened as RPR is one of five planning regions of Latvia, situated in the central part of Latvia, in and around the metropolis of Riga and ...
*
Riga Salsa Festival Riga Salsa Festival is an annual dancing event that takes place in Riga, Latvia. The event has become one of the most important salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, ...


Other capitals of the Baltic states

* Tallinn * Vilnius


Notes


References


Bibliography

* Grava, Sigurd. "The Urban Heritage of the Soviet Regime The Case of Riga, Latvia." ''Journal of the American Planning Association'' 59.1 (1993): 9-30. * * Šolks, Guntis, Gita Dejus, and Krists Legzdiņš. "Transformation of Historic Industrial Areas in Riga." ''Book of Proceedings''. (2012
online


External links



(in Latvian) *

i

{{Authority control Cities in Latvia Capitals in Europe Populated coastal places in Latvia Port cities in Latvia Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Republican cities of Latvia Gulf of Riga Kreis Riga Members of the Hanseatic League Vidzeme NUTS 3 statistical regions of the European Union World Heritage Sites in Latvia Holocaust locations in Latvia