Vecrīga ("Old Riga") is the historical center and a neighbourhood (as Vecpilsēta) of

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia 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 Ba ...

, Latvia, located in the Central District on the east side of

Daugava River , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

. Vecrīga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as

Riga Cathedral Riga Cathedral ( lv, Rīgas Doms; german: Dom zu Riga) formally The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, 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 l ...

and St. Peter's Church.

History

Vecrīga is the original area of Riga and consists of the historic city limits before the city was greatly expanded in the late 19th century. In the old days, Vecrīga was protected by a surrounding wall except the side adjacent to the Daugava river bank. When the wall was torn down, the waters from Daugava filled the space, creating Riga City Canal.

Heritage

In the early 1990s, Vecrīga's streets were closed to traffic and only residents of the area and the local delivery vehicles were allowed within Vecrīga's limits with special permits. Vecrīga is part of a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

listed as "Historic Centre of Riga", which also includes most of the surrounding Centrs district. Vecrīga is the oldest part of the Riga, and — even though in its primordial state most of the buildings were made of wood — currently, there are a lot of architectural works remaining from the times of

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

and

medieval times In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

in the middle of the unique and notable buildings in the style 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 ...

, especially the ones created by the locally and internationally well-known architect

Mikhail Eisenstein Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein (russian: Михаил Осипович Эйзенштейн, translit=Michail Osipovič Ejzenštein, lv, Mihails Eizenšteins; – 2 July 1920) was a civil engineer and architect working in Riga, the present-day cap ...

Landmarks

Churches

* Church of St. Peter * The Dome Cathedral * Cathedral of Saint James * Church of Saint John * Church of Our Lady of Sorrows *

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

* Reformed Church *

Church of Mary Magdalene The Church of Mary Magdalene ( he, כנסיית מריה מגדלנה, ar, كنيسة القديسة مريم المجدلية, russian: Церковь Святой Марии Магдалины) is an Orthodox Christian church located on th ...

Museums

Military Museum Military Museum may refer to museums of military and war, or specific museums including: * Aldershot Military Museum, in Aldershot, England * Athens War Museum, in Athens, Greece * Base Borden Military Museum, Borden, Ontario, Canada * California ...

Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation ( lv, Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs) is housed by the Riga Dom Cathedral ensemble in the heart of the Old Riga, Latvia. It originated in 1773 as a private collection of Nikolaus von Hi ...

* Sports Museum * Latvian Museum of Pharmacy * Latvian Museum of Photography *

Riga castle Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia 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), Daugava river where ...

* Latvian Museum of National History *

Art Museum Riga Bourse Art Museum Riga Bourse ( lv, Mākslas muzejs Rīgas Birža) is a museum in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 1920 and contains the most extensive collection of world art in Latvia from Ancient Egyptian/Middle Eastern art dating back to 5000 B ...

* Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts *

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs) is a museum and historic educational institution located in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 1993 to exhibit artifacts, archive documents, and educate the public about th ...

* Latvian Museum of Architecture *

Riga Film Museum Riga Film Museum is the only museum of its kind in Latvia. It holds various exhibitions that display different aspects of cinema art, actors and film history. The museum was founded in 1988 and is located in two buildings: an 18th-century building ...

Gallery

File:Riga map around 1637.jpg, The original boundaries of the Old Riga in 1637 File:Riga johanneskirche 133731389.jpg,

St. John's Church, Riga St. John's Church ( lv, Svētā Jāņa Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca) is a Lutheran church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is a parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 24 Skārņu S ...

File:House of Blackheads at Dusk 3, Riga, Latvia - Diliff.jpg, The House of the Blackheads in Vecrīga File:Barracas de Jacob, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 01.JPG, Reconstructed section of the medieval city wall File:Castillo de Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 11.JPG,

Riga Castle Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia 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), Daugava river where ...

in Vecrīga File:Old Riga Vecrīga Town Hall.jpg, Riga Town Hall in Vecrīga File:Vistas desde la iglesia de San Pedro, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 11.JPG, Houses and streets in Vecrīga, with an aerial view of the town hall File:Historic Centre of Riga-112610.jpg, View of

Vanšu Bridge The Vanšu Bridge ( lv, Vanšu tilts) in Riga is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Daugava river in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The word ''vanšu'' refers to the cables suspending its deck, comparing them to nautical rigging also known as sh ...

References

External links

*
Multimedia virtual tour of Old Riga
Neighbourhoods in Riga World Heritage Sites in Latvia {{Riga-stub