Mežaparks () is a neighbourhood of Northern District in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, the capital of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. It consists of a residential area to the South and a large

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

to the North of the same name – Mežaparks. The neighbourhood is located on the western shore of Lake Ķīšezers. The name is literally translated as "forest park". The neighbourhood and park were built in the early 20th century and the area was originally called . It was one of the world's first garden cities.Mežaparks in Riga – One of the First Garden Cities in Europe
/ref> It had large number of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

and Eclectic villas for upper class inhabitants of Riga. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Kaiserwald concentration camp was located in this park, and many

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, Gypsies, Communists, and other opponents of Nazi rule were murdered in these woods. Today it is still one of the wealthier areas of Riga, the Mežaparks Great Bandstand hosts the

Latvian Song and Dance Festival The Latvian Song and Dance Festival () is one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world, and an important event in Latvians, Latvian culture and social life. As one of the Baltic song festivals, it is also a part of the UNES ...

in early July every five years. Mežaparks is also host to the Riga Zoo and its lakeside locale allows for various water sporting activities. There is also an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

in Mežaparks, which makes the neighborhood a popular summer destination for Riga residents.

Park

There is a large

on the North side of the neighbourhood. The park is where the open-air Mežaparks Great Bandstand and Riga Zoo are located, as well as access to Ķīšezers lake. The territory is covered with coastal dunes, much of it with

boreal forest Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by pinophyta, coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. I ...

s, both protected conserved

biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of flora (plants), plants and fauna (animals), animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term habitat (ecology), "habitat", which ...

s. The territory began to be used for recreation in 18th century and was added to Riga's territory in 19th century. In 1901, the Mežaparks neighbourhood became

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

's first architectural project to use the

garden city movement The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with Green belt, greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, i ...

. The area was expanded and developed during the first half of 20th century, primarily serving as an elite sports complex. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1949, the

Soviet Government The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...

carried out a major expansion of the park and inaugurated it as a public park with many recreational areas and buildings. Up until the end of 20th century, the park continued to serve as a public park. Although little of the Soviet architecture survives, the park has seen a resurgence after restoration of Latvia's independence and is currently a popular recreational location. The park along the neighbourhood is a

national heritage site A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage regis ...

and architectural cultural monument.

Gallery

File:Ķeizarmežs.jpg, Mežaparks in the beginning of 20th century Riga Zoo entrance 2017.jpg, Entrance of Riga Zoo A path in Mežaparks.jpg, Path in Mežaparks forest park. Mežaparks Great Bandstand side view.jpg, Mežaparks Great Bandstand Meža prospekts 32.JPG, Mansion on Meža prospekts 32. Siguldas prospekts 10, Riga (4).jpg, Mansion on Siguldas prospekts 10 Hamburgas 5.jpg, Wooden mansion on Hamburgas street 5.

References

External links

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Mežaparks: The Garden Suburb

Neighbourhoods in Riga Holocaust locations in Latvia Garden suburbs {{Riga-stub