Pļavnieki is a
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 ...
neighbourhood situated to the right of the river
Daugava
The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...
.
Territory of the Pļavnieki for many centuries was used as agricultural land and was added to Riga only in 1974. The name "Pļavnieki" is derived from Latvian word "pļava" meaning meadow. Project of the new residential neighbourhood for 60,000 people was finished in 1978. Majority of the current residential buildings are built in 1980s. Pļavnieki is one of the most densely inhabited neighbourhoods in Riga.
The total area of the Pļavnieki neighborhood is 2,985 km
2, which is approximately 2/5 less than the average neighborhood area in Riga. The length of the perimeter of the neighborhood borders is 7,664 meters. The boundaries of the Pļavnieki neighborhood in nature are clearly readable as they follow major roads. The current building structure in Pļavnieki largely differs from the building structure in neighboring neighborhoods. Pļavnieki is a densely populated neighborhood with predominantly 9 to 16-story buildings, as well as individual 18-story buildings.
History
The Pļavinieki neighborhood was annexed to the city of Riga in 1974. The Pļavnieki multi-storey residential district was primarily built in the 1980s on former agricultural lands (hence its name). The organization of the residential district's plan was determined by the "
Pilsētprojekts" institute with a 1978 detailed plan of the territory, whose architects were Ēvalds Fogelis, Meinards Medinskis and Ivars Millers.
The Pļavnieki residential district consists of five micro-neighborhoods with approximately 60,000 residents, as well as a public and commercial center along Andrejs Saharova Street (formerly
Felix Dzerzhinsky
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky (; ; – 20 July 1926), nicknamed Iron Felix (), was a Soviet revolutionary and politician of Polish origin. From 1917 until his death in 1926, he led the first two Soviet secret police organizations, the Cheka a ...
Street). Pļavnieki is one of the most densely populated multi-storey residential districts in Riga, with mostly 9 to 16-storey buildings, but there are also individual 18-storey buildings on Lubānas Street, which were only completed in 1990.
The Pļavnieki complex was intentionally designed similar to the early 20th century perimeter streets of Riga, which were supposed to have decorative sculptures, but this was never implemented. The Pļavnieki building project was developed by architects A. Āboliņš, Ēvalds Fogelis, Gunta Lukstiņa, Alīda Ozoliņa, and Lilija Saško.
Gallery
File:Pļavnieki, Latgale Suburb, Riga, Latvia - panoramio (2).jpg, Andreja Saharova street in Pļavnieki
File:Pļavnieki, Latgale Suburb, Riga, Latvia - panoramio (7).jpg, Typical inner yard in Pļavnieki
File:Plavnieki First Snow (Riga, Latvia, 2007).jpg, Wintertime in Pļavnieki. Year 2007
File:View from apartment in Plavnieki suburb in Riga, Latvia (2016).JPG, View from apartment in Plavnieki suburb
File:Apartment buildings in Plavnieki suburb of Riga, Latvia (2009).jpg
File:Apartment buildings in Plavnieki, Riga, Latvia (2012).jpg, 18-floor apartment buildings on Lubānas Street 123
File:Riga, pljavnieki - panoramio (3).jpg, Post soviet architecture in Pļavnieki.
Neighbourhoods in Riga
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