Riga: Old Town Legends & Black Balsam Tasting

It's hard to believe that the Square once was the site of the Riga River, which was a shipping route for transporting Latvian grain up to the 16th century. Later it was called the Rīdzene River and even Rīdziņa as it gradually became narrower. Today, along the old route of the river, pavement wears away the shoes of countless Rigans and visitors to the city, and beautiful flower-beds remind one of the past times.

One of medieval Riga's fortification wall towers, originally called the Sand Tower. Built in 1330.

The Riga Archdiocesan Cathedral is the main Catholic church in Latvia. Its slender tower has preserved better than any other the pyramidal shape characteristic of Riga's medieval church towers. Historically, it is also the first Latvian parish church in Riga (1523).

The oldest residential complex in Riga has survived from the 15th century. The three houses, which had been cramped together, had long been called the Three Brothers - legend has it that men of the same family built them. The buildings, which are several centuries old, now house the Museum of Architecture and the National Center for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.

The so-called Swedish Gate is only gate that remains standing today of eight total in Riga's fortification wall.

The Cathedral is the largest and one of the oldest sacred buildings of the medieval period in the Baltic region, combining Romanesque, early Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau features. Today, alongside church services the cathedral hosts concerts by local and internationally renowned musicians.

The Town Hall Square in Riga has been completely re-built, since during the World War II the square and its historic buildings were destroyed. The city guests are welcomed by the historical façade of the House of the Blackheads, as well as the reconstructed Town Hall, and other buildings. Town Hall Square is the place where 500 years ago the city Christmas-tree was lit — now a memorial plank can be found here and a new Christmas-tree is decorated every year.

St. Peter's Church is the highest church in Riga and one of the oldest and most notable sacred buildings of medieval monumental architecture in the Baltic States.