Sights and landmarks in Riga

Sights and landmarks in Riga

1. SeeVecrīga

   1905 Bloody Sunday Monument

   This monument remembrance of the events of Bloody Sunday 13 January 1905.

2. SeeOuter East Bank

   All Saints Church

   Orthodox church built in neo-Romanic style around 1880. Unlike other orthodox churches in Latvia, which are typically Russian in their style and nature, this one was designed by a Latvian architect.

3. SeeVecrīga

   Arsenal Museum of Art

   Arsenal Museum of Art is one of the largest exhibition halls in Riga. It is located in an important architectural monument – a customs warehouse or arsenal built at the beginning of the 19th century in the late Russian Classicism style. It was adapted for museum use in the second half of the 1980s.

   Apr-Sep: Tue-Sun 11:00-19:00, Oct-Mar: Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00

4. SeeVecrīga

   Art Gallery Bastejs

   Contemporary art from Baltic states. Solo and group exhibitions.

   Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-17:00·Free

5. SeeVecrīga

   Art Museum Riga Bourse

   The Art Museum Riga Bourse stores the largest collection of foreign art in the Baltic states.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adults €6; students, seniors €3

6. SeePārdaugava

   Baptist Church

   A mix of cultures and styles. Built in 1913-16, this church had neither a tower nor a dome and resembled a simple residential building. The tower was added in 1936. Baptist services continued until 1961 and resumed shortly after Latvia re-gained its independence.

7. SeeOuter East Bank

   Baptist church

   Light neo-Romanic building from 1867 looks completely alien to its dark industrial neighborhood.

8. SeeVecrīga

   Bremen Town Musicians

   Amazing sculpture based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

9. SeeCentrs

   Choral Great Synagogue

   Mostly in ruins since the Germans burned it down on July 4, 1941 with 600 people locked inside. There is a memorial to 400 Latvians who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

10. SeeOuter East Bank

    Church of John the Baptist

    Construction started in 1913-14 but it was not finished before the Russian Revolution and continued in 1920s when Latvia became independent. This led to a strange mix of styles rendering the church a rare example of modernist architecture implemented in an Orthodox temple. The adjacent Ivanovskoe cemetery is the main Orthodox cemetery of Riga.

11. SeeOuter East Bank

    Church of Michael Archangel

    Old Believers church from 1894-95, nice example of the Russian Revival style.

12. SeeOuter East Bank

    Church of Our Lady of Kazan

    Another church on the same cemetery. Build of wood in 1812-15 in a somewhat awkward style with 5 small domes sitting on a massive drum.

13. SeePārdaugava

    Church of St. Albert

    Baroque edifice from early 20th century. The interior of the church was partly designed in 1950s despite the official atheist propaganda that was widely imposed in the Soviet Union.

14. SeeCentrs

    Former KGB Building

    The former KGB building is actually an attractive, ornate historic building at the corner of Brivibas and Stabu. It stood empty for years, but for the 2014 celebration of Riga becoming the European Capital of Culture it was revived with a number of artistic initiatives taking place there. It is now a branch of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, holding a general exhibition about the KGB activities, and guided tours of the cellar where interrogations took place.

    Mon Tue Thu Fri 10:00-17:30, Wed 12:00-19:00, Sat Sun 10:00-16:00·exhibition free, €5 for a guided tour of the KGB cellar

15. SeeCentrs

    Freedom Monument

    One of Latvia's national symbols. It was erected during the first independence and surprisingly never taken down by the Soviets (although laying flowers at its feet was forbidden). The statue of a woman holding three stars at the top of the monument represents Freedom embracing Latvia's regions.

16. SeeOuter East Bank

    Gas storage buildings

    Two gas storage buildings from 1882 and 1901 (end of Matīsa iela) are landmarks of the old gas factory in Riga. These enormous structures reaching 40 m in diameter are probably the largest buildings of their kind in Eastern Europe. Note the pressure meter that mimics a clock.

17. SeeOuter East Bank

    Horse-drawn omnibus

    A funny monument commemorating the first Riga tram that was driven by horse power. An old iron construction nearby reminds of the former Hay Market.

18. SeeVecrīga

    House of Dannenstern

    The house was built by and is named after Ernst Metue von Dannenstern.

19. SeeVecrīga

    House of the Blackheads

    Melngalvju nams

    The House of Blackheads is where the merchants-to-be had their guild. Part of this building is the tourist information office, the rest is a fascinating museum. The upper levels house grand ballrooms while the basement has a wine cellar and several exhibits relating to trading in Riga.

    €7, €1.50 students

20. SeeCentrs

    Kobe Clock

    Donated by Riga's sister city Kobe in celebration of anniversary of restoration of independence.

21. SeeVecrīga

    LUMAS Riga

    LUMAS Art Gallery offer latest movements in the young art scene.

    Mon-Fri 10:00-20:00; Sat Sun 11:00-18:00·Free

22. SeeVecrīga

    Laima Clock

    Laima is a Latvian chocolate manufacturer and means good luck in Latvian. The Clock is a traditional meeting place for people in Riga.

23. SeeCentrs

    Latvian Academy of Sciences

    Built in 1953, this building is often called "Stalin's Birthday Cake" because of its austere yet ornamented design. The 17th-floor balcony is open to visitors.

    Balcony open May-Sep: daily 09:00-20:00·Entry to the 17th-floor terrace: €6 (cash only)

24. SeeVecrīga

    Latvian Museum of Pharmacy

    In a renovated 18th-century house. The museum showcases pharmaceutical equipment, traditional medicine and herbs and what pharmacies looked like a century ago.

    Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00·Pupils €0.71; students, seniors €1.14; adults €2.13

25. SeeVecrīga

    Latvian National Museum of Art

    Latvian National Museum of Art is the most significant depository in the nation for works of art.

    Tue-Thu 10:00-18:00; Fri 10:00-20:00; Sat Sun 10:00-17:00·Adults €6; students, seniors €3

26. SeeVecrīga

    Latvian Parliament

    Saeima

    A rather plain building housing the Saeima, Latvia's parliament. It has had a number of uses, including as a Soviet-era museum. Not open to visitors.

27. SeeVecrīga

    Latvian Photographic Museum

    Contains photos of Latvia since 1839, with focuses on the World Wars and 1905 Revolution.

    Pupils €0.57, students €0.85, adults €2.13

28. SeeVecrīga

    Latvian Sports Museum

    Historic sports equipment and sportswear, photographs from a variety of sporting events.

    10:00-17:00 (closed Sundays)·Adults €0.71; school children, students, seniors €0.43; children aged 6 and under, people with disabilities free

29. SeeVecrīga

    Latvian artists union museum

    The collection covers the period from 1945 to 1991 in Latvia.

    Wed Thu 10:00-17:00·Free

30. SeeVecrīga

    Literature and music museum

    For about 50 years it was a large union of memorial houses devoted to a range of writers. The latest reorganisation in 2009 has resulted in more simple and recognizable establishment – Literature and Music Museum.

    Under €3 per person

31. SeeOuter East Bank

    Matisa cemetery

    Matisa cemetery adjacent to the water towers has an interesting monument to the Latvian revolutionary heroes of the Russian Revolution of 1905. The monument was built in 1956-59 and consists of a long wall with haut-relief of Latvian revolutionaries and some poets' epitaphs. The cemetery also has a small monument to the victims of the 1940-1941 period of the Soviet occupation.

32. SeeVecrīga

    Mentzendorff House

    Former residence of a wealthy merchant built in 1720, now a museum dedicated to life in Riga in the 17th & 18th centuries.

    Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00·Adults €1.42, students €0.71, pupils: €0.57

33. SeePārdaugava

    Methodist church

    A fairly bland building from 1930s. However, the very presence of a big Methodist church in Riga is remarkable.

34. SeeOuter East Bank

    Mežaparks district

    Forest Park is a pleasant park area on the outskirts of Riga. There are large, gorgeous residential houses once inhabited by Riga's prewar elite during the summers. They were largely let go during Soviet times but many are now being refurbished, repainted, and brought back to their original glory.

35. SeeCentrs

    Museum 'Jews in Latvia' and Jewish Community

    Small museum dedicated to Jewish life in Latvia since the 16th century. Includes information on destruction of the synagogues by the Nazis, and the Latvians that saved Jews during the Holocaust. Exhibits are in English and Latvian.

    Sun-Thu 11:00-17:00, Closed Fri Sat·Free, donations welcomed

36. SeeVecrīga

    Museum of Ancient Baltic Jewellery

    The Museum of Ancient Baltic Jewellery was established by two well-known Latvian jewellers.

    Mon-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-17:00

37. SeeVecrīga

    Museum of Decorative Arts and Design

    The Museum of Decorative and Design Art is located in the former St. George’s Church building (1204), which is the oldest stone building in Riga. It features seven collections of decorative and design art work.

    10:00-17:00 (closed Mondays)·Adults €10, students €5

38. SeeVecrīga

    Museum of War

    22 collections of Latvian and Soviet military equipment starting from World War I until today.

    May-Sept: Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00, Oct-Apr: Wed-Sun 10:00-17:00·free admission

39. SeeVecrīga

    Museum of the Barricades of 1991

    Covers the dramatic events that occurred in the tumultuous final year of the USSR, when Soviet authorities sent troops into Riga to overthrow the elected Latvian government.

    Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00·Free

40. SeeVecrīga

    Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation

    Actually two museums plus a number of special exhibits, though you pay one price. English, German and Russian descriptions of each permanent collections are provided in a booklet inside each exhibit hall. Both of the main museums are quite interesting, and they provide a good idea of what Riga was like in the past.

    May-Sep: daily 11:00-17:00, Oct-May: Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00·€5 plus more for photo permission

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Riga (CC BY-SA 4.0).