-
Ludza Craftsmen Centre
The centre features an excellent selection of locally made handicrafts. The centre has three attached workshops in which local artisans perfect their trade. If you ring ahead, you too can try your hand at time-honoured methods of wool spinning, pottery making and sewing. There’s a
-
Rīga Synagogue
Built in 1905, this art nouveau–style synagogue was the only one to survive the Nazi occupation – to torch it in the tightly packed Old Town would have put neighbouring buildings at risk. It reopened for worship during the Soviet period but was damaged by bomb attacks by neo-Nazis
-
Rīga Porcelain Museum
This quirky museum houses the collection of porcelain assembled in Soviet times by the now-defunct Rīga Porcelain & Faience Factory, itself an heir of two porcelain factories that existed before WWII. One was run by Russians hailing from the famous Gzhel factory near Moscow, th
-
Town Hall
Rīgas historic town hall was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt from scratch in 2003. A statue of St Roland , the city’s patron, takes pride of place on the square in front of it. It, too, is a replica of the original, erected in 1897, which now stands in St Peter’s. You can walk in, if
-
Rīga Ghetto & Latvian Holocaust Museum
The centerpiece of this rather modest museum is a wooden house with a reconstructed flat, like those where Jews had to move into when in 1941 the Nazis established a ghetto in this area of Rīga. Models of synagogues that used to stand in all major Latvian towns are exhibited in the
-
Holy Trinity Church
Built between 1742 and 1758, the baroque-style Holy Trinity Church has a dazzling gilded rococo interior. Its centrepiece is its fabulous organ, at one time the worlds largest, boasting more than 7000 pipes, 131 registers and four manuals. For a small fee, the church caretaker will
-
Kuldīga Historic Museum
Founded by a local German school director, the newly restored museum is housed in what a local legend claims to be Russian pavilion at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris. Its 2nd floor has been redesigned as an apartment of a rich early-20th-century local family, which features an
-
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (temporary exhibition)
Calm and factual, this compact multimedia exhibition relates the story of how Latvia endured the Soviet and Nazi occupation between 1940 and 1991 – in English as well as in Latvian. An essential visit for those who want to understand what modern Latvia is. The exhibition substitute
-
Liepāja Under Occupation Museum
Traces the bloody history of the Soviet and Nazi occupations in Latvia, with an emphasis on Liepāja. Captions are in Latvian, but no words are needed to explain the powerful images of the 1939–40 deportations to Siberia (an estimated 2000 people from Liepāja were deported), the gen
-
Laima Chocolate Museum
Your sweet tooth might come to life blocs away from the historic Laima chocolate factory as the sweet cocoa smell permeates the entire area. Founded in 1921 by Vilhelms Kuze, it turned the entire nation into hopeless chocolate addicts. The modest on-site museum is mostly geared to
-
Holocaust Memorial
Don’t miss the moving Holocaust Memorial, sitting a block behind Akadēmijas laukums in a quiet garden. A large synagogue occupied this street corner until it was burned to the ground during WWII, tragically with the entire congregation trapped inside. No one survived. Today the con
-
St James Cathedral
Built in 1225, this church has ping-ponged many times between Catholic and Protestant, as well as many languages and communities, including Germans, Swedes, Poles and Estonians. Most notably, it was here that Latvians heard a mass in their own tongue during its Lutheran stint in 15
-
Riežupe Sand Caves
Located 5km outside of town along the unpaved Krasta iela, Riežupe Sand Caves feature 460m of labyrinthine tunnels that can be visited by candlelight. They’re a chilly 8°C, so bring a warm sweater. The cave is accessible by personal vehicle – staff at the tourist office can give di
-
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Inhabiting an interesting example of Soviet-era architecture on the main square, this museum carefully details Latvia’s Soviet and Nazi occupations between 1940 and 1991. Some of the exhibits are extremely disturbing, including first-hand accounts of the murder of Rīgas once-substa
-
Latvian Ethnographic Open
If you don’t have time to visit the Latvian countryside, a stop at this open-air museum is a must. Sitting along the shores of Lake Jugla just northeast of the city limits, this stretch of forest contains more than 100 wooden buildings (churches, windmills, farmhouses etc) from eac
-
Vienkoču Parks
Rihards, a local wood carver, has filled a 10-hectare park with his unique creations. Small trails snake past bold modern art installations, a classical garden, sundials and a collection of torture instruments. Rent out the park’s rustic cabin (25Ls), lit by candles in the evenings
-
Rīga History & Navigation Museum
Founded in 1773, this is the oldest museum in the Baltic, situated in the old cathedral monastery. The permanent collection features artefacts from the Bronze Age all the way to WWII, ranging from lovely pre-Christian jewellery to preserved hands removed from Medieval forgers. A hi
-
Rundāle Palace
Built as a grand residence for the Duke of Courland, this magnificent palace is a monument to 18th-century aristocratic ostentatiousness, and rural Latvias architectural highlight. It was designed by Italian baroque genius Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who is best known for the Winter Pala
-
Victory Monument
This sprawling green space (now mostly used as a soccer field) is home to the Victory Monument, which was built by the Soviets to commemorate the heroism of their soldiers in WWII. This is a divisive symbol, with members of the Russian community gathering here in their dozens of th
-
Baltā Kapā
The striking pine-covered cliff looms above a pristine white-sand beach dissected by a glistening stream. This is one of the most enchanting places along the entire Latvian coast, which famously stunned Russian empress Catherine II, who once stopped here for a swim. Originating her
Total
178 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
6/9 20-travel/Page Goto:
