The City of Riga

Riga is the capital of Latvia and has about 700,000 inhabitants. Hence, Riga is the biggest city of the Baltic countries and the biggest metropolitan area, within the three Baltic states. The city itself was founded in 1150. Since then, many different people have left their cultural influences there, which make Riga a particularly diversified city. Riga is the political, economic and cultural center of the country. The Hanseatic city is known for its well-preserved historic district.

This longtime history can still be recognized in some architectural buildings. The cityscape is characterized by many historical buildings and monuments. Since 1997, Riga is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are beautiful old streets, neatly arranged parks and the vicinity to the water provide the city with a special atmosphere.
The population consists mainly of Latvians and Russians, joined by Ukrainians, Polish people and several other smaller ethnic groups.