Welcome to Riga

Introduction


If you looked up Riga in an old guidebook before you came out here, you could be forgiven for wondering what on earth you’re letting yourself in for! But as you’ll soon find, Riga has changed since the end of the Soviet Union and is now a vibrant and exciting place to live. With many pubs, clubs and restaurants to be discovered with your new friends, with cinemas, concerts and parks to be visited, you won’t find life here dull. Plenty of teachers stay here for several years, and we hope you’ll soon see why.

Since it became one of the most important trade centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th Century, Riga’s strategic position at the mouth of the Daugava River has meant that Latvia’s larger neighbours have always vied for control of the city. Consequently, throughout almost its entire history, Rīga has been under ‘outside’ control.


During the years of Soviet control, Riga was transformed into a major industrial and business centre and its population more than tripled, with the majority of the new inhabitants coming from Russia. As a result, Latvians are now in a minority in the city.


The Soviet era also saw the erection of many factories and numerous blocks of flats, whilst many of the old buildings went unrepaired. Over the last few years, however, so many old buildings have been repaired and new ones erected that you can hardly recognise some parts of the city from just 5 years ago.


All that said, Riga is not Latvia. The delights of Jurmala, Cēsis, Sigulda and The Gauja National Park… all this and so much more await you. Here's hoping that you approach this fascinating and welcoming country with an open heart and mind, and that you'll enjoy it as much as we do!