July 3: Riga, Latvia
Dear Friends and Relatives,
Another day on the road—this day started out with breakfast under lowering clouds. The umbrella the bus driver had lent me was of the large variety, and I really didn’t want to lug it with me all day, so I was hoping the clouds might prove to be temporary, and so they were.
Our first item on the agenda was a lecture by Dr. Morten Hansen, Head of the Economics department at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, and he spoke on the economy of Latvia in particular and of the three Baltic States in general. A lively Q & A session had the presentation clocked at 1 1/2 hours, after which we embarked on our first foray through Old Town.
First a word about Riga and Latvia in general. Latvia currently presents two very different faces to visitors—Riga, where several centuries of architecture contrast with brash, rapidly developing commercial culture.
In the 13th c. Latvia was overwhelmed by German crusading knights who massacred and enslaved them in the name of Christianity. Then came the Swedes and the Russians. Despite a bried period of independence between 1918 and 1940, Russian power returned and all three of the Baltic states were annexed by the Soviet Union. Independence was finally gained in 1991. Riga has a third of the country’s population and is therefore the biggest city of the Baltics. It is also considered to be a beautiful city, with medieval red-brick churches and gabled merchant houses rising above the alleyways of Old Town.
Riga was founded in the 13th c., and has been a melting pot of different ethnic groups since then. Today half of the inhabitants are Latvian, while the other half are either Russian or Russian-speaking. In the past, people from northern Europe flocked to Riga to take advantage of opportunities for trade. The city eventually joined the Hanseatic League, a loose alliance of N. German trading cities, in 1282. Civic life was to remain in the hands of a German-speaking mercantile elite for the next 600 years.
Riga grew rich on the trade of timber, furs, and flax, which were floated down the Daugava River. Protestantism spread. But eventually, Riga became squeezed between the expanding states of Russia, Sweden and Poland. In spite of being batted back and forth between them, Riga developed into a major industrial center during the 19th c. Fast forward to the early 20th c., Latvian independence was declared in 1918 and lasted until 1940, when it was occupied by the Soviets. Final independence occurred in 1991.
The majority of Riga’s historical buildings are in the Old Town, which we walked first. Riga’s Old Town is a compact web of narrow, cobbled streets, medieval merchant houses and brick-built churches on the east bank of the Daugava River. Our venues included the following: 1. the Livonian Castle (now serving as the official residence of the Latvian president and also the site of the Foreign Art Museum and the Latvian History Museum); 2. St. Mary’s Church (a rare Catholic church in a sea of Protestantism); 3. St. Peter’s Church (a red-brick church whose graceful, 3-tiered spire is the city’s traditional symbol); 4. the Swedish Gate (a legacy of the Swedish rule of Riga, and a simple archway beneath a 3-story townhouse); 5. “Three Brothers,” a trio of venerable houses dating to the 1400s, in green, white, and yellow-ocher; 6. the Great and Small Guilds, once the centers of commercial life in Hanseatic Riga; 7. the Freedom Monument, a soaring allegory of Latvian independence, depicting a stylized female figure holding aloft three stars symbolizing the three regions of Latvia, and created in 1935; 8. and the Town Hall, war-ravaged but rebuilt in 2001.
It is here we stopped and everyone scattered far and wide to have lunch at will. Elaine and I decided on a restaurant around the corner from the Town Hall, called Salve. We both had the same wonderful, traditional Latvian dish—3 potato pancakes, layered with salmon and cottage cheese, and a dollop of sour cream to the side. For dessert we had delightfully wonderful Julius Meinl coffee, and for dessert a most scrumptious creme brulee topped with Riga Black Balsam, a liqueur which has been around a long time and guarantees success at warding off colds and digestive problems. At 45% alcohol, it should be effective! All in all, a superb lunch!
After meeting our guide once again after lunch, we proceeded on the bus for the second half of our Riga tour today, the architectural treasures of Riga—the Art Nouveau district (known as Jugendstil in German). Elina took us for a walk to an area regarded by specialists as the capital of Art Nouveau architecture, which appeared in architecture and furniture in the 1890s. The style often sports asymmetrical shapes, arches and decorative surfaces with curved designs. Nearly half of the buildings in the center of Riga were built in this style. Many great examples are still extant and either under restoration or fully restored. Many were designed by Michael Eisenstein, the father of famous Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein, who created both “The Battleship Potempkin” and “Alexander Nevsky.” Riga definitely deserves a 2-3 week stay to examine the influence of Art Nouveau in greater detail. When that will be done is up in the air, but I plan to retun, God willing. I don’t think I have seen as much Art Nouveau in my life. Even Vienna and my hometown of Darmstadt (a bastion of Jugendstil), cannot compete with the richness and beautiful outrageousness of the Riga examples of the style!).
After the Art Nouveau foray, we were taken back to our hotel, where we had a little free time (enough for a good nap) before having a quick dinner and then going to the Dom Cathedral to enjoy an organ concert featuring organist Diana Jaunzeme-Portnua and flautist Lauma Ilsuma in compositions by Bach, Schnittke (his “Suite in the Old Style” was my favorite piece in the entire program, and featured the duet of flute and organ); J.C. Kerl (17th c. composer); W.F. Bach (son of J.S. Bach); Zarins, John Rutter, and 19th c. French organist Marcel Lanquetuit’s “Toccata,” one of those 19th c. French compositions that knocks your socks off with its power! I found out while reading the program notes that the famous composer Franz Liszt had composed a chorale setting in 1884 on Bach’s “Nun danket alle Gott” for the inaugural concert of this organ, which has a total of 6718 pipes. Great concert!
And now I have finished for the day, and must go! Tomorrow, more of Riga. Stay tuned! As ever, SV.
Another day on the road—this day started out with breakfast under lowering clouds. The umbrella the bus driver had lent me was of the large variety, and I really didn’t want to lug it with me all day, so I was hoping the clouds might prove to be temporary, and so they were.
Our first item on the agenda was a lecture by Dr. Morten Hansen, Head of the Economics department at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, and he spoke on the economy of Latvia in particular and of the three Baltic States in general. A lively Q & A session had the presentation clocked at 1 1/2 hours, after which we embarked on our first foray through Old Town.
First a word about Riga and Latvia in general. Latvia currently presents two very different faces to visitors—Riga, where several centuries of architecture contrast with brash, rapidly developing commercial culture.
In the 13th c. Latvia was overwhelmed by German crusading knights who massacred and enslaved them in the name of Christianity. Then came the Swedes and the Russians. Despite a bried period of independence between 1918 and 1940, Russian power returned and all three of the Baltic states were annexed by the Soviet Union. Independence was finally gained in 1991. Riga has a third of the country’s population and is therefore the biggest city of the Baltics. It is also considered to be a beautiful city, with medieval red-brick churches and gabled merchant houses rising above the alleyways of Old Town.
Riga was founded in the 13th c., and has been a melting pot of different ethnic groups since then. Today half of the inhabitants are Latvian, while the other half are either Russian or Russian-speaking. In the past, people from northern Europe flocked to Riga to take advantage of opportunities for trade. The city eventually joined the Hanseatic League, a loose alliance of N. German trading cities, in 1282. Civic life was to remain in the hands of a German-speaking mercantile elite for the next 600 years.
Riga grew rich on the trade of timber, furs, and flax, which were floated down the Daugava River. Protestantism spread. But eventually, Riga became squeezed between the expanding states of Russia, Sweden and Poland. In spite of being batted back and forth between them, Riga developed into a major industrial center during the 19th c. Fast forward to the early 20th c., Latvian independence was declared in 1918 and lasted until 1940, when it was occupied by the Soviets. Final independence occurred in 1991.
The majority of Riga’s historical buildings are in the Old Town, which we walked first. Riga’s Old Town is a compact web of narrow, cobbled streets, medieval merchant houses and brick-built churches on the east bank of the Daugava River. Our venues included the following: 1. the Livonian Castle (now serving as the official residence of the Latvian president and also the site of the Foreign Art Museum and the Latvian History Museum); 2. St. Mary’s Church (a rare Catholic church in a sea of Protestantism); 3. St. Peter’s Church (a red-brick church whose graceful, 3-tiered spire is the city’s traditional symbol); 4. the Swedish Gate (a legacy of the Swedish rule of Riga, and a simple archway beneath a 3-story townhouse); 5. “Three Brothers,” a trio of venerable houses dating to the 1400s, in green, white, and yellow-ocher; 6. the Great and Small Guilds, once the centers of commercial life in Hanseatic Riga; 7. the Freedom Monument, a soaring allegory of Latvian independence, depicting a stylized female figure holding aloft three stars symbolizing the three regions of Latvia, and created in 1935; 8. and the Town Hall, war-ravaged but rebuilt in 2001.
It is here we stopped and everyone scattered far and wide to have lunch at will. Elaine and I decided on a restaurant around the corner from the Town Hall, called Salve. We both had the same wonderful, traditional Latvian dish—3 potato pancakes, layered with salmon and cottage cheese, and a dollop of sour cream to the side. For dessert we had delightfully wonderful Julius Meinl coffee, and for dessert a most scrumptious creme brulee topped with Riga Black Balsam, a liqueur which has been around a long time and guarantees success at warding off colds and digestive problems. At 45% alcohol, it should be effective! All in all, a superb lunch!
After meeting our guide once again after lunch, we proceeded on the bus for the second half of our Riga tour today, the architectural treasures of Riga—the Art Nouveau district (known as Jugendstil in German). Elina took us for a walk to an area regarded by specialists as the capital of Art Nouveau architecture, which appeared in architecture and furniture in the 1890s. The style often sports asymmetrical shapes, arches and decorative surfaces with curved designs. Nearly half of the buildings in the center of Riga were built in this style. Many great examples are still extant and either under restoration or fully restored. Many were designed by Michael Eisenstein, the father of famous Russian film director Sergei Eisenstein, who created both “The Battleship Potempkin” and “Alexander Nevsky.” Riga definitely deserves a 2-3 week stay to examine the influence of Art Nouveau in greater detail. When that will be done is up in the air, but I plan to retun, God willing. I don’t think I have seen as much Art Nouveau in my life. Even Vienna and my hometown of Darmstadt (a bastion of Jugendstil), cannot compete with the richness and beautiful outrageousness of the Riga examples of the style!).
After the Art Nouveau foray, we were taken back to our hotel, where we had a little free time (enough for a good nap) before having a quick dinner and then going to the Dom Cathedral to enjoy an organ concert featuring organist Diana Jaunzeme-Portnua and flautist Lauma Ilsuma in compositions by Bach, Schnittke (his “Suite in the Old Style” was my favorite piece in the entire program, and featured the duet of flute and organ); J.C. Kerl (17th c. composer); W.F. Bach (son of J.S. Bach); Zarins, John Rutter, and 19th c. French organist Marcel Lanquetuit’s “Toccata,” one of those 19th c. French compositions that knocks your socks off with its power! I found out while reading the program notes that the famous composer Franz Liszt had composed a chorale setting in 1884 on Bach’s “Nun danket alle Gott” for the inaugural concert of this organ, which has a total of 6718 pipes. Great concert!
And now I have finished for the day, and must go! Tomorrow, more of Riga. Stay tuned! As ever, SV.
Had no idea about the presence of Art Nouveau there! Can't wait to take a look at your pictures after all this
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