RIGA, Latvia — The spires and pinnacles of old churches rise above cobblestone streets lined with red-brick buildings and pastel-hued facades that reflect centuries of conquest, trade and confession.
Overshadowed by better-known European capitals, this city, the capital of Latvia, offers readers of this column a quintessential Old World experience without the crowds.
Riga, as we know it, was founded in 1201 by Bishop Albert von Buxhoeveden, a German who was more than just a prelate. He was also a crusader, as this swath of Northern Europe — the lands of the modern Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — was the last pagan stronghold in Christian Europe. Much of the Christianization of the Baltic tribes that called this land home came by the sword of the Teutonic knights.
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This chapter of history comes alive in the Old Town (Vecriga in Latvian), where the legacy of German crusader knights, Hanseatic League merchants, Swedish kings, Russian tsars and Soviet occupiers is etched into the city. Anyone who has visited the Hanseatic cities of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland and Gdansk in Poland will recognize the red-brick streetscape.
The major landmark is Riga Cathedral (Rigas Doms in Latvian).
Dating back to the time of Bishop Albert, the Cathedral Church of St. Mary, as the cathedral is formally known, is a masterpiece of medieval architecture. Constructed and reconstructed over the ensuing centuries, traces of the original Romanesque blend seamlessly with Gothic arches and baroque decorations. Through fire, war, the Reformation and the state-imposed atheism of communist rule, this house of worship has endured.
Once the seat of a Roman Catholic prince-archbishop wielding both ecclesiastical and secular power, the cathedral is today Lutheran and serves as the mother church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia. That’s because, unlike Orthodox Russia to the east and Roman Catholic Lithuania to the south, Latvia was controlled by German-speaking merchants and nobility who in the early 1500s embraced the Reformation theology of Martin Luther.
Among Riga’s other great cultural treasures are the hundreds of art nouveau buildings located about 10 minutes on foot from the Old Town.
In fact, the experts say it’s home to Europe’s finest collection of art nouveau architecture. A visit to the Riga Art Nouveau Museum, housed in a restored early 20th-century apartment, offers a glimpse into the refined pre-war lifestyle of Riga’s middle class before Soviet occupation changed everything.
The city’s overall elegance surprises many visitors, dispelling any preconceived notions of a dilapidated ex-Soviet city dominated by hideous brutalist or Stalinist buildings. While relics of Soviet architecture do remain, the Latvian capital’s elegance and cultural richness rival more familiar European capitals.
Riga is more than just a quaint Old World city; it’s a testament to resilience. The Latvian culture and, importantly, the believers who kept the faith once delivered endured immense adversity and oppression under the Soviet regime — an era that remains a vivid living memory for many of the 600,000 souls who call the city home.
If you go
There are no nonstop flights from the United States to Riga. Visitors will need to connect at least one. Air Baltic, the national airline and a partner of Delta Air Lines, is arguably the best European airline you have never heard of. It offers service from all major European hubs.
Marriott’s AC Hotel is a perfectly fine hotel within walking distance of most attractions. For luxury, book a room at the five-star Grand Hotel Kempinski. Another option is Hotel Gutenbergs, a family-run hotel with 38 rooms located directly opposite Riga Cathedral. They have a rooftop restaurant with fantastic views of Old Town.
Riga Cathedral is open for visits outside of religious services: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. There is a modest admission charge. Highlights include the 12th-century granite baptismal font that has been used to baptize the faithful for more than 800 years and a 217-step climb up the cathedral’s tower.
The adjacent Dom Museum in the medieval cloister has assorted artifacts and objects from the cathedral’s history. Most of the items are just displayed with little information. Another recommended museum by the cathedral is the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation — a traditional city museum with English language signage that could be improved.
Riga is home to two additional cathedrals: the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. James and the Russian Orthodox Nativity of Christ Cathedral. St. James, a medieval brick Gothic church, has alternated between Lutheran and Roman Catholic control since the Reformation.
Getting around is easy since everything is walkable. If you need a car, use Bolt, a ride-hailing application similar to Uber. A rental car is only needed for day trips. Recommended day trips include Cesis Castle, a 13th-century fortress, and Rundāle Palace, a Baroque summer residence of the former dukes of Courland, featuring opulent design and extensive gardens.
Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.
Dennis Lennox writes about travel, politics and religious affairs. He has been published in the Financial Times, Independent, The Detroit News, Toronto Sun and other publications. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter.
