Riga - Berlin of Latvia

Article and photos:Nguyen Chi Linh

In the afternoon, when the golden autumn sunlight seeps through each small street, the ancient capital of Latvia, Riga, wakes up after a rainy morning. The red bricks typical of German Art Nouveau architecture dance vibrantly with the sunlight. I wander through each narrow, mossy, cobblestone alley, admiring the architecture that has survived the test of time, while the warm bells of St. Peter's Church resonate in the distance.

Riga today is divided into two areas: the new town and the old town, each with its own architectural appeal. Like many tourists who come here, every afternoon, when the sun shines golden on the streets, I like to walk in the narrow alleys that seem to be narrower in the old town to admire the Renaissance, Gothic, and Baroque architectural works that are stacked on top of each other following the flow of history.

Cultural layers on an architecture

The Hanseatic League or Hanseatic League was founded in 1159 in the city of Lübeck – Germany with the common goal of representing economic interests in the maritime sector, especially towards foreign countries. In the 14th century, the Hanseatic League expanded and linked about 200 cities and seaports in the Nordic and Baltic regions to join. Not only in the economic field, the Hanseatic League also expanded into the political and cultural fields. Andris, a citizen of Riga, told me the history of the city when we talked together in the central square.

Riga was founded in 1201 by Father Albert and served as the flagship city of the western Baltic region of the Hanseatic League, and also served as the center for the Crusades in the northern lands. Since Albert was originally from the northern part of Germany, Riga had a "Brick Gothic" architectural style from the beginning. The "deep red" rectangular bricks on each architecture in the center are a typical image of the street.

Brick Gothic is the general name for the architectural style that was popular from the 12th to the 16th century in cities in Northern Europe and other cities around the Baltic Sea to replace the Romanesque architecture that was no longer popular before. By the 16th century, Brick Gothic architecture was replaced by Renaissance architecture. Still in love with "Brick Gothic", other architectures built later were still based on Brick Gothic combined with other architectures.

Following Andris, I looked at the Blackheads house located right in the central square of the old town. The red bricks seemed to dance and sing under the golden rays of the late afternoon sun. The house not only has the typical "Brick Gothic" architecture but also contains the sophisticated sculptures of Renaissance architecture. The house used to be a large commercial center of Riga, built in the 14th century by a rich lady from Germany. After many wars, although it was destroyed a lot, the Riga government tried to restore Blackheads to preserve the relics.

“I looked at the Blackheads house located in the central square of the old town. The red bricks seemed to dance and sing under the golden rays of the late afternoon sun.”

Following Andris, I weaved through a few narrow alleys to St. Peter's Church, where cultural layers interweaved. The walls were still covered in dark red bricks of Brick Gothic architecture, but all the stone sculptures on the walls were typical Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque architecture that were popular in the past. Andris said that the church was built to honor Saint Peter, one of the 12 disciples of Christ, who protected the city. The original main architecture of the church was Gothic and Brick Gothic. However, the subsequent wars with the Germans, Poles and Russians destroyed a lot. Each time they were restored, a new layer was built on top of the old one. In front of the church, there was still a statue of Father Albert, the founder of the city. I also did not miss the opportunity to stroke the hand of the mother pig and her piglets made of bronze, placed diagonally to the right of the church. For the people of Northern Europe or the Baltic coastal cities, pigs are a symbol of prosperity and happiness.

Open-air museum of Art Nouveau architecture

Like other cities in the Northern Hemisphere, the morning sky is covered with low clouds. Riga is the greenest city among the former Eastern Bloc cities next to the Baltic Sea. The lakes in the parks are like giant mirrors reflecting the whole sky and earth. The rows of birch and maple trees have turned from yellow to deep red in late autumn.

I wandered to Maza Pils Street to visit the house of “Three Brothers”, one of the adjacent houses built in Riga in the 15th century with quite special architecture and preserved to this day. The first house located at number 17 was built around 1470 and is the oldest house with Gothic architecture, house number 19 was built in 1646 and has the Dutch Manerism architecture popular in 1520, house number 21 was built in the late 16th century and has strong Baroque architecture. They are the perfect picture depicting the popular architecture of Europe from the 15th to the 17th century.

According to Andris, Riga's history is a history of wars, and after each stage of the war, the city's architecture changes. The new is born on top of the old and they connect to each other to form colorful cultural layers. I wandered to the streets of Audeju, Vaļņu, Smilsu (in the old town) and Terbatas, Brivibas, Elizabetes, Strelnieku (in the new town) to see the houses designed in Art Nouveau architecture, which is also known as the outdoor "open museum" of Art Nouveau architecture in Riga. UNESCO recognized Riga as a world cultural heritage, including aspects of Art Nouveau art, also known as Art Nouveau. All the beautiful houses on these streets were for the richest class in Riga or merchants from other countries who came here to live (in which Strelnieku Street is also known as the Street of Embassies).

UNESCO recognized Riga as a world cultural heritage site that includes aspects of Art Nouveau or Art Nouveau.

In German, “Art Nouveau” means “young style” and this architecture originated in Munich, Germany in the late 1890s, then spread throughout Europe and Japan. Sometimes “Art Nouveau” is also called “Art Nouveau” because the British used the French word Nouveau and means “new art”.

The development history of Art Nouveau is divided into 2 stages: in the early 1900s, Art Nouveau focused on natural art with motifs of flowers and landscapes. After the 1950s, Art Nouveau was no longer limited to artistic themes, they were widely applied in house construction as well as interior architecture. The peak of Art Nouveau art in this period was the "metal curve" architecture of the Henry van de Velde or Victor Horta schools applied on many streets in the capital Brussels of Belgium. Depending on the schools and different perceptions of Art Nouveau art, each country has a different name, although it is basically based on Art Nouveau art from Germany such as: Japanese Art, Ukiyo e prints, Art and Crafts, Sezessionstil, Stile Floreale, Modernismo...

Originally founded by the Germans, Riga quickly absorbed the German Art Nouveau. I walked through each street and was fascinated by the creative buildings of “new art” through the sculptures on the walls or on the wooden beams. I remembered someone once said, if you want to see an open-air museum of architecture, go to Rome, Paris or Berlin. And when walking on Strelnieku street, I thought to myself, Riga cannot be inferior to any ancient city in Europe in terms of architecture.

More information:

+ Latvia became an official member of the European Union in 2007, so if you have a European visa or Schengen visa, you can visit Riga.

+ Only Turkish Airlines operates direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Riga. However, the airlines still have signed transport agreements, so visitors can go to Riga from Frankfurt (Lufthansa) or Paris (Air France).

+ Before 2014, Latvia still used its local currency, Latu. Since 2014, Latvia has used the common European currency, the Euro.

+ Means of transport for sightseeing in Riga: bus and metro (usually called Satiksme)

+ Some other attractions in Riga: City Hall, Latvian History Museum, St. John's Church, Ceramic Museum, Riga Castle, Natural History Museum, Foreign Art Museum, Freedom Monument...

+ Riga is famous for its fashion items made from leather and wool to kitchenware. Shopping centers that often apply good prices include: Taste Latvia, Konventa Seta, Central Market, Galerija Istaba and Stock Mann. Opening hours of the centers are from 10 am to 9 pm.

The Thanh