Riga

Riga
Rīga
—  City  —
Riga old town skyline
Riga old town skyline.

Flag
Seal
Riga is located in Latvia
Riga
Coordinates:
Country  Latvia
Government[1]
 - Type City council
 - Mayor Nils Ušakovs
Area(2002) [2]
 - City 307.17 km2 (118.6 sq mi)
 - Water 48.50 km2 (18.7 sq mi)  15.8%
 - Metro 10,132 km2 (3,912 sq mi)
Population (2010) [3]
 - City 709,145
 - Density 2,308.6/km2 (5,979.4/sq mi)
 - Metro 1,098,523 (Riga Region)
 - Metro density 108.3/km2 (280.5/sq mi)
 - Demonym Rīdzinieki
Ethnicity(2009) [4]
 - Latvians 42.3 %
 - Russians 41.0 %
 - Belarusians 4.1 %
 - Ukrainians 3.9 %
 - Poles 2.0 %
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 - Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Calling codes 66 & 67
Website www.riga.lv
Riga seen from Spot Satellite

Riga (Latvian: Rīga, pronounced [riːɡa]( listen)) is the capital and largest city of Latvia, a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltics, and an important seaport, situated on the mouth of the Daugava. With 709,145 inhabitants (2010)[5] it is the largest city of the Baltic states and third-largest in the Baltic region, behind Saint Petersburg and Stockholm (counting residents within the city limits). Riga's territory covers 307.17 km2 (118.60 sq mi) and lies between 1 and 10 metres (3.3 and 33 ft) above sea level,[6] on a flat and sandy plain.[6]

Riga's historical centre has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture, which UNESCO considers to be unparalleled anywhere in the world.[7]

Contents

Etymology

One theory for the origin of the name Riga is that it is a corrupted borrowing from the Liv ringa meaning loop, referring to the ancient natural harbour formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava.[8][9] The other is that Riga owes its name to this already-established role in commerce between East and West,[10] as a borrowing of the Latvian rija, for threshing barn, the "j" becoming a "g" in German — notably, Riga is called Rie by English geographer Richard Hakluyt (1589),[11][12] and German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610) confirms the origin of Riga from rija.[11][13] Another theory could be that Riga was named after Riege, the German name for the River Rīdzene, a tributary of the Daugava.[14]

History

The bank of the Daugava river
The Riga skyline in the mid-16th century, Cosmographia Universalis

Founding of Riga

The river Daugava has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Vikings' Dvina-Dnieper navigation route to Byzantium.[11] A sheltered natural harbour 15 km (9.3 mi) upriver from the mouth of the Daugava — the site of today's Riga — has been recorded, as Duna Urbs, as early as the 2nd century.[11] It was settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe.[8]

Riga began to develop as a centre of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages.[11] Riga's inhabitants occupied themselves mainly with fishing, animal husbandry, and trading, later developing crafts (in bone, wood, amber, and iron).[11]

The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia testifies to Riga having long been a trading centre by the 12th century, referring to it as portus antiquus (ancient port), and describes dwellings and warehouses used to store mostly corn, flax, and hides.[11] German traders began visiting Riga, establishing a nearby outpost in 1158.

Along with German traders also arrived the monk Meinhard of Segeberg[10] to convert the pagans to Christianity. (Catholic and Orthodox Christianity had already arrived in Latvia more than a century earlier, and many Latvians baptised)[10][11] Meinhard settled among the Livs, building a castle and church at Ikšķile, upstream from Riga, and established his bishopric there.[10] The Livs, however, continued to practice paganism and Meinhard died in Ikšķile in 1196, having failed his mission.[15] In 1198 the Bishop Bertold arrived with a contingent of crusaders[15] and commenced a campaign of forced Christianization.[10][11] Bertold was shortly killed and his forces defeated.[15]

The Church mobilised to avenge. Pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians.[15] Bishop Albert was proclaimed Bishop of Livonia by his uncle Hartwig of Uthlede, Prince-Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg in 1199. Albert landed in Riga in 1200[11][15] with 23 ships[16] and 500 Westphalian crusaders.[17] In 1201 he transferred the seat of the Livonian bishopric from Ikšķile to Riga, extorting agreement to do so from the elders of Riga by force.[11]

Under Bishop Albert

1201 also marked the first arrival of German merchants in Novgorod, via the Dvina.[18] To defend territory[19] and trade, Albert established the Order of Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202, open to nobles and merchants.[18]

Christianization of the Livs continued. 1207 marked Albert's start on fortification of the town.[18][20] Emperor Philip's invested Albert with Livonia as a fief[21] and principality of the Holy Roman Empire.[11] To promote a permanent military presence, territorial ownership was divided between the Church and the Order, with the Church taking Riga and two thirds of all lands conquered and granting the Order a third.[22] Until then, it had been customary for crusaders to serve for a year and then return home.[22]

Albert had ensured Riga's commercial future by obtaining papal bulls which decreed that all German merchants had to carry on their Baltic trade through Riga.[22] In 1211, Riga minted its first coinage,[11] and Albert laid the cornerstone for the Riga Dom.[23] Riga was not yet secure as an alliance of tribes failed to take Riga.[22] In 1212, Albert led a campaign to compel Polotsk to grant German merchants free river passage.[18] Polotsk conceded Kukenois (Koknese) and Jersika to Albert, also ending the Livs' tribute to Polotsk.[24]

Riga's merchant citizenry chafed and sought greater autonomy from the Church. In 1221 they acquired the right to independently self-administer Riga.[19] and adopted a city constitution[25]

That same year Albert was compelled to recognize Danish rule over lands they had conquered in Estonia and Livonia.[26] Albert had sought the aid of King Valdemar of Denmark to protect Riga and Livonian lands against Liv insurrection when reinforcements could not reach Riga. The Danes landed in Livonia, built a fortress at Reval (Tallinn), and set about conquering Estonian and Livonian lands. The Germans attempted, but failed, to assassinate Valdemar.[27] Albert was able to reach an accommodation a year later, however, and in 1222 Valdemar returned all Livonian lands and possessions to Albert's control.[28]

Albert's difficulties with Riga's citizenry continued; with papal intervention, a settlement was reached in 1225 whereby they no longer had to pay tax to the Bishop of Riga,[29] and Riga's citizens acquired the right to elect their magistrates and town councilors.[29] In 1226, Albert consecrated the Dom Cathedral,[11] built St. James's Church,[11] and founding a parochial school at the Church of St. George.[10]

In 1227, Albert conquered Oesel [30] and the city of Riga concluded a treaty with the Principality of Smolensk giving Polotsk to Riga.[31]

Albert died in January, 1229.[32] He failed his aspiration to be anointed archbishop[21] but the German hegemony he established over the Baltics would last for seven centuries.[22]

Hanseatic League

In 1282 Riga became a member of the Hanseatic League. The Hansa was instrumental in giving Riga economic and political stability, thus providing the city with a strong foundation which endured the political conflagrations that were to come, down to modern times.

Riga in 1650. The inscription reads: Prospect der Stadt Riga ums Jahr 1650 (View at the City of Riga in 1650). Drawing by Johann Christoph Brotze

Holy Roman Empire, Lithuania, the Swedish and Russian Empires

As the influence of the Hansa waned, Riga became the object of foreign military, political, religious and economic aspirations. Riga accepted the Reformation in 1522, ending the power of the archbishops. In 1524, a venerated statue of the Virgin Mary in the Cathedral was denounced as a witch, and given a trial by water in the Daugava River. The statue floated, so it was denounced as a witch and burnt at Kubsberg.[33] With the demise of the Livonian Order during the Livonian War, Riga for twenty years had the status of a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire before it came under the influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Treaty of Drohiczyn, which ended the war for Riga in 1581. In 1621, during the Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625), Riga and the outlying fortress of Daugavgriva came under the rule of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, who intervened in the Thirty Years' War not only for political and economic gain but also in favour of German Lutheran Protestantism. During the Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658), Riga withstood a siege by Russian forces.

Riga remained the largest city in Sweden until 1710 during a period in which the city retained a great deal of self-government autonomy. In that year, in the course of the Great Northern War, Russia under Tsar Peter the Great besieged Riga. Along with the other Livonian towns and gentry, Riga capitulated to Russia, largely retaining their privileges. Riga was made the capital of the Governorate of Riga (later: Livonia). Sweden's northern dominance had ended, and Russia's emergence as the strongest Northern power was formalised through the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. Peter the Great was a big fun of Riga. He married Latvian Martha Skavronskaya, after his death known as Empress Ekaterina I. Having received palace as gift from Riga municipality (although he insisted on paying) Peter used to visit Riga regularly. He helped to rebuild the tallest church in Riga (St.Peter's church) after it was burned down and created general plan for Riga development, including planning many parks and boulevards, planting some trees himself. Riga became an industrialised port city of the Russian empire, where it remained until World War I. By 1900, Riga was the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and Saint Petersburg in terms of numbers of industrial workers and number of theatres.

German troops entering Riga during World War I.

During these many centuries of war and changes of power in the Baltic, the Baltic Germans in Riga remained in their dominant position despite demographic changes. By 1867 Riga's population was 42.9% German.[34] Riga employed German as its official language of administration until the installation of Russian language in 1891 as the official language in the Baltic provinces which was a natural step considering that it was a part of the Russian Empire. More and more Latvians started moving to the city in the mid-19th century. The rise of a Latvian bourgeoisie made Riga a centre of the Latvian National Awakening with the founding of the Riga Latvian Association in 1868 and the organisation of the first national song festival in 1873. The nationalist movement of the Young Latvians was followed by the socialist New Current during the city's rapid industrialisation, culminating in the 1905 Revolution led by the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party.

Interwar period

The 20th century brought World War I and the impact of the Russian Revolution of 1917 to Riga. The German army marched into Riga in 1917. In 1918 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed giving the Baltic countries to Germany. Because of the Armistice with Germany of November 11, 1918, Germany had to renounce that treaty, as did Russia, leaving Latvia and the other Baltic States in a position to claim independence. Latvia, with Riga as its capital city, thus declared its independence on November 18, 1918.

A view of Riga on a postcard. circa 1900.

Between World War I and World War II (1918–1940), Riga and Latvia shifted their focus from Russia to the countries of Western Europe. The United Kingdom and Germany replaced Russia as Latvia's major trade partners.

World War II and the Soviet Union

During World War II, Latvia was occupied first by the Soviet Union in June 1940 and then by Nazi Germany in 1941-1944. The Baltic Germans were forcibly repatriated to Germany. The city's Jewish community was forced into Riga ghetto and concentration camps were constructed in Kaiserwald and the city of Salaspils.

In 1945 Latvia was once again occupied by the Red Army. As a result of the war Latvia lost approximately one-third of its population. Industrialization and growth of infrastructure led to many people from other parts of Soviet Union moving to Riga, and most of those people were not of Latvian ethnicity. In effect, as a Latvian city it never really had a majority Latvian population other than a short 20 year long period between wars.

Restoration of independece and onwards

The policy of economic reform, introduced in 1986 as Perestroika, led to dissolution of the Soviet Union and restoration of independent Latvia in 1991. Latvia formally joined the United Nations as an independent country on September 17, 1991. In 2004 Latvia joined both NATO and the European Union.

In 2004, the arrival of low-cost airlines resulted in cheaper flights from other European cities such as London and Berlin and consequently a substantial increase in numbers of tourists.[35]

Geography

Historic Centre of Riga*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Old Town of Riga
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii
Reference 852
Region** Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription 1997  (21st Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Administrative divisions

Riga administrative divisions consists of six administrative entities: Central, Kurzeme and Northern Districts and the Latgale, Vidzeme and Zemgale Suburbs. Three entities were established 1 September 1941, and other three were established October 1969.[36] There are no official lower level administrative units, but the Riga City Council Development Agency is working on a plan, which officially confirmed makes Riga consist of 58 neighbourhoods.[37] The current names were confirmed 28 December 1990.[38]

Panorama over Riga from Latvian Academy of Sciences

Climate

The climate of Riga is humid continental (Koppen Dfb). The coldest months are January and February, when the average temperature is −5 °C (23 °F) but temperatures as low as −20 °C (−4 °F) to −25 °C (−13 °F) can be observed almost every year on the coldest days. The proximity of the sea causes frequent autumn rains and fogs. Continuous snow cover may last eighty days. The summers in Riga are warm and humid with the average temperature of 18 °C (64 °F), while the temperature on the hottest days can exceed 30 °C (86 °F).


Climate data for Riga
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) -2.3
(27.9)		 -1.7
(28.9)		 2.7
(36.9)		 9.8
(49.6)		 16.2
(61.2)		 20.1
(68.2)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.0
(69.8)		 16.3
(61.3)		 10.4
(50.7)		 3.9
(39)		 0.3
(32.5)		 9.87
(49.76)
Average low °C (°F) -7.8
(18)		 -7.6
(18.3)		 -4.7
(23.5)		 1.0
(33.8)		 5.9
(42.6)		 10.0
(50)		 12.3
(54.1)		 11.8
(53.2)		 8.0
(46.4)		 4.0
(39.2)		 -0.5
(31.1)		 -4.4
(24.1)		 2.33
(36.2)
Precipitation mm (inches) 34
(1.34)		 27
(1.06)		 28
(1.1)		 41
(1.61)		 44
(1.73)		 63
(2.48)		 85
(3.35)		 73
(2.87)		 75
(2.95)		 60
(2.36)		 57
(2.24)		 46
(1.81)		 633
(24.92)
Source: World Weather Information Service [39]

Economy

The logo for the city of Riga, designed for its 800th anniversary.

Business and leisure travel to Riga have increased significantly in recent years because of improved infrastructure. Most tourists travel to Riga by air via Riga International Airport, the largest airport in the Baltic states, which was renovated and modernised in 2001 on the occasion of Riga's 800th anniversary. In the near future, the face of Riga will undergo notable changes. The construction of a new landmark—the Latvian National Library building—began in the autumn of 2007 and is due to be complete by 2010.[40] Currently discussions are underway in Riga council about the development of the central areas on the left bank of the Daugava. The major dispute surrounds plans to build skyscrapers in Ķīpsala, which UNESCO warned "could seriously endanger the status of the Historic Centre of Riga as a World Heritage Site."[41] The construction of 3 buildings in Ķīpsala has already started — the Da Vinci complex (25 floors) and two high-rises called Z-Towers (30 floors).[42][43] Almost all important Latvian financial institutions are located in Riga, including the Bank of Latvia, which is Latvia's central bank. Foreign commercial trade through Riga has been on the increase in recent years and received new impetus on May 1, 2004 when Latvia became a member of the European Union. Riga accounts for about half of the total industrial output of Latvia, focusing on the financial sector, public utilities, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, wood processing, printing and publishing, textiles and furniture, and communications equipment manufacturing. More than 50% of Latvian companies are registered in Riga region.[44] The port of Riga is an important cargo shipping centre. It is the main all-weather port in the Baltic and is expected to grow in the next few years because of increased trade with other ex-Soviet states and the People's Republic of China.[45]

AirBaltic, the national airline of Latvia, has its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Riga.[46]

Infrastructure

Latvian Academy of Sciences

Riga with its central geographic position and concentration of population, has always been the infrastructural hub of Latvia. Several national roads have their beginning in Riga and the European route E22 crosses Riga from the east and west, the Via Baltica crosses Riga from the south and north.

As a city situated by a river, Riga also has several bridges to facilitate easy crossing for an increasing volume of traffic. The oldest standing bridge is the Railway Bridge, which is also the only railroad carrying bridge in Riga. The Stone Bridge connects Old Town Riga and Pārdaugava (literally "over Daugava"), the Island Bridge connects Maskavas Forštate and Pārdaugava via Zaķusala, and the Shroud Bridge connects Old Town Riga and Pārdaugava via Ķīpsala. In 2008, the first stage of the new Southern Bridge route across the Daugava was completed, and opened to traffic on November 17.[37] The Southern Bridge is currently the biggest construction project in the Baltic states in 20 years, and is planned to help reduce traffic jams and the amount of traffic in the city centre.[47][48] Another big construction project is the planned Riga Northern Transport Corridor,[49] which is scheduled to begin in 2010.

Freeport of Riga facilitates cargo and passenger traffic by sea. Sea ferries currently connects Riga to Stockholm and Lübeck, operated respectively by Tallink and DFDS Tor Line.[50][51] The Latvian flagged ferries MS Romantika and MS Silja Festival are located at the Riga Passenger Terminal close to Old Town Riga.

Riga has one active airport, Riga International Airport, built in 1973 that serves commercial airlines. First renovation and modernization of the airport was completed in 2001, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the founding of the city. In 2006, a new north terminal extension was also opened. Work on the extension of the runway was completed by October 30, 2008. With the completion of this project, the airport has the capacity to serve international flights and is able to accommodate big aircraft including Airbus A340, Boeing 747's, 757's, 767's and 777's. Air traffic at the airport grew from 310000 in 1993 to over 4 million in 2009. It has now become the largest airport in the Baltic States and with recently extended runway and renovated infrastructure and facilities continues to attract both passenger and cargo airlines, there are now plans to built new terminal to cope with increasing passenger numbers.

Riga was also home to an air base during the Cold War — Rumbula Air Base. Another airport, Spilve Airport, is a former civilian and military airport in Riga located 5 km (3.11 mi) from Riga city centre, with active aircraft operating as early as the First World War. It became the first international airport of Riga in the 1930s, which, from 1937 linked the capital city with Helsinki via Tallinn, Warsaw via Vilnius, Berlin and Moscow via Kaunas. After World War II and the Soviet occupation, it was rebuilt into a 1950s-era airport, the hub of Aeroflot. A new ring taxiway and restored surface was added. The airport was closed for regular flights in the late 1980s. The terminal building still remains as a notable example of Stalin's neoclassical architecture.

Public transportation in the city is provided by Rīgas Satiksme which operates a large nuber of trams, buses and trolleybuses on an extensive network of routes across the city. In addition, many private owners operate minibus services. Riga is connected to the rest of Latvia by trains operated by the national railway company Passenger Train, whose headquarters are in Riga. There are also international rail links to Russia and Estonia. Riga International Coach Terminal provides domestic and international connections by coach. Current plans envisage a trans-European rail link from Tallinn to Warsaw via Riga [52] financed by the European Union, with the first phase to be completed by 2013.[53]

Demographics

With 713,016 inhabitants in 2009, Riga is the largest city in the Baltic States, though its population has decreased from just under 1 million in 1991.[3] Notable causes include emigration and low fertility rates. Some have estimated that the population may fall by as much as 50% by 2050.[54] According to the 2008 data, ethnic Latvians make up 42.3% of the population of Riga, with the percentage of ethnic Russians at 41.7%, Belarusians at 4.3%, Ukrainians at 3.9%, Poles at 2.0%, and others ethnicities at 5.8%. It is important, however, to mention that most, if not all, of those of non-Latvian ethnicity speak Russian as their first language and therefore comprise a multi-ethnic Russian speaking community.[2] By comparison, 59,4% of Latvia's inhabitants are ethnic Latvians, 27.6% are Russians, 3.6% are Belarusians, 2.5% are Ukrainians, 2.3% are Polish, 1.3% are Lithuanians and the remaining 3.3% are accounted for by other ethnicities (2010).[2] Throughout its exciting history Riga has always remained a melting pot of different ethnicities, including Germans, Russians, Jews and Latvians, all happily co-habituating together and creating unique base for flourishing economy. Upon restoration of Latvian independence in 1991, ethnically non-Latvian residents (and any of their offspring born before 1991) were not automatically granted Latvian citizenship because they have migrated to the territory of Latvia during the years of the Soviet Union. Due to such discriminating policies many have immigrated to Russia and other countries and this partially accounts for the recent decline in Riga's population. As a result of this repatriation of some Soviet-era residents, the proportion of ethnic Latvians in Riga has increased from 36.5% in 1989 to 42.3% in 2007. In contrast the percentage of Russians has fallen from 47.3% to 42.1% in the same time period. Latvians overtook Russians as the largest ethnic group in 2006.[4]

In 2005, 16.2% of the population was living under the poverty level and the most vulnerable groups were children, young adults and senior citizens.[55]

Between 1996-2002 Riga had the second highest murder rate of any capital city in Europe (behind Moscow), and in 2008 it was named "Europe crime capital" by Forbes.[56]

Buildings

Riga Radio and TV tower is the tallest structure in Latvia, Baltic states and one of the highest in the European Union. It is also 13th highest TV tower in the world 368.5 m (1,209 ft) The highest office/apartment buildings in Latvia are Swedbank Central Office called 'Saules Akmens' (Sun Stone) and Panorama Plaza tower complex.

List of highest buildings in Latvia.
1. Swedbank Central Office
2. Panorama Plaza II
3. Academy of Science
4. Panorama Plaza I
5. Reval Hotel Latvia
6. Ministry of Agriculture Building
7. Latvijas Televizija

Riga TV and Radio tower.

Swedbank (formely known as Hansabank) Central Building- Sun Stone

Culture

Art Academy of Latvia, in Riga

Theatres

Sports

Arena Riga

Sports clubs

Sports facilities

Skonto Stadium

Sports events

Universities

International relations

The clock presented to Riga by its sister city Kobe. It shows time in both cities

Twin towns — Sister cities

Riga maintains sister city relationships with the following cities:[59]

Denmark Aalborg, Denmark[60] Kazakhstan Almaty, Kazakhstan Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands Kazakhstan Astana, Kazakhstan
People's Republic of China Beijing, China[61] France Bordeaux, France Germany Bremen, Germany Australia Cairns, Australia
France Calais, France United States Dallas, United States Italy Florence, Italy Ukraine Kiev, Ukraine
Japan Kobe, Japan [62] Belarus Minsk, Belarus Russia Moscow, Russia Sweden Norrköping, Sweden
Finland Pori, Finland United States Providence, United States[63] Germany Rostock, Germany Russia Saint Petersburg, Russia:[64]
Chile Santiago, Chile United Kingdom Slough, United Kingdom[65] Sweden Stockholm, Sweden People's Republic of China Suzhou, China
Republic of China Taipei, Taiwan[66] Estonia Tallinn, Estonia Uzbekistan Taskent, Uzbekistan Estonia Tartu, Estonia
Georgia (country) Tbilisi, Georgia Lithuania Vilnius, Lithuania Poland Warsaw, Poland [67]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Riga City Council". Riga City Council. http://www.riga.lv/EN/Channels/Riga_Municipality/Riga_City_Council/default.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Riga in Figures". Riga City Council. http://www.riga.lv/EN/Channels/About_Riga/Riga_in_numbers/default.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Resident Population by Region, City and District at the Beginning of the Year". csb.gov.lv. http://data.csb.gov.lv/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=04-05a&ti=4%2D5%2E+RESIDENT+POPULATION+BY+REGION%2C+CITY+AND+DISTRICT+AT+THE+BEGINNING+OF+THE+YEAR+++&path=../DATABASEEN/Iedzsoc/Annual%20statistical%20data/04.%20Population/&lang=1. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Resident Population by Ethnicity and by Region, Cityr and District at the Bebinning of the Year". csb.gov.lv. http://data.csb.gov.lv/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=04-19a&ti=4-19.+RESIDENT+POPULATION+BY+ETHNICITY+AND+BY+REGION%2C+CITY+AND+DISTRICT+AT+THE+BEGINNING+OF+THE+YEAR&path=../DATABASEEN/Iedzsoc/Annual%20statistical%20data/04.%20Population/&lang=1. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  5. ↑ [1]
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Riga Municipality Portal". Copyright © 2003-2009, Riga Municipality. http://www.riga.lv/EN/Channels/About_Riga/default.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  7. ↑ "World Heritage List — Riga (Latvia); No. 852" (PDF). unesco.org. pp. 3 (67). http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/852.pdf. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Teritorija un administratīvās robežas vēsturiskā skatījumā" (in Latvian). Cities Environmental Reports on the Internet. http://www.ceroi.net/reports/riga/latviski/pamatlietas/teritorija.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  9. ↑ Endzelīns, Did Celts Inhabit the Baltics (1911 Dzimtene's Vēstnesis (Homeland Messenger) No. 227). Retrieved July 24, 2009.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Vauchez et al. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2001
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 Bilmanis, A. Latvia as an Independent State. Latvian Legation. 1947.
  12. ↑ Pronouncing the "i" and "e" separately, REE-eh, is the best approximation to the Latvian rija, as "Ria" would result in an "i" not "ee" sound.
  13. ↑ Fabrius, D. Livonicae Historiae Compendiosa Series, 1610: "Riga nomen sortita est suum ab aedificiis vel horreis quorum a litus Dunae magna fuit copia, quas livones sua lingua Rias vocare soliti."
  14. ↑ Rīdziņa
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Germanis, U. The Latvian Saga. 10th ed. 1998. Memento, Stockholm.
  16. ↑ Laffort, R. (censor), Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Appleton Co., 1907
  17. ↑ Tolstoy-Miloslavsky, D. The Tolstoys: Genealogy and Origin. A2Z, 1991
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Dollinger, P. The Emergence of International Business 1200 – 1800, 1964; translated Macmillan and Co edition, 1970
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Reiner et al. Riga. Axel Menges, Stuttgart. 1999.
  20. ↑ Zarina, D. Old Riga: Tourist Guide, Spriditis, 1992
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Moeller et al. History of the Christian Church. MacMillan & Co. 1893.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Palmieri, A. Catholic Origin of Latvia, ed. Cororan, J.A. et al.The American Catholic Quarterly Review Volume XLVI, January–October 1921. Philadelphia.
  23. ↑ Doma vēsture (history). Retrieved July 29, 2009.
  24. ↑ Kooper, E. The Medieval Chronicle V. Radopi, 2008.
  25. ↑ Wright, C.T.H. The Edinburgh Review, THE LETTS, 1917
  26. ↑ Murray, A. Crusade and Conversion on the Baltic Frontier, 1150-1500. Ashgate, London. 2001.
  27. ↑ The Ecclesiastical Review, Vol. LVI. American Ecclesiastical Review. Dolphin Press. 1917.
  28. ↑ Fonnesberg-Schmidt, I. The Popes and the Baltic Crusades, 1147-1254. Brill. 2006.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Švābe, A., ed. Latvju Enciklopēdija. Trīs Zvaigznes, Stockholm. 1953-1955 (in Latvian)
  30. ↑ Fletcher, R.A. The Conversion of Europe: From Paganism to Christianity, 371-1386 AD. Harper Collins. 1991.
  31. ↑ Michell, Thomas. Handbook for Travelers in Russia, Poland, and Finland. London, John Murray, 1888.
  32. ↑ Fonnesberg-Schmidt, I. The Popes and the Baltic Crusades, 1147-1254. Brill, 2007
  33. ↑ MacCulloch, Diarmaid (2003). The Reformation: A History. Penguin. ISBN 0-670-03296-4. 
  34. ↑ National History Museum of Latvia
  35. ↑ Charles, Jonathan (2005-06-30). "Latvia prepares for a tourist invasion". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4633647.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  36. ↑ Mikk Lõhmus and Illar Tõnisson. "Evolvement of Administrative Division of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius". Tallinn University of Technology. pp. 55, 77. http://www.halduskultuur.eu/Mikk_Lohmus_and_Illar_Tonisson.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Apkaimju projekts" (in Latvian). Riga City Council Development Agency. http://www.rdpad.lv/apkaimes/. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
  38. ↑ "Changes in the Administrative Division of the Territory of Riga after the Loss of Independence (1940-1991)". Riga City Environment Centre "Agenda 21". http://www.ceroi.net/reports/riga/background_things/teritory.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
  39. ↑ "Weather Information for Riga". World Weather Information Service. http://www.worldweather.org/044/c00175.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  40. ↑ "Gaismas Pils; Development of the project". gaismaspils.lv. http://www.gaismaspils.lv/gp/index.php?l=en&m=attistiba&s=LNB_Ekas_Buvnieciba. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
  41. ↑ UNESCO 2007 report, p199 accessed 20 July 2009
  42. ↑ "Da Vinci, Riga". emporis.com. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102008. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
  43. ↑ "Z-Towers; On top of your business!". vertikalapasaule.lv. http://www.vertikalapasaule.lv/eng/project/. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
  44. ↑ "Lursoft statistika; Uzņēmumu dibināšanas dimanika Latvijas rajonos" (in Latvian). lursoft.lv. http://www.lursoft.lv/stat/ur_stat_075.html. Retrieved 2007-09-25. 
  45. ↑ "Report on the Free Port of Riga". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20080119215620/http://riga.usembassy.gov/EN/site/R/rep20060912. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  46. ↑ "airBaltic in Riga." AirBaltic. Retrieved on 16 January 2010.
  47. ↑ "Dienvidu Tilts; Project of the Bridge". dienvidutilts.lv. http://www.dienvidutilts.lv/index.php?lang_id=2&menu_id=18. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
  48. ↑ "Dienvidu tilta maģistrālie pievedceļi" (in Latvian). rdsd.lv. http://www.rdsd.lv/?ct=dienvidu_tilts. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  49. ↑ "Northern Corridor; About project". ziemelukoridors.lv. http://www.ziemelukoridors.lv/pages/main.php?l=en&tema=2. Retrieved 2007-08-21. 
  50. ↑ "Sailing schedule on route Riga - Luebeck". DFDS Tor Line. http://www.dfdstorline.lv/DFDSTorlineSIA/EN/Timetables/RigaLuebeck/Index.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-31. 
  51. ↑ Abdul Turay (2008-01-30). "Tallinn and Riga to be linked by 2010". Baltic Times. http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/19752/. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
  52. ↑ "Latvia to Begin Constructing Rail Baltica accessed". Latvian State Railways. 2008-04-18. http://www.rzd-partner.com/news/2008/04/18/322781.html. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
  53. ↑ Heleniak, Timothy (February 2006). "Latvia Looks West, But Legacy of Soviets Remains". University of Maryland. http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=375. Retrieved 2007-08-02. 
  54. ↑ "Fafo-report 503 Poverty in Latvia". Fafo.no. http://www.fafo.no/pub/rapp/503/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-22. 
  55. ↑ Jul 23, 2008 By Talis Saule Archdeacon (2008-07-23). "Latvia 'Europe's crime capital'". Baltictimes.com. http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/20903/. Retrieved 2010-01-22. 
  56. ↑ "Latvian National Opera". Opera.lv. Archived from the original on 2007-12-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20071226023239/http://www.opera.lv/opera.php?lang=2. Retrieved 2009-05-06. 
  57. ↑ Nordik IT <http://it.nordik.lv>. "The Daile Theatre - Repertory". Dailesteatris.lv. http://www.dailesteatris.lv/index.php?&268. Retrieved 2009-07-25. 
  58. ↑ "Twin cities of Riga". Riga City Council. http://www.riga.lv/EN/Channels/Riga_Municipality/Twin_cities_of_Riga/default.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  59. ↑ "Aalborg Kommune - Venskabsbyer". Web.archive.org. 2007-11-14. Archived from the original on 2007-11-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20071114155748/http://www.aalborgkommune.dk/Borgerportal/Serviceomraader/Byen/Venskabsbyer/Towns.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-26. 
  60. ↑ "Sister Cities". Beijing Municipal Government. http://www.ebeijing.gov.cn/Sister_Cities/Sister_City/. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
  61. ↑ "Sister City, Friendly City, Friendship & Cooperation City" (in Japanese). © 2007-2009 City of Kobe. http://www.city.kobe.jp/cityoffice/17/020/en/international/worldmap.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-14. 
  62. ↑ "Mayor Announces Sister City — Meeting (7/30/2003)". Providence, RI, Office of the Mayor. http://www.providenceri.com/press/sister_city.html. Retrieved 2007-01-17. 
  63. ↑ "Saint Petersburg in figures - International and Interregional Ties". Saint Petersburg City Government. http://eng.gov.spb.ru/figures/ities. Retrieved 2009-07-27. 
  64. ↑ "British Latvian Trade – the magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce in Latvia" (PDF). pp. 10, col. 2. http://www.bccl.lv/userfiles/e_magazines/BLT_autumn-draft.pdf. Retrieved 2008-02-11. 
  65. ↑ Sister city list (.DOC)
  66. ↑ (Polish) "Miasta partnerskie Warszawy". um.warszawa.pl. Biuro Promocji Miasta. 2005-05-04. http://um.warszawa.pl/v_syrenka/new/index.php?dzial=aktualnosci&ak_id=3284&kat=11. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 

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