Things to see and do Latvia

From Sigulda, you can see the high red brick tower of the Livonian castle of Turaida, which dates from 1215 and from which there is a superb view. A museum in the 15th century attic explains the history of the Livonian state from the 14th to the 16th century. In the summer, festivals of folk songs are held here. In the park surrounding the fortress you can get acquainted with local traditions: pirts (sauna), blacksmith's workshop, very interesting fish cellars (the refrigerator of the medieval period), a house of barons and servants.

Art Nouveau is an artistic movement born in France at the end of the 19th century. It is based on the aesthetics of curved lines and was born in reaction to the excessive industrialization of the century. If you are interested in Art Nouveau, this museum is worth a visit. It occupies the former apartment of Latvian architect Konstantīns Pēkšēns (1859-1928), who was responsible for over 250 buildings in the city. The museum recreates a middle-class apartment from the 1920s. On its website, suggestions for itineraries on this theme to discover the city.

The magnificent Livonian castle of Jaunpils is worth a visit. The only perfectly preserved castle of the Livonian Order in Latvia, it was built in 1301. It currently houses a museum on the history of the region. Every second weekend in August, the medieval festival takes place here, where you can step back in time and take part in activities common in those days, such as crossbow shooting. Taste medieval dishes with your hands (no fork!) and participate in duels with sword and shield for the more daring..

The first floor houses temporary exhibitions and the kitchens. Take the time to visit them, and be impressed by the size of the fireplaces, then climb the grand staircase. The palace tour really begins on the^1st floor.

The antechamber to the Golden Room. This room is not original, except for the parquet floor and doors.

The Golden Room. This is the room that has been best preserved over the centuries. The parquet floor dates back to the 1860s, and the plaster decorations have retained the same gilding as in their original state, albeit supplemented by restorers. Even the ceiling, though repainted in the ^19th century, has suffered little in comparison with the other rooms: the renovation has restored its original hues and texture.

The walls of the Golden Room preserve traces of bygone eras (inscriptions and engravings). Most noteworthy are the signatures of participants in the War of 1812 and the First World War, engraved in the painted marble near the east-side window. They adjoin the entrance to the porcelain cabinet, built as a delicate counterweight to the magnificence and luxury of the Golden Room. The two wall panels were designed as mirrors, artificially enlarging the size of the room.

The grand gallery. The door opposite, in the chambre d'or, leads to the 30 m long grande galerie. Renovation of the ceiling took 14 years. During the restoration, it was discovered that the walls had been covered in 1813 with a layer of grayish-green paint, then in the late ^19th century with a layer of reddish-brown paint to accommodate Count Shuvalov's collection of paintings. These coats of paint have now been partially removed. The grand gallery, a relic of grandiloquent Italian art, is a rarity for Latvia. From here, you reach the White Room. This room is currently being renovated.

The rooms to the east of the gallery had practical functions: they were used for passing dishes during receptions. The most remarkable of these rooms is undoubtedly the blue salon, upholstered in blue silk.

The oval cabinet. In place of the peasants' staircase, J. M. Graaf installed the oval porcelain cabinet, west of the white room. This is the liveliest room in the château. The 45 hand-made consoles, lined up one after the other on the middle panel, intertwine in a sudden play of curves reminiscent of a veritable waterfall, within which the consoles rise like waves while supporting Chinese and Japanese vases. This room underlines the architectural ideas in vogue in ^18th-century Europe. Porcelain cabinets were not confined to porcelain from the Far East, but also created a sense of the exotic that didn't exist in other rooms. They also fit in well with the Baroque and Rococo styles, which were keen to surprise on every occasion.

The small gallery. The room next door is the only room in this wing of the building that hasn't been decorated. Like the petite galerie, which takes visitors back to the 1730s, the wooden staircases give an idea of what the château looked like in its early period. The same ideas and influences were borrowed here as for the main staircases. The floor is of the same construction, made of simple planks of coniferous wood. The ceiling was intended to display tapestries by the Italian painter Bartolomeo Tarsia, but these were transported to Ielgava and brought to St. Petersburg after the Duke's arrest. Opposite the windows, the idea was floated of placing mirror panels, but this project never came to fruition.

The white room. The White Room, whose primary function was to accommodate the dancers, has been called this since the ^18th century. The color white is no accident, but was chosen to create a light, cheerful atmosphere. While the golden room's avalanche of colors and ornaments could make you feel lost, the white room's discreet decorations highlighted the beautiful dresses of the ladies and the luxurious jackets of the gentlemen. The impression of clarity is further enhanced by the presence of five mirrored panels, imitating the thirteen authentic windows. With this room, J. M. Graaf has achieved the most brilliant feat of his career. The painted decorations cover walls and ceilings and at first glance appear to repeat symmetrical motifs; in reality, nothing is repeated, everything is bubbling with imagination, freshness and mastery. Overlooking the doorway are drawings of 22 scenes depicting village life and the trades of the time - hunting, farming, animal husbandry, horticulture, music. The reliefs above the windows symbolize the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Allegorical representations of the four seasons of the year can be seen on the cornices of the longitudinal walls. The stork's nest in the center of the ceiling is also famous: it's made of real branches, lightly covered in plaster. In 1992, a real family of storks, which could be seen through the window in the white room, took up residence on the mantelpiece in the north-western part of the room. This room features the château's only non-original parquet floor. The dancers' footsteps wore it out, and Count Shuvalov was obliged to install a new floor in 1892, which is the one you can walk on today.

Three small cabinets. At the other end of the white room are three small cabinets where one could rest during balls. One of them is adorned with several small rhomboidal mirrors inlaid into the wall decorations, giving the cabinets a play of light effect. The finesse of their decorative details is in keeping with their modest size; they are, along with the duchess's bathroom, the smallest rooms in the château.

The court room. Next to the staircase, to the east, lies the Court Room, part of the château's most recent history. The furniture and paintings here recreate the atmosphere of Zubov's time, when he was forced to renovate the entire castle around 1795. Classical Russian furniture coexists with a portrait of Catherine II, set against the background of the Zubov family tree. The latter was created by the painter Jean-Baptiste Lampi; the members of the Zubov family are represented by golden apples. Most of the porcelain in the room comes from Russia, while the floor is covered with woven carpets.

The former apartments. The duke's former apartments occupy the central part of the château and are linked to several reception rooms. These rooms were not only the duke's living quarters, but also an important part of castle life. The twenty rooms form two parallel enfilades. The south enfilade - on the garden side - begins with the library and ends with the billiard room. In the middle is the Duke's bedroom. On the north side are the living rooms, the two cabinets, the wardrobe and the bathrooms. Great care has been taken to preserve the impression of two parallel lines created by the rooms as a whole. Here, ceiling paintings blend with plaster reliefs and silk wall tapestries with marble decorations. The range of colors used in each room is surprisingly different from the previous one.

The antechamber. The style of the antechamber to the duke's apartments is balanced and classicist, especially on the ceiling. Most of the paintings have religious overtones and are by Italian and Flemish masters of the Baroque period.

First in the enfilade is the castle's former library. The ceiling decoration, which has somehow survived, reveals an inscription: Laborem In Victoria Nemo Sentit(toil is not experienced in victory). The shield is held by the personification of Victory - the symbolism of Peace and Abundance can also be seen in opposition to that of Dispute and Hatred. The painting has not only suffered from the rains, but also from its renovation in the 1880s: the original angel drawings are no longer visible. All that remains of the original furniture is the oak bookcase.

The pink room. Of all these rooms, the Pink Room is one of the most pleasant surprises. Here, more than anywhere else, we find the architectural ideas popular in Berlin and Potsdam, and especially those of Friedrich II. The painted marble and flower designs are adorned with silver, not gold. The ceiling features the goddess of spring, Flora, and her entourage. The same ideas influenced the wall decorations: 21 garlands of flowers in painted plaster of various colors rise above a marble panel. In May 1997, the renovation of the parquet floor, originally laid in 1739 by master carpenter Jean Baptiste Eger under Rastrelli's direction, was completed. The chandelier is the work of Courlande glassmakers and was installed in the second half of the ^18thcentury.

The blue room. The next two rooms, which you must pass through to reach the Duke's bedroom, are particularly noteworthy for their paintings. The first, with its blue tapestry-covered walls, features a succession of paintings by the Dutch school depicting the château's interior at the time. In the ^18th century, the works of Flemish painters were exhibited mainly in Rundale, including a painting by Rembrandt, Simeon and Anna in the Temple, which now hangs in Hamburg's Kunsthalle. The most remarkable paintings in this room are by Megior de Hondekuter, Jean Hakart, Frédéric de Moucheron, Otto Harsen, Fan Skrik and other German painters of the Dutch school.

The portrait room. The next room, upholstered in red silk, features portraits of members of the Biron dynasty, as well as European emperors of the period. These include the Russian Tsarina Anna Ivanovna, Elisabeth Petrovna, Catherine II and Peter III. Leonard Shorere's portrait of Duke Biron is framed by portraits of Russian Tsar Peter the Great and King Friedrich II of Prussia, symbolizing the Curonian Spit's median political position between its two powerful neighbors. Gotlib Snifner's portrait of Polish King Stanislaus Augustus is to be understood as that of the Curonian Spit's last feudal overlord, although the duchy's independence from Poland was more or less a reality by the ^18th century. The portraits of the Duke's widow, Benigna Gottlieb, Duke Peteris and his wife Anne-Dorothée, and their two eldest daughters, Wilhelmine and Pauline, were painted by the French-born court painter Friedrich Barisien.

The bedroom. At the center of this enfilade is the room that attracts the most attention: the Duke's bedroom. The wall and ceiling decorations were created during the castle's second construction period, although some earlier elements have been preserved: the parquet floor and the blue porcelain fireplace, made by the potter Gottfried Kater in Danzig in 1740. This fireplace is the only one in the castle not to have been reworked afterwards; the other four fireplaces in the other rooms were reassembled after being completely renovated in Rīga in 1935. The ceiling features figures from ancient mythology. Alongside them are the usual Baroque themes. The alcove was renovated in 1990 using old photographs; the gilded wooden decorations had been destroyed in 1919. The parquet flooring was laid in 1739 by master craftsman Jean Baptiste Eger: not only is it the most technically accomplished in Rundale Castle, it is also the most representative of the Baroque style in the whole of Latvia. The bedroom features few paintings, but their choice is symbolic. The duke's bedroom has two small doors to the right and left of the recess dedicated to the duke's bed. On the right, the door leads to the bathroom, on the left to a wardrobe. The wardrobe, where the duke dressed and undressed, is the most sumptuous room in the castle. On the ceiling, the silvery face of the sun shines amid a crown of colorful flowers, vines and birds. Hand-crafted silver ornamentation extends to the ends of the ceiling. Recently restored, it shines as brightly as on its first day.

The audience room. The room following the bedroom is the Duke's audience room. The festive atmosphere here comes from the dark red color used for the silk tapestries on the walls. The ceiling depicts the myth of Venus and her lover Adonis, son of the ruler of Cyprus: the goddess tries to prevent Adonis from going on a fateful hunting trip, where he will be devoured by a wild boar sent by the jealous god Mars. The courtroom furniture is in the Louis XVI style, much appreciated by Duke Peteris. Among them is the most precious piece of furniture in the château's collection: a black lacquered commode by French carpenter Jean-Henri Riesener. The small clock on the commode also comes from France, as does a second commode by Parisian carpenter Etienne Avril.

There is a large portrait of Duke Peteris, whose eventful history deserves to be told. The portrait was given to the Duke in 1781 by the painter Friedrich Hartmann Barisien, then bequeathed to the Mitau academy, the Academia Petrina, founded in 1775 by the Duke himself. In 1792, influenced by the ideas of the French Revolution, a student at the academy stabbed the portrait to death; this student was none other than Ulrich von Schlippenbach, a future writer. Offended, the Duke removed the portrait and, in 1795, leaving the Curonian Spit, gave it to his personal physician, Professor Grochke.

The Italian salon. The Italian salon bears witness to Duke Peteris's love of Italy, which he visited in 1785, founding the prize of the Bologna Academy of Arts.

The marble hall. In 1994, restoration work was completed on the Duke's dining room, also known as the "marble room" because of its wall textures: marble in the sober colors of gray and blue. This room is characterized by the rich, colorful design of the ceilings; once again, among several garlands of flowers, you'll find Ernst Johan's monogram. Here you can see some examples of the Curonian dinner services commissioned by Duke Peteris from the royal porcelain factories in Berlin around 1787, and still produced today. The marble hall became a gymnasium during the Soviet era.

The billiard room. The ceiling features a painting depicting the Greek myth of the apple of discord. The billiard room is also linked to the legend of the Black Lady, who appears from time to time, only to vanish down the west wing staircase after crossing the dining room.

Shuvalon's room.

The Duke's study. This room was opened in 2006. The most striking features are the silver wall decorations. It was used by Shuvalon in the ^19th century. It was completely destroyed in the wars of 1812 and 1914-1918. Until 1978, it housed a school classroom. Next door, you pass through the duke's bathroom.

The duchess's apartments. The duchess's antechamber, boudoir, bedroom and bathroom have been renovated; the other rooms house various exhibitions.

A must-see in Riga! It's housed in three former zeppelin hangars built before the First World War. Inside the sheds or outside on the stalls, you'll find traditional products sold by farmers: cheeses, vegetables, meat, cold meats, flowers, honey, fresh and smoked fish... It's a great way to familiarize yourself with Latvian local produce. The central market remains a popular place for locals, thanks to the quality of the goods on offer. Part of it has even been transformed into a food court.

If you don't know anything about Latvian art, you'll come away much better informed, as this museum offers a retrospective of all the country's artistic movements, from their origins to the present day. In the basement, through large windows, you can observe the museum's hidden collections. It's quite original and not to be missed. Finally, on the first floor, don't forget to take a look at the works of Latvian contemporary artists and the temporary exhibitions.

Several wooden houses dating from the 19th century have been beautifully restored, at the corner of Kalnciema and Melnsila streets. There are now various shops and restaurants and above all, a very typical and warm market every Saturday. A lot of fruits, vegetables, drinks and various foods are sold by small producers. Most of them are organic and come from the surrounding farms. There are also stands of local artisans and designers. A band plays on site, which makes the atmosphere even more pleasant.

Considered the metropolis of Art Nouveau, Rīga proudly displays a third of the buildings from this architectural and artistic movement. But the richness of this heritage is mainly due to the eclecticism of the facades. In addition to conventional Art Nouveau, there are also beautiful examples of the so-called "national romanticism" and Nordic Art Nouveau. We can start with the buildings on Elizabetes Street, at the corner of the Esplanade Park, which are known for their Art Nouveau facades, designed by Eisenstein, the father of the film director. Number 10b, built in 1903, is full of figures related to symbolism and remains the major monument of this movement in Latvia. Number 33, on the opposite side of the street, is also a victim of the "fear of emptiness" that characterizes typical Art Nouveau facades, and is displayed in all its splendor. Alberta iela Street (from no. 2 to no. 12-9, the apartment of the painter Jānis Rozentāls) represents one of the most beautiful and rare concentrations of Art Nouveau facades in the world. It should be noted that this street, has not yet benefited from the renovations that have been taking the city by storm in recent years. On Strēlnieku Street, No. 4 also offers an abundance of sculptural and ornamental motifs. In the old town, No. 8 on Smilšu Street also looks good. Through the glass door of the building, the visitor is given the opportunity to see the Art Nouveau paintings and sculptures that also decorate the entrance.

Rīga's visit logically begins with the historical heart of the th century, that is, the old town (Vecrīga), with its maze of cobbled streets and full of life, its restored monuments, churches and old buildings to the Germanic influence inherited from the time of the Hanse. Of these 590 buildings, 79 are classified as historic monuments!

Built in the ^19th and early ^20th centuries, this part of Rīga is today considered the least secure district of the city, and is also the least restored. However, it's here that you can still see the rare wooden buildings from the early ^20th century. Just behind the Academy of Sciences are some beautiful courtyards, Art Nouveau houses and the Belarusian Embassy.

Central market. The particular interest of this district lies in the Central Market(centrāltirgus), housed in three former zeppelin hangars built before the First World War. If you're looking for communist relics, old books or second-hand tools and spare parts, head for the Latgale flea market held in Sadovnikova, south of the central market, following Gogola iela.

Continuing south on Sadovnikova iela, you reach the former ghetto, where thousands of Jewish inhabitants were massacred or deported to the Salaspils camp during the Second World War. The Riga Ghetto and Holocaust Museum is a must-see. Open 7 days a week, 10 am to 6 pm. Admission by donation; www.rgm.lv.

Right next door is the Spikeri district, with its rehabilitated warehouses.

A Jewish Museum (Muzejs Ebreji Latvijā) , located at Skolas iela 6, on the^3rd floor. It traces the history of the ghetto (for a better understanding, guides can accompany the visit). Open Sunday to Thursday, 11am to 5pm. Admission by donation; www.jewishmuseum.lv.

Academy of Sciences, Turgeneva iela at no. 19, impossible to miss this huge Stalinist building. The local nickname for this impressive Soviet construction is "Stalin's crushed birthday cake" (crushed, because those in Moscow are three times as big!). It was intended that a portrait of Stalin should be added to the façade when it was built, but the idea was abandoned, much to the relief of Latvians. Many hammers and sickles still adorn this building, which is not very popular with the population. There was talk of demolishing it, but in the end it's still there. This 23-storey building houses an Academy of Sciences, private companies, a bank and, above all, the famous cupboard of dainas made entirely by author K.Barons. On the ^16th floor, you'll find all the folkloric richness and originality of the Latvian people. You can climb to the top for a panoramic view of Rīga and beyond.

Near the castle, numbers 17, 19 and 21 of Mazā Pils iela form a group of buildings known as the Three Brothers (Trīs brāļi). These are the town's three oldest stone dwellings. The house at no. 17, with its distinctive white façade, dates back to the ^15th century and is the oldest. On the first floor are the rooms where the craftsman and his family lived, worked and sold their wares. Raw materials and products were stored in the cellar and attic. The other two were built in the ^17th and ^18th centuries. In those days, taxes weren't levied on square meters, but on the size of the windows. It's easy to see which of the three brothers was the stingiest! Originally, stone benches carved with family coats of arms stood near the entrances to the houses. No. 19 is now home to the small but charming Rīga Architecture Museum(Latvijas Arhitektūras muzejs, open Mondays from 9am to 6pm, Tuesdays to Thursdays until 5pm, Fridays until 4pm - www.archmuseum.lv - donation on entry).

Not far away, on Jēkaba iela, the Church of St. James (Jēkaba baznīca. Open Sunday to Friday). The cathedral of the archbishop of the Roman Church, it has stood here since 1225. This church stood outside the city walls and was originally intended for the inhabitants of the suburbs. Over the centuries, it was passed from hand to hand before becoming Catholic in 1922.

Built in the ^17th century by Dutchmen David and Margarethe Hoyer, this is the oldest house in Liepāja. Widowed, Mrs. Hoyer opened an inn to earn her living, even welcoming Tsar Peter the Great. After meticulous restoration, the house is now a museum. On the first floor, the inn and private areas of Mrs. Hoyer and her family have been recreated, with a restaurant serving the cuisine of the period. The upstairs, which was occupied by notary Christoph Wilhelm Stender in the ^19th century, has been furnished to resemble a bourgeois interior of the period.

To the north of the old town, another bell tower dominates the skyline, that of the Dome(doma baznīca). Archbishop Albert laid the foundation stone in 1211, and it remains one of the most remarkable monuments of 13th- to 20th-century architecture. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is an integral part of a cloister, forming the inner court. After the Reformation, the entire building was returned to the city. It also contains within its walls the Dome School, which became the first higher secular school in Rīga. One of the wings of the monastery housed the municipal library, which has now disappeared. Originally built in the Romanesque style, the church now has a lighter Gothic appearance, with larger windows and more impressive vaults. The Baroque style of the tower and gable are from the 18th century, and the magnificent Art Nouveau vestibule of the church from the 20th century. The cloister is still one of the most beautiful parts of the Dome complex. The 118-metre long cloister passage, decorated with arcades opening onto the inner courtyard, is one of the few examples of medieval architecture in the Baltic region. The few remaining stained glass windows in the church date from the early 20th century and come from the twin workshops in Rīga, Munich and Dresden. The Dome, the largest religious building in the Baltic States, is particularly famous for its oversized organ with 6,768 wooden and metal pipes. Made in Germany, it has been enthroned in the cathedral since 1884. It was the largest and most modern instrument of its time. After a long period of closure for renovation and "heritage protection", Rīga Cathedral hosted occasional concerts, as well as rare Lutheran religious celebrations, in 1988, at the time of Perestroika. After years of Soviet-style atheism, the resumption of religious services in the Dome was seen as an event. In the south and west wing of the cathedral, one can visit the Museum of Rīga History and Navigation. The vast Dome Square(doma laukums), which stretches out at the foot of the cathedral, came into being in the 1860s-1880s when the medieval quarter was demolished. But it was in 1936 that the square began to show its present face with the destruction of the northern and north-eastern pediments of the Dome. The square is one of the most lively in the city.

Today, the black cats sculpted on the roof of this Art Nouveau building are the symbol of Rīga. More than a century ago, the Latvian owner of this house was expelled from the powerful Grand Guild by a chauvinistic German. In revenge, the merchant ordered that the cats above his house be turned towards the Grand Guild to present their hindquarters. After a long battle, the merchant was finally reinstated into the Guild, and as a gesture of forgiveness, the black cats were returned to their original position.

Typical Latvian villages from the 18th^{and 19th} centuries are recreated in the middle of a 100-hectare forest. These farms, wooden houses, churches and windmills offer a panorama of the different aspects of rural life in the Latvian provinces, and a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the crafts of each one. Visitors are greeted by staff in period costume. Summer: folk dance festivals and craft fairs.

Sculpted from 1931 to 1935 by the famous Kārlis Zāle, the Freedom Monument is dear to Latvians. It testifies to the people's love for the homeland, and remains a symbol of their desire for independence. The motto engraved at the foot of the statue, Tevzemei un Brivibai(Fatherland and Freedom), resonates in everyone's mind. The 42-metre high monument was built with donations from the population. In the reliefs of the first level, the Latvian mythological heroes and symbolic characters are represented. Thus, you will recognize Lāčplēsis, the bear ripper. At the top, Milda, the Latvian Marianne, supports at arm's length the stars symbolizing the three regions, the Kurzeme, the Vidzeme and the Latgale (the Zemgale having come into being later). Forbidden to be celebrated during the Soviet era, this monument is today the most flowered and the most loved in the city. In the park next to the statue, Bastejkalns Bastion stands on the edge of the Pilsētas Canal. This hill was created in 1857 with the last remains of Rīga's fortifications. On one of its slopes flows a delightful little man-made waterfall, which, if you follow it, will lead you to the Bridge of Loves. Each lock represents a couple and symbolizes love that stands the test of time. A few meters away, you can see the five slabs of the memorial in honor of the victims of the January 1991 events. Further south, on Aspāzijas bulvāris, the National Opera, directed by Wagner in 1837, was reopened in 1995.

Located in the Rīga Stock Exchange building, beautifully renovated, this museum is the pride of Latvians. You will find works from ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, Rome, Far East and India from the fifteenth century to the present. Temporary exhibitions change monthly.

The Gutmanis cave, covered with rock drawings, takes its name from a healer who used the water in the cave to remove wrinkles. The Viktors cave was named after a castle gardener who dug it for his fiancée Maija, known as the Rose of Turaida. Legend has it that she was murdered by a Polish officer in the nearby cave. The hill is called Dainu kalns, or "Mount of the Dainas"; it is covered with sculptures in honour of the poet Barons who, in the 19th century, collected thousands of dainas.

This new castle was built on the site of a former Teutonic Order stronghold. Its current exhibitions are dedicated to its history and trace its existence in different eras, presenting archaeological objects found in Cēsis and a very interesting exhibition on one of the city's most famous beer factories, Cēsu alus, which has contributed greatly to the city's development and is entirely linked with its history.

The clock on the Place de la Liberté, facing the hotel de Roma, was offered to the city of Rīga by the Latvian confectionery brand Laima. This is the place for all appointments.