Riga Old Town

Riga, Latvia

Riga Old Town (Vecrīga) is the historical center of Riga, Latvia, located on the east side of Daugava River. Vecrīga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as Riga Cathedral and St. Peter's church.

Vecrīga is the original area of Riga and consists of the historic city limits before the city was greatly expanded over the years. In the old days, Vecrīga was protected by a surrounding wall except the side adjacent to the Daugava river bank. When the wall was torn down, the waters from Daugava filled the space creating Riga City Canal.

In the 1980s Vecrīga's streets were closed to traffic and only area residents and local delivery vehicles are allowed within Vecrīga's limits with special permits. Vecrīga is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed as "Historic Centre of Riga".

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Address

Kungu iela, Riga, Latvia
See all sites in Riga

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Historic city squares, old towns and villages in Latvia
Historical period: German Crusades (Latvia)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


House of Blackheads (0,1 km)
St. Peter's Church (0,1 km)
Mentzendorff House (0,1 km)
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (0,1 km)
Small & Great Guild Hall (0,2 km)
Riga Cathedral (0,2 km)
St. John's Church (0,2 km)
St. James's Cathedral (0,4 km)
Latvian Museum of Pharmacy (0,3 km)


Salaspils Concentration Camp (14,4 km)
Jelgava Palace (39,7 km)
St. Simeon’s and St. Anna’s Orthodox Cathedral (40,4 km)
Jungfernhof Concentration Camp (8,3 km)
Ikskile Church Ruins (28,1 km)
St. Anne's Church (40,7 km)
Vecdole Castle Ruins (13,1 km)
Daugavgriva Castle Ruins (11,9 km)

User Reviews

Patrick Lambert (9 months ago)
Excellently trained and lovely staff who made our trip very delightful! We felt very welcome from the maids to the waiters and reception.
Dominique Lugard (10 months ago)
Feels a little more like a good Novotel than a Pullman. Breakfast is good, in a bright beautiful venue. Room didn’t include a bathtub. Hotel is in a convenient location.
Max (11 months ago)
Convenient central location, modern rooms, good breakfast and nice restaurant on premises. Note that taxis can’t drop off and pick up right at main entrance (due to restricted street access for cars without special plate numbers) and you will have to walk a bit across a small park. This is the view from a pool area on the 7th floor.
Juan Ángel Martínez (11 months ago)
Hotel very closed to the old Riga town. Big rooms, very clean, and also modern furniture. Very nice Cesar salad and ice-cream offered by room service.
Erik Sanders (14 months ago)
What a great hotel. Room was amazing. Breakfast was very good and the staff is very helpful and kind. And I loved the rain shower. It is at a great location in the old city center. I think most can be done by foot. Exploring the old town was great. Loved the history and stories. One has every reason to pick this hotel when in Riga.
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Czocha Castle

Czocha Castle is located on the Lake Leśnia, what is now the Polish part of Upper Lusatia. Czocha castle was built on gneiss rock, and its oldest part is the keep, to which housing structures were later added.

Czocha Castle began as a stronghold, on the Czech-Lusatian border. Its construction was ordered by Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, in the middle of the 13th century (1241–1247). In 1253 castle was handed over to Konrad von Wallhausen, Bishop of Meissen. In 1319 the complex became part of the dukedom of Henry I of Jawor, and after his death, it was taken over by another Silesian prince, Bolko II the Small, and his wife Agnieszka. Origin of the stone castle dates back to 1329.

In the mid-14th century, Czocha Castle was annexed by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. Then, between 1389 and 1453, it belonged to the noble families of von Dohn and von Kluks. Reinforced, the complex was besieged by the Hussites in the early 15th century, who captured it in 1427, and remained in the castle for unknown time (see Hussite Wars). In 1453, the castle was purchased by the family of von Nostitz, who owned it for 250 years, making several changes through remodelling projects in 1525 and 1611. Czocha's walls were strengthened and reinforced, which thwarted a Swedish siege of the complex during the Thirty Years War. In 1703, the castle was purchased by Jan Hartwig von Uechtritz, influential courtier of Augustus II the Strong. On August 17, 1793, the whole complex burned in a fire.

In 1909, Czocha was bought by a cigar manufacturer from Dresden, Ernst Gutschow, who ordered major remodelling, carried out by Berlin architect Bodo Ebhardt, based on a 1703 painting of the castle. Gutschow, who was close to the Russian Imperial Court and hosted several White emigres in Czocha, lived in the castle until March 1945. Upon leaving, he packed up the most valuable possessions and moved them out.

After World War II, the castle was ransacked several times, both by soldiers of the Red Army, and Polish thieves, who came to the so-called Recovered Territories from central and eastern part of the country. Pieces of furniture and other goods were stolen, and in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the castle was home to refugees from Greece. In 1952, Czocha was taken over by the Polish Army. Used as a military vacation resort, it was erased from official maps. The castle has been open to the public since September 1996 as a hotel and conference centre. The complex was featured in several movies and television series. Recently, the castle has been used as the setting of the College of Wizardry, a live action role-playing game (LARP) that takes place in their own universe and can be compared to Harry Potter.

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