Latvia's capital Riga contains more Art Nouveau buildings than any other city on earth — about a third of the entire city centre was built in the style between 1896 and 1913, when Riga was the Russian Empire's second-largest city and flush with timber and trade wealth. The facades are extraordinary: mythological faces, organic ornamentation, flowing lines covering entire city blocks.
Latvia's capital Riga contains more Art Nouveau buildings than any other city on earth — about a third of the entire city centre was built in the style between 1896 and 1913, when Riga was the Russian Empire's second-largest city and flush with timber and trade wealth. The facades are extraordinary: mythological faces, organic ornamentation, flowing lines covering entire city blocks.
Beyond Art Nouveau, Riga has a beautifully preserved Hanseatic old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the vast Central Market (five zeppelin hangars repurposed as market halls), and a growing food scene centred on the Old Town and the Kalniņš neighbourhood. Latvia's national identity is rooted in its Song and Dance Festival — a mass choral event held every five years that mobilises tens of thousands of performers. The country's coast (Jūrmala beach resort) and forests are accessible and largely unspoilt.
