Panorama of the Week: A Stroll Around Old Town Riga
Filed Under: My first visit to Riga, Latvia was in 1997; it was my initial stop in the Baltics en route to my Peace Corps stint in Estonia. The city was still very much in the early stages of transition from its Soviet past. My memories: dark buildings, a gray pall.
No longer. Riga has undergone a face lift in the last decade. Today’s Riga stands in stark contrast to those early days as it shows off the range of its reconstructed and eclectic architectural stock. During our last visit in 2008, we were struck not only by the polished and colorful buildings in Riga’s downtown, but more importantly by the city’s architectural diversity.
As you make your way around the panorama below (taken in Riga’s Town Hall Square, or Rātslaukums), you’ll notice hints of the city’s Northern European architectural smorgasbord: a little bit Modern, a little bit Gothic, a bit of Copenhagen here, a bit of Stockholm there.
The dominant, colorful building in the panorama — The House of the Blackheads – was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in the mid-1990s. Perhaps appropriately, the blocky cement building — a throwback to the Soviet era — is now the Museum of Occupation.
So many layers, so much history.
Panorama: Riga’s Town Hall Square
For best panorama viewing results, press fullscreen (four arrows) and navigate around with your mouse.
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More Photos from Riga and the Rest of Europe
December 6th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Love your panoramas, really tells the story of a city.
December 7th, 2010 at 1:12 am
@Ayngelina: These spherical panoramas are great for giving viewers a sense of a place or space. Glad you enjoy them!
December 9th, 2010 at 1:50 am
I really love your life-like panoramas. It realy captures the beauty of the place..Amazing! I hope to see more panoramas
December 13th, 2010 at 11:54 pm
@Desiree: Glad you enjoyed the viewing experience of this spherical panorama. We publish one every week, so keep coming back! You can see other panoramas here: http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/category/photography/panorama/