Sights & Sites of The  Eastern Baltics  photography by bilwander
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Dome Cathedral, the symbol of the old town of Riga (Vecriga in old Latvian). Founded on St. Jacobs day in 1211 by Latvia's Teutonic conquerors under bishop Albert von Buxhoeveden was originally built in romanesque style. During  Latvia's various occupation periods, the edifice was subject to several reconstrunctions and modifications that resulted in the present version of a Basilica with gothic and  baroque elements. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Riga downtown with St. Peter's steeple jutting out from the skyline of the rest buildings. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
Dome Cathedral's square and side roads (background picture) downtown Riga are full of stylish cafes and restaurants housed in carefully restored old buildings. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The "Pulvera" (gunpowder) Tower is the only one restored from Riga's old fortification system. The wall painting with Latvia's older coins backgrounding the statue of a gilded warrior, is perhaps a minor detail  but characteristic enough of an aesthetic that deals with any "useless" or  "visually harassing" spaces of the town (like this side wall of an indifferent building) and transforms them to artistic exhibits in harmony with the rest urban scape.
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Coexistance of diverse architectural styles in old Riga downtown close to Dome Cathedral Square. Riga apart from being the biggest has also the most cosmopolitan atmosphere among the cities of the Eastern Baltics. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
The gothic styled Guild House of Black Heads and Town Hall in old Riga. Originally build in 14th century was destroyed during the WWII bombings. Nowadays bears a more than obvious  newness of the recently completed reconstruction started from scratch in 1995; yet one more spectacular attraction in the open air architectural museum of old Riga.  DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
Restored part of Riga's old fortification with a  guard post and St. Jacob's steeple clock in the background. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The Cats House downtown Riga. The roumor cites that  the two cats were ordered by the rich owner to be perched  on the roof of his house with their bottoms facing the Big Guild across the street after his membership to the guild was rejected. The act was received as insult and the guild members sued the housekeeper and won the case in the court forcing the insulting to ...rotate the cats to a less offenshive posture....DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The National Opera and the National Theatre (background) in Riga.DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Riga downtown restored houses of  1700es. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Outside of my "Hotel De Rome" in Riga with the "Laima" clock and  Freedom Monument  in the background . DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
...animalistic... composition of four, downtown Riga. Artistic creativity and imagination have no limits.
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Panoramic view over Riga old and new town with river Daugava and  it's soviet made multiarched bridge. The 5 (four in parallel with the fifth vertically positioned to the rest) hangar like buildings at upper left, house the cntral food market of Riga (drag on relative photo seven rows below for more about their origin)
Art Nouveau (or "Jugendstil")  by Michael Aizenstain the most influential architect on Riga's urban scape during the end of 19th and the earlies of 20th century. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Art Nouveau architecture and  maximalistic decoration with statues of lions and reliefs with heads of medusas and other mythical creatures. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
The most representing buildings of Riga's  Art Nouveau architecture are concentrated  at Alberta,Elizabetes,Vilandes and Strelnieku streets. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The building on the corner of Strelnieku iela (street) and 13 Alberta iela, designed by M.Eizenstein and constructed in 1904-05. Since 1998 belongs to the Riga Graduate School of Law and nowadays, after it's complete restoration, houses the administration and auxilliary units of the School. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review background pic
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...how people should feel with Dragons and Sphinxes ever guarding at the entrance of their homes ?.... DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Light ecru for the walls and decorative sculpture along with light blue (also used for the windows' background)  touches is the dominant colour combination for most of the restored  buildings. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Under, or awaiting, restoration. The central district of Riga is registered in UNESCO's list of wold cultural heritage. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Characteristic detail from the diverse decoration designed by M.Eizenstein and (background) a memorial tablet  embeded  on a wall of one of his buildings. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Panoramic view of the multiarched  and the suspension bridges over Daugava river with two (old and modern) skyscrapers in the outskirts of Riga.
The suspension bridge over Daugava river on the way to the sea resort of Jurmala (background pic) 20 kms from Latvia's capital. With a more than 30kms long beach,  Jurmala is a mainly a spa resort where apart  from strolling and perhaps doing some sports on the beach, swimming is impossible in the murky and ...marginally deep sea of the area. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The soviet made multiarched bridge over Riga's Daugava river with the three legged TV tower in the background (background photo). DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
The central food market of Riga is housed in 5 identical  WWI Zeppelin hangars brought from Germany after Zeppelin airships went out of use. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The original Brezhnev's crashed Rolls Royse at Riga's Motor Museum which hosts a great variety of antique and historic cars since the beginning of 20th century. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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Panoramic view from inside the tower (photo below) of Turaida castle over the restored part of the compound, Gauja river and the surounding area of Sigulda, Latvia's National Park in the homonymous region. The brick made  castle was founded under the orders of Livonian bishop Albert in 1214 and it's name  means "god's garden" (from the Liv language; Tora=god & Aida=garden)
Turaida's observatory tower as viewed from the ground inside the castle
About 50 kms northeast to Turaida lie the remnants of Cesis castle also originating from the times of Livonian Order (German crusaders) in 1209. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
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The main part of Rundale palace as viewed from inside the yard. The palace was designed by the Italian Francesco Rastrelli, also designer of the winter palace in St. Petersburg. DO NOT CLICK, just DRAG ON and WAIT to view/review  background pic
View of Rundale's front side and gate  from outside the compound. The palace, located close to the Latvian/Lithuanian border, was ordered by czarina Anna's favourite duke of Courland Ernst Biron in 1736 and though the main construction finished in 1740, the interior decoration wasn't completed but in 1778...
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Traditionally  dressed  performer playing  a piano-like organ at Rundale palace
Lady-bug in Cesis enjoying her last days in August's diminishing warmth and (background)  fungus on a tree trunk at Turaida forest
At the joint Grenctale (Latvian) - Salociai (Lithuanian) border check point.
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...the recently appeared monster of Cesis in what was supposed to be his final moments...unfortunately he busted away...
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Aug  2005