The Baltics - Tallinn & Riga

National Opera House - Riga

This photo of the National Opera House also looks out of our hotel room window. The banner across the front of the building announces a performance by a traveling ensemble or cast. Note that the text is in Russian, not Latvian. «Гастроли» ("Gastroli") is the Russian word for "concert tour."

Daugava River - Riga

Riga lies at the mouth of the Daugava River, where it empties into the Gulf of Riga. It was an important trade route throughout the Middle Ages - part of a network of rivers that carried trade between northern Europe and the Middle East, through the interior of  present-day Russia and Ukraine. More than 400 meters wide and 15 meters deep at Riga, the Daugava could easily accommodate all types of shipping in a day when most commerce moved by water.




In the early Middle Ages, the nordic Varangians (Vikings) established temporary camps at the mouth of the Daugava to support their customary activities - trading, raiding and extorting tribute from people living along the river trade routes. German merchants and missionaries later followed. They founded Riga as a commercial center and base for the conversion (often by force) of the indigenous Baltic and Finnic peoples. Riga thrived. In time it became a member of the Hanseatic League - a confederation of cities that dominated northern European trade for centuries.

This is the only photo that I have of the Daugava River, taken from a park on the riverfront. A pontoon bridge can be seen at the left edge of the photo. I think we were told that it was the only bridge over the river in the Riga area. It was dismantled every spring as warming temperatures broke up the river ice. Otherwise the ice would back up against the bridge, destroying it or flooding the surrounding area. More recent photos of Riga show a modern suspension bridge over the river. I assume that the pontoon bridge is now a thing of the past.