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 Cultural and
Historical heritage
HERITAGE PROTECTION
Latvia has one of the longest
histories of heritage protection in Europe. Its origins can be
attributed to the historic period in the 1600s when the Vidzeme
region was under Swedish rule. Therefore the Swedish king's Karl
11th's decree concerning special state protection for heritage sites
also applied to Vidzeme. Even though there was significant awareness
and registration of heritage sites during the next few centuries, it
was only after the foundation of the independent
Republic of
Latvia
after World War I, that a special state institution was created -
the Heritage Board and a law was passed concerning protection of
heritage sites. When Latvian independence was reinstated in 1991,
protection and use of heritage sites was fulfilled by the national
cultural heritage inspection, in conformity with the Law concerning
protection of cultural heritage sites passed in 1992. Today there
are approximately 30 laws and resolutions that are linked to various
aspects concerning protection of heritage sites. Heritage sights are
included in a special list of protected sights, giving them specific
legal status. Heritage sites include a number of various site groups
- archaeological, architectural, buildings, art and historic. Parks
are also included as architectural sites.
The
historic town of Vecriga (Old
Riga) still keeping the medieval town plan presents an important
urban structure element of the city. Within Vecriga there are a
number of churches, monuments and secular buildings representing
different historical periods and cultures within the Romanesque,
Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The renewal of the Riga town square has begun
with the reconstruction of the Renaissance era Blackheads' building,
which will allow you to get a feel for the old, but ravaged face of
old Riga.
Boulevards, parks and unique examples of Art
Nouveau architecture characterize the surrounding city (see Art Nouveau buildings in Riga).
Riga
's
heritage sights also include many art objects however, the greater
parts of them are to be found in
Riga 's
museums. They include sculptures and paintings as well as applied
art objects (items of church worship, chandeliers, and railings) and
decorative elements (an outstanding example are the stained glass
windows of the Riga Dome church, crafted at the end of the previous
century). Many art objects are situated in churches. The oldest
stone sculptures in
Latvia
are located in the courtyard of the
Riga
castle - they are sculptures of St. Mary and the Livonian order by
maestro Walter von Plettenberg, sculpted in 1515. Memorial
sculptures in
Latvia 's
cemeteries are nostalgically sad, but at times monumentally grand,
for instance, at the Riga Meza, and Raina cemeteries, where statues
crafted by Latvian classic sculptors can be seen. City building
heritage sites take up the largest area. The Mezaparks region in
Riga
is original architectural heritage site dating from the previous
century and the beginning of this century. Historic heritage sites -
they are places that have been significant in Latvian history, and
the creation of the Latvian nation.
Latvia
has not escaped the ravages of war this century, and as a result,
one can find war cemeteries from World War I and World War II with
the graves of Russian, Soviet, and German soldiers, as well as the
rest places of the freedom fighters of 1919-1921. The places, from
which Latvians were forcibly deported to Soviet concentration camps,
1940-1941 and 1949, emit a tragic atmosphere. Today nearly, every
train station in
Latvia
features a memorial stone or plaque in memory of the victims of this
tragic event.
Really, there are many
diverse heritage sites in Riga. And their value is not
only in their cultural and historical meaning, they are an important
part of our everyday life and part of our consciousness. To mention
but a few - the symbol of Latvian independence and unity - the
Freedom monument in Riga,
or the monumentally great Riga Bralu kapi (The Brother Cemetery)
which serves to remind us of the difficult fight for independence in
which much blood was spilt.
At the
same time Riga is the
dominant urban center in the country and in the region containing
all the basic facilities and institutions of a major European city.
As a capital, Riga is the
symbol of national independence, but also, due to its historical
evolution, a multi-cultural center.
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