Riga, situated on the bank of the River Daugava, is acknowledged as the cultural capital of East Europe. An architecturally pleasing city, visitors enjoy its gardens and tree-lined boulevards, its old Gothic buildings, its mediaeval churches and its vibrant markets and streets.

Since the sixteenth century, Riga has been an important city because of its almost perfect location on the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe as well as between Russia and the Sweden. It was ruled over by Poland, Sweden and Russia, and bears the cultural imprint of each of these empires. Modern Riga is the centre for administration, government, culture and commerce in the country. Unfortunately, Riga’s years as a Russian city (when Latvia was a Soviet Republic) have left their mark - there are ugly apartment blocks in certain areas, and Riga’s population has more Russians than Latvians- a situation which is the cause of the ethnic tension in the city.