The capital of Latvia, Riga, is second only to St. Petersburg and Stockholm. The population of this Baltic city is just over 700 thousand people. The history of the metropolis exceeds 800 years. It is embodied in numerous monuments, songs, stories, legends and attractions. It is about the sights of Riga, historical and modern, that we’ll talk about today. Riga Zoo is the most famous and one of the most interesting sights of the Latvian capital. This is the oldest zoo in Northern Europe. It is located on the shores of Kish Lake and receives several hundred thousand small and adult tourists every year.
Zoo history
Riga Zoo was founded a little earlier than indicated in official sources. At the beginning of the summer of 1907, the public sent a petition to the city government requesting that a part of the forest on the shore of Lake Kishezers be leased. This was the beginning of the creation of the zoo. On the donations of this very society, a further arrangement of the menagerie was carried out.
The first animals were brought to the Riga Zoo in November 1911. They became four bears. And officially the institution was opened only in mid-October 1912. By this time, paths and some structures were arranged on its territory. The main entrance to the zoo and several other buildings today look like they were during the opening.
In the winter of 1913, the first exotic animals were introduced into the zoo: pelicans, monkeys, a Malay bear, and turtles. Before the start of World War I, the collection of the establishment consisted of such animals as bison, elephants, tropical individuals and animals brought from the Far North. The first, and then the Second World War left their mark on the functioning of the park. But gradually he resumed his work: reconstruction measures were carried out, the number of its four-legged inhabitants was replenished. Today, the zoological park is undergoing a boom phase.
Riga Zoological Garden today
Nowadays, the Riga Zoo is the standard of careful human handling of animals. They live in huge enclosures under pine trees and are almost left to their own devices. Aviaries are called "houses." And between them along the paved paths are visitors to the establishment. On each path there are signs and small sculptures, installations telling about who lives in which aviary.
Riga Zoo (address: Meza prospects 1, LV-1014) welcomes visitors with the Flamingo House, in which, in addition to pink graceful birds, pelicans, herons and ostriches live. Even in the zoo there is an aquarium, an aviary with a kangaroo and meerkats, a rural yard, a tropical house, rare European animals and many other aviaries with a wide variety of animals.
In the zoo of Riga you can stay all day and at the same time not only have plenty to admire our smaller friends, but also have lunch and relax.
We go to the zoological garden
The first line of the electric tram in Riga was laid exactly in the Riga Zoo. How to get there, every local knows today. In order to get into the monastery of animals, you must take the tram number 11 or bus number 48. The trip will last approximately half an hour. You need to get out at the stop called Riga Zoo. The cost of tickets to visit the institution starts from four euros. An hour before the closure of the zoo at the checkout they stop selling.
The zoo is open every day from ten in the morning until seven in the evening. But if you came to Riga on the day of the holiday, then it is worth considering that during this period the institution is open only up to three hours.
Zoo reviews
Riga Zoo receives only the best reviews from people who have visited it. Visitors respond positively about the territory of the zoo, which is huge and compact at the same time, and about the enclosures with animals, and about the four-legged inhabitants themselves. The animals are well-groomed, well-fed, the workers are friendly and smiling. Such a situation cannot but like.
Some of the travelers visited the place more than once and always discovered something new for themselves, something that they had not paid attention to before. Everyone who has visited it at least once likes the zoo in Riga.
Other attractions
It should be noted that here, in addition to the magnificent zoo, there are many more attractions that should be paid attention to. Riga is a city whose sights deserve attention. This is the historical center of Europe, and therefore there is something to see. So, it is recommended to visit the Dome Cathedral - the cathedral church, which is a significant architectural object throughout Latvia. It began to be built in the 13th century, and construction activities continued for several centuries.
More than one generation of architects and architects worked on the creation of the object. And they completed the work only in the XVIII century. Initially, the cathedral building was conceived in a laconic and discreet, close to the Romanesque style. But between the XIV-XV centuries, the volume of the religious structure was increased, chapels and naves were added to it, and a Gothic octagonal spire was also built.
Then, some more changes were made to the architecture of the cathedral. Today, the temple is admired not only by its greatness. It has a unique German organ 25 meters high. The tool has nearly 25 thousand pipes and is considered the largest in the Baltics.
What else to see
Riga is a city whose sights are worth seeing at least once in a lifetime. It is known for another historical object - this is the Swedish gate, which appeared here as an alternative to the main entrance to the village. In the XVII century, fortress walls were actively built up. In order not to go around for a long time and not pay taxes for the transport of goods, some savvy residents made passages in the walls. There were eight of them, but only one such gate has survived to this day.
There is also a modern “sweet” attraction in the capital of Latvia - a cafe and pastry shop Kanela Konditoreja. The institution is located in the center of the metropolis. Here you can have a coffee with friends in a relaxed atmosphere or you can think and gather alone with a cup of tea and cake alone. The cafe is located in the historical architectural complex of Berga Bazars, which at the beginning of the last century was one of the centers of trade and cultural activities of the village.