Page 48 iGap travelguide 2023
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iGap Travel Guide
48
Riga’s architectural centrepiece, the Gothic St.
Peter’s Church, dominates the capital’s skyline. Do
not miss the chance to enjoy the view from its famed
spire; the church itself thought to be 800 years old
but its spire has been rebuilt three times in the
same Baroque form. Legend has it that to see how
long it would last, builders dropped a wine glass
from the top of the spire – the logic being the more
pieces it broke into, the longer the tower would last.
Unfortunately, a pile of straw was used to cushion
the glass. Inevitably, the spire burnt down one year
later. The spire’s current incarnation dates to 1973.
SWEDISH GATE
Journey to the heart of Old Town and down Riga’s
narrowest street and you’ll arrive at the Swedish
Gate, which was built into the city walls in 1698
to celebrate Swedish occupation. It was restored
during the Soviet regime which explains its rather
fresh appearance. A charming part of Riga which
instantly transports you back to medieval times, it
also has a legend attached to it, much like St. Peter’s
Church. The apartment above the wall belonged to
the city executioner or ‘
bende
’, and on the morning
a head was due to roll, he who would put a red rose
on the window ledge. How romantic.
ST PETER’S CHURCH
48
Riga’s architectural centrepiece, the Gothic St.
Peter’s Church, dominates the capital’s skyline. Do
not miss the chance to enjoy the view from its famed
spire; the church itself thought to be 800 years old
but its spire has been rebuilt three times in the
same Baroque form. Legend has it that to see how
long it would last, builders dropped a wine glass
from the top of the spire – the logic being the more
pieces it broke into, the longer the tower would last.
Unfortunately, a pile of straw was used to cushion
the glass. Inevitably, the spire burnt down one year
later. The spire’s current incarnation dates to 1973.
SWEDISH GATE
Journey to the heart of Old Town and down Riga’s
narrowest street and you’ll arrive at the Swedish
Gate, which was built into the city walls in 1698
to celebrate Swedish occupation. It was restored
during the Soviet regime which explains its rather
fresh appearance. A charming part of Riga which
instantly transports you back to medieval times, it
also has a legend attached to it, much like St. Peter’s
Church. The apartment above the wall belonged to
the city executioner or ‘
bende
’, and on the morning
a head was due to roll, he who would put a red rose
on the window ledge. How romantic.
ST PETER’S CHURCH
