Looking like a ski-jump ramp designed by Swarovski, this recent Rīga landmark is a prophesy fulfilled. A feature of many Latvian fairy tales, the Castle of Light was drowned when the age of darkness came, but it would rise again from the waters of the Daugava in the new golden age of enlightenment and freedom. Architect Gunnars Bikkerts made it happen in 2014. The library has regular worthwhile special exhibitions.
Latvian National Library
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.25 MILES
Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a…
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0.56 MILES
Forming the centrepiece of Rīga’s skyline, this Gothic church is thought to be around 800 years old, making it one of the oldest medieval buildings in the…
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1.49 MILES
A real-life house of horrors, this imposing fin de siècle building is remembered by generations of Latvians as the local headquarters of the notorious…
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0.94 MILES
There is hardly a place in Latvia that can tell such a poignant and optimistic story as this quietly stunning memorial. Žanis Lipke saved over 50 Jews…
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Rīga Ghetto & Latvian Holocaust Museum
0.77 MILES
The centrepiece of this arresting and challenging museum is a wooden house with a reconstructed flat, like those that Jews had to move into when the Nazis…
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4.5 MILES
Between 1941 and 1944, the Nazis – aided by Latvians – shot more than 35,000 Jews at 55 different sites in this forest. It is one of several killing sites…
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Museum of the Barricades of 1991
0.54 MILES
Latvia's independence came after enormous struggles. One of the most remarkable stories involves the barricades built by thousands of citizens around…
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23.09 MILES
These striking pine-covered cliffs loom above a pristine white-sand beach dissected by a glistening stream. This is one of the most enchanting places…
Nearby attractions
0.45 MILES
Latvian Riflemen Sq, on the west side of the future home of the Occupation Museum, is dominated by the imposing and controversial statue honouring Latvia…
0.49 MILES
Built in 1344 as a veritable fraternity house for the Blackheads guild of unmarried German merchants, the original house was bombed in 1941 and flattened…
0.5 MILES
A statue of St Roland, the city’s patron, takes pride of place on the square in front of the town hall.
4. Rīga History & Navigation Museum
0.5 MILES
Founded in 1773 and situated in the old Rīga Cathedral monastery, this engaging museum presents the sweep of local history, from the Bronze Age all the…
0.5 MILES
Rīga's historic town hall was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt from scratch in 2003. A statue of St Roland, the city’s patron, takes pride of place on the…
0.51 MILES
Built in 1695 as the home of a wealthy German glazier, this sparsely furnished house offers insight into everyday life for Rīga's successful merchants…
0.54 MILES
Founded in 1211 as the seat of the Rīga diocese, this enormous (once Catholic, now Evangelical Lutheran) cathedral is the largest medieval church in the…