RIGA’S MOSCOW DISTRICT | Soviet LATVIA Revisited 🇱🇻

Visiting the Moscow District in Riga Latvia, a neighbourhood closely associated with the architecture, history & memories of Russia and the Soviet Union. Let’s cross the tracks & do some exploring!
🇱🇹 🇱🇻 🇪🇪 See all of my videos from this trip here → https://bit.ly/InTheBaltics

Just a short walk from the old town of Riga is a neighbourhood called the Moscow District (Maskavas Forštate) where I found revamped warehouses, colourful street art, Russian churches and a magnificent building nicknamed Stalin’s birthday cake.

I headed first of all to a row of large zeppelin hangers that now make up Riga's Central Market (Rīgas Centrāltirgus) - one of the largest marketplaces in Europe. The hangars were erected in the 1920’s and have been designated a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. Inside you’ll find fresh meat and fish, spices, cheeses and all kinds of Bric-à-brac. The stalls and pavilions were never-ending and they continued outside too.

I walked down to the Warehouse district which was originally a busy port with brick warehouses storing the multitude of goods being shipped in and out. These days the docks are located further up the River Daugava and so the warehouses have been restored and repurposed into houses, concert halls and shops. It’s become quite a trendy and hip area.

All morning I had seen a large skyscraper towering over the Moscow District. Its appearance was similar to the Empire State Building in New York City and I was intrigued to understand how it came to be there and what the story was. Not before long I arrived at a small garden area across the street from it and learnt that the tower was actually the Academy of Sciences Building built in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It also turned out to be Latvia’s first skyscraper. Controversially there are still hammer and sickle illustrations on the side of the building leftover from when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union.

I went inside and found my way to the 17th floor where there’s an observation Dock providing terrific views across Riga. The interior of the skyscraper was refitted in the 1970’s and it’s a great example of Soviet era design. Outside I watched an impressive sunset and waited for the lights of the city to flicker on before calling it a day. Riga’s Moscow District is well worth a visit and I’d recommend coming up to the viewing platform on the Academy of Sciences Building if you can!

*Chapters*
📖 00:00 Riga’s Moscow District
📖 00:33 Riga Central Market (Zeppelin Hangars)
📖 02:42 Riga’s Former Port (Warehouse District)
📖 03:25 Russian Orthodox Church
📖 04:10 Riga Academy of Sciences Building
📖 06:22 Soviet Observation Deck

*More Info*
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*Soundtrack*
🎵 Fully Loaded by River Run Dry
🎵 Late Night Call by Staffan Carlén
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Видео RIGA’S MOSCOW DISTRICT | Soviet LATVIA Revisited 🇱🇻 канала Matt Whiting's Europe