Riga
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Bastion Hill
Bastion Hill is one of the most romantic places in central Riga, as it features narrow paths, alleys of trees, stone garden, water cascade.
In 1856, the ramparts of the Riga Fortress were demolished, replacing the 'Sand Bastion' with the name of Basteiberg (German: Basteiberg) (originally known as Bastion Hill).
In 1879, the Riga Gardens Directorate was established and the 27-year-old Georg Kuphaldt was officially appointed Director of the Riga Gardens. His first project was the reconstruction of the greenery of Bastejkalns. The creation of the German: Basteiberganlagen plantation of the Bastion Hill lasted from 1859 to 1887. In 1860, a wooden pavilion was erected and replaced in 1887 with the first Bastion Hill café. The waterfall cascade built from Saulkalne's dolomite into the mountain was built in 1898. It has survived to the present day, but no longer with the less sophisticated underwater lighting that was still operational at the beginning of the last century. Around 1893, a pseudo-swan-style swan cottage, work of Riga's architect Heinrich Scheel, was placed on pontoons along the Bastejkalns Canal - usually pulled ashore in the winter months, where it is still today. Swans donated by "Riga Bird Breeding Society". In 1883, at the foot of the Bastion Hill, a 23-meter-long wooden bridge was erected over the canal (its curvature was so steep that people slipped out of it in winter and the bridge was ironically called by the Riga inhabitants),[1] which was replaced in 1893 by masonry. Then a bridge was built to connect the Old Town with what is now Rainis Boulevard (designed in 1898, rebuilt a little later and still in operation).
In 1951, according to the architect Jānis Ginters project, Bastejkalns built support walls, which used parts of the buildings of Riga destroyed by World War II. The Bastion Hill greenery was restored with various sculptures in 1968.[2] The square of this public park was used until 1856 as part of the eastern fortifications and consisted in this area of earthen ramparts, covered trenches, bastions and moats. This fortress section was assigned to the commander of the 'Powder Tower'.
In the following years, the open ground was reshaped by considerable landfills and the city canal and connected to the eastern suburb by new bridges. At the suggestion of the architects Johann Felsko and Otto Dietze, a green area of parks and gardens as well as a broad boulevard were created here. For a large part of the facilities, the landscape architect Georg Kuphaldt was acquired as a planner. A landmark and enrichment of the plant are the 1898 designed as Wasserkunst waterfall. To those the city canal in the area of the park spanning bridges belongs the 1900 built Timmbrücke.
The park has been expanded to include more monuments and facilities, including the Freedom Monument and the two memorial stones for the victims of Riga citizens and security forces who died in January 1991 in an OMON deployment. As early as 1929, the construction of the Blaumanis Monument was completed. As part of a reorganization from 1968, the sculpture Peace Dance was erected in 1970. In 2006, Elizabeth II and Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga unveiled monument to Riga Mayor George Armitstead. In 2007, the unveiling of the Vīgners Monument took place
It was hard to believe that this was right in the centre of Riga, this peaceful landscape surrounded by a vibrant city.
This beautiful Russian Orthodox church with it's polished gold domes stands a close distance to the Freedom Monument
Photo from Riga St Peter’s Church tower. In the background River Daugava
Well seen Riga Cathedral, the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Riga.
The church was built near the River Daugava in 1211 by Livonian Bishop Albert of Riga, who came from Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany. It is considered the largest medieval church in the Baltic states. It has undergone many modifications in the course of its history.
The organ of the Riga Cathedral was built by E.F. Walcker & Sons of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in 1882–83,[2] and was inaugurated on 31 January 1884. It has four manuals and one pedalboard. It plays 116 voices, 124 stops, 144 ranks, and 6718 pipes. It includes 18 combinations and General Crescendo