RIGA THE SLEEPING BEAUTY


By Peter van Oyen

A visit of the Latvian Capital is done looking up, looking at the facades reflecting the history and the architectural tendencies of the city. The old city centre is a reflection of 8 centuries of glorious rich architecture with as its zenith the famous Latvian Jugendstil. Riga is a sleeping beauty that is slowly emerging; now it is the turn of the meeting and incentive planners to kiss this beauty awake.

Riga has slept for a very long time, more than 50 years actually whilst the country was suffering under the Soviet regime. Since its independence in 1991 the country has worked diligently to go back to the splendor of before. The sleeping beauty emerges slowly, her beauty is gradually revived.

HANSA TOWN
Take the old city centre (Vecriga) – an absolute beauty where one can loose oneself in the cobble stoned streets where the past is still very much present and where sights like ‘The Three Brothers in Mazastreet (3 old ‘gingerbread’ houses) look like they have come straight out of a Grimm fairytale.
If you detect a German town feel in the old city centre is not surprising as Riga was a member of the Hansa towns for many centuries. The Riga Dom is a clear and imposing legacy of that period; the old and imposing merchant residences are another reminder of the former wealth of their inhabitants who met regularly in the building of the Great Guild (Liela Gilde). This complex now houses the Latvian Philharmonic Orchestra. And can also be rented as a meeting venue.
(www.music.lv/Orchestra/Great_Guild.htm)

Opposite the Guild one can find the House of Cats with the picture of two cats on its façade. The legend says that the merchant who built the house was first refused membership of the Guild and therefore put the cats with their backs to the Guild, when he was later accepted he turned the two cats around to face the building.

Another testimonial to the rich past is The House of Blackheads. This house was the meeting place for German bachelors who all wore a black head cover as a sign of membership.. In 1510 they decided to decorate a huge Christmas tree; legend has it that this was the start of our Christmas tradition. Riga promotes itself now as the ‘World’s Christmas Tree City’ and each winter the square in front of the famous house is decorated with a huge Christmas tree and a Christmas market. The “Bachelor House” is also a unique venue for meetings and receptions and not only at Christmas!. (www.inspirationriga.com)

“COGELS-OSYLEI” TIMES TWENTY”!
Riga calls itself the metropolis of art nouveau. And this is not an exaggeration: Riga boasts not one but many exuberant equivalents of the Antwerp “Cogels-Osylei”. Clearly inspired by vodka, architects built hundreds of extravagantly decorated houses, street after street after street houses outdoing one another with curlicues and sphinxes. Especially Alberta and Elisabetes streets are the very heart of the Latvian Jugendstil. It is the perfect venue to organize a search trip where participants have to research the most characteristic houses. Destination Management Companies such as Baltic Discovery (www.balticdiscovery.lv), Baltic Travel Group (www.btgroup.lv) and Express Travel (www.expresstravel.lv) organize such trips.

Near the Art –Nouveau quarter we also find the National Opera. Latvians have always had a thing with music; the Tourist Board promotes Latvia as the ‘country that sings’ (www.latviatourism.lv). This is for example illustrated by the Latvian tradition of choir singing. When the country liberated itself from communism in the early ’90’s  it was called the singing revolution, no wonder then that the first building to be renovated after the liberation was the National Opera House. Opera lives in Riga and is of high standard. Its stages have seen great names such as Wagner at the beginning of his career and ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov (born in Riga). There are democratically priced tickets available for groups or guided backstage tours. The building is often used for conferences and meetings. (www.music.lv/opera/default.asp).

LIDO AND KROGS
Riga is also a great city for culinary experiences. The famous Lido restaurants (www.ac.lido.lv/index.php?lang=en&sad=1) propose a gourmet choice of local specialties on a democratically priced buffet and folklore. Separate rooms for groups in the 8 different locations.
Riga is also a city whit a great nightlife. The old city and its little streets is where you find the krogs. That may explain why one of the little street s is called the “Sinners street” (Grecinieku).  Black Balsam, a local brew composed of 24 spices and black berries, is an absolute tasting must in the krogs. Latvians will tell you it is remedy for all ailments including a hangover! (www.balzams.lv/html/eng/28881.php).

Amber and castles

Only 20 minutes drive from Riga is Jurmala, a spa at the Baltic (www.jurmala.lv). Jurmala used to be the summer residence of the Russian Tsars. The mundane thickly forested little town is situated at a white sand beach. Groups can go searching for precious amber that is left each year on the beaches by the incoming tides. There are also bicycle rides in the woods or along the beautiful wooden “belle époque” houses formerly of the aristocracy. Jurmala already had a reputation as a Spa in the 19th century and today one can still relax in the heated clear seawater at hotels such as the Baltic Beach Hotel (www.balticbeach.lv)

Riga is also surrounded by castles and mansions. Many of these palaces have meeting facilities; the most famous palace is Rundale, one hour south of Riga (www.rpm.apollo.lv/engl/index.htm). This Baroque residence was build by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli who also built the winter palace of the Tsars in St Petersburg. Another castle with meeting facilities is the small but charming Mezotne Palace (www.mezotnespils.lv/?cat=main&slang=eng) that was a donation of  Tsarina Catherina The great to the nanny of her grandchildren Charlotte von Liven.

Coolest Conference City

Some meeting planners have declared Riga to be the ‘Coolest Conference City’ in Europe and this for two reasons: first because the city has many interesting sightseeing points to offer all within walking distance and a compact city centre with loads of places to still ones hunger.
Riga also has over 33.000 m² for events, 32.000 m² for exhibitions and 55.000 m² of congress and meeting space.
Riga also counts 5.500 hotel beds. An overview of all these facilities can be found on www.inspirationriga.com and www.hotelsinlatvia.lv. The local Reval hotel chain is owner of many famous Latvian hotels with meeting facilities (www.revalhotels.com).

Riga is easily accessible from many European cities via direct flights of the Latvian airline AirBaltic (www.airbaltic.com). A flight from Brussels to Riga does not take more than 2 hours.