You can start your walking tour from St.Peter’s Church that was built in 1209. It is built in the Gothic style. Enlarged in the beginning of 15th century (1409-…) by the mason Johann Rumeschottel of Rostock, who understood the way of Riga, and was first introduced in Marienkirche in Rostock. The current tower was completed in 1746. The tower was struck by lightening 6 times, and the tower collapsed on two of these occasions, in 1666 and again in 1721. Before World War II it was the highest wooden building in Europe. During World War II the roof and the tower were damaged in a fire. Soviet engineers restored the church in the 1970s, and installed an elevator that allows people to look out over the city of Riga from a height of about 70 metres. In 1793 it was restored the last time. You should take the lift up to the observation platform and to enjoy a wonderful eagle’s eye view of Riga!

From St.Peter’s Church you can turn on Skarnu ( Butcher’s) street that will lead you to the St.George’s Church that is the oldest stone building in Riga. It was founded on the spot of the Riga Castle chapel built for the Order of the Sword Brothers in 1204. After the Reformation victory in the first half of the 16th Century the “Brown Dove” and the “White Dove” were placed in the church. Nowadays the Museum of Applied Art is located in it.

In a few buildings further up the street you will find St.John’s Church. It was built in 1234 and intended as a chapel. It was built in baroque style. During the period of Reformation, the building was used as a furniture workshop and later as a weapon arsenal. In 1582 it became a part of the Latvian Parish. Some years later the eastern part of the altar was added. In the 15th century two monks were immured here of their own free will. Only a small window in the wall was left in order to pass them food and drinks.The spot were the monks were walled can be easily seen today. It is marked by a cruciform barred aperture in the wall. Go through St.John’s Yard that is located left from the church and you will see the small door that is the entrance of Convent’s Yard which is now a hotel complex.

Walk through it and you will come to Kaleju (Blacksmith’s) street – the central street of Old Town. Go to the Liv Square from where you can see the houses of Great and Small Guild. During the centuries of German economic domination, the guilds were Riga’s power brokers. The Great Guild also known in the Middle Ages as St. Mary Guild, dating from 1384, was the home of the merchants, while the Small Guild held the city’s artisans. These slightly different audiences are reflected in the respective usage of the buildings today: while the Great Guild is home to the Philharmonic Orchestra, its smaller cousin hosts conferences and the occasional youth disco.

Across the Liv Square you will see the building with two towers on which two cats are sitting. It is the Cat’s House. The house is named for two black felines perched on the points of its towers. Their first sculptor fatally fell while putting them up. Then at the turn of the century, the owner of the building was excluded from the powerful Great Guild across the street. He ordered the cats to be turned around with their tails towards the Guild, as an insult to his enemies. The cats were eventually turned back after a long court battle, and the man was admitted back to the Great Guild.

Walk along Amatu street, turn left to Skunu street and you will come to Dome Square – the heart of Old City where the Dome Cathedral is located It is the largest cathedral in The Baltic States. It was built in 1211 by Bishop Albert of Riga, who played an important role in the Christianization of Latvia. Initially constructed in the Romanesque style, the church was modified and expanded over time, incorporating Gothic and Baroque details. The interior was altered in the seventeenth century with the adoption of Lutheran liturgical practices, however, the original layout with central nave and side aisles survives. The fourteenth-century stone pillars separating the nave and side aisles are decorated with carved coats of arms. The famous organ was made in 1884 and was the biggest organ in the world consisting of 6718 pipes.

Walk by Pils ( Castle) street and it will lead you to Riga Castle. Built for the Livonian Order in 1330 Riga Castle, served as the seat of the secular power for a long time. The place on the banks of Daugava was chosen for purpose to oversee all the ship which came into the port, this place was strategically important, as well. A building of this castle was a square with a tower in each corner. Beginning with the second part of the 16th century, when the Order was reformed, the members of Polish, Swedish and Russian secular power had their seat there. The castle was destroyed several times during battles with the local townspeople. The building was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century, the beginning of the 19th century when the third floor was built. The last reconstruction was made in the 30-ties of the 20th century. Nowadays the castle is the residence of our president.