Freedom Square and Bastejkalns Park
FREEDOM MONUMENT, NATIONAL OPERA, EMBASSIES, VERMANES GARDEN,
RUSSIAN-ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL

This page is about the area around Freedom Square, just North of the Old Town. Here you can find the imposing Freedom Monument, the beautiful narrow Bastejkalns Park, the National Opera, the parks Vermanes Garden and Esplanade, the beautiful Russian-Orthodox Cathedral as well as many embassies. There are more modern buildings here then in the Old Town, it is more trafficated by trams and the streets are larger.

FREEDOM SQUARE:

Freedom Square with the Freedom Monument (Brīvības piemineklis) and the Radisson Blu Latvjia Hotel. The Freedom Monument was built to honour the soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918-20). It was unveiled in 1935 and is 41m tall. During the Soviet rule there were plans to demolish it, but was stopped.

 
Freedom Square with the Freedom Monument
  

Freedom Monument from Bastejkalns Park

   The Freedom Monument consists of a travertine column bearing the copper figure of Liberty lifting three gilded stars.


Radisson Blu Latvjia Hotel is the 5th tallest skyscraper in Riga. It is 95m tall and has 27 floors. It was built in 1976 in Soviet modernism style, but the exterior has been recladded in a more international, postmodern style with more glass in 2001.

  

Freedom Monument

Brivibas bulbaris (boulevard) towards Hotel Latvija

The French Embassy, a beautiful art nouveau (jugend) building on Raina bulvaris near Freedom Square.

  

The French Embassy, Raina boulevard

The French Embassy


The German Embassy, a beautiful art nouveau (jugend) building on Raina boulevard near Freedom Square.

  

The German Embassy, Raina boulevard

Raina boulevard, East part


Riga State Grammar School, a beautiful art nouveau (jugend) building on Raina boulevard (boulevard) near Freedom Square.

  

Raina boulevard, East part and an older trolley bus

 

BASTEJKALNS PARK:

Rainbow over Bastejkalns Park and Freedom Monument. This beautiful park is very narrow and separates the Old Town from the area around Freedom Square.



Waterfall in Bastejkalns park.

  

Mr orange!? This odd guy actually said "hi" to me

Bastejkalns Park and the "orange guy"


Small bridge in Bastejkalns park. The park is very beautiful.

  

All these padlocks where hunged, probably by loving couples, at the small bridge
Female sculpture and pound, Bastejkalns Park

Dazzling fountain in Riga Canal, that flows through Bastejkalns park. Greenery was planted here at the first time in 1859.


 
Bastejkalns park
  

Bird monument, Bastejkalns park

   Canal boats on Riga Canal, Bastejkalns park

 

THE QUARTERS AROUND THE RIGA CANAL AND BASTEJKALNS PARK:


Latvian National Opera. Completed in 1863, designed by the Russian architect Ludwig Bohnstedt in classicist style for the then German speaking City Theatre. A postmodern annex was added in 2001.

  

National Opera and Riga Canal

National Opera from Bastejkalns


Old and modern buildings.

  

Old tram

Modern tram

 

 

 

   Latvian Music Academy

 

 

 

    

 
Street scene
  

Royal Hotel

   Kalku iela, near Freedom Square

 

ESPLANADE PARK:


Esplanade is a small park just to the Northwest of Freedom Square, only one block from Bastejkalns. Esplanade is mostly know for the Orthodox Cathedral:

  

Kalpaka bulvaris 4, opposite the park

Esplanade, Brivibas boulevard and Radisson Hotel Latvija


The Orthodox Cathedral (Pareizticigo Katedrale), or Nativity Cathedral. It was built in a Neo-Byzantine style 1876-83, a period when Latvia was part of the Russian empire. It is the largest orthodox cathedral in the Baltic countries.

  

The Orthodox Cathedral is very beautiful. During my visit it was under renovation.

The top of the Orthodox Cathedral


The statue of General Field Marshal, Prince Michael Barclay de Tolly (see right).

  

Flower arrangement in Esplanades park

 

 

  

 

 

    

 
Splendid palace, cinema from 1923
  

 

    

 
Radisson Elizabetes Hotel, Elizabetes iela (Elizabeth street)
  

Elizabetes iela (Elizabeth street)

  Modern tram at Krisjana Barona iela

VERMANES GARDEN:

Vermanes Garden is another park situated close to Freedom Square, opposite Esplanade park. It is the oldest public garden in Riga.