The official founding year of the city of Riga is 1201, when it was first mentioned in chronicles. Archeological evidence tells that there was a fishing village even earlier. The founders of the city were Teutonic knights whose goal was to bring Christianity to this part of the world as well as more mundane considerations. They established the Baltic German community that formed the core of the ruling elite until Latvia's independence in 1918.

During its first 3.5 centuries Riga was one of the main centres of Livonian Confederation. Later it was conquered by Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, then Sweden and then Imperial Russia. In the interwar period it was the capital of independent Latvia and it regained this status in 1991.

Riga is by far the biggest city in Latvia. There are ~ 700 000 inhabitants in the city and close to one million in Greater Riga or half of country's total. The city alone creates 1/2 of total economic output. Riga is a major port city, manufacturing centre, home to emerging modern service industries - IT, business services, finance.

Riga is a very interesting place to visit. The old town has some leftovers of medieval charm. Surrounding downtown areas are know as The Cirle of Boulevards, built during years of unprecedented prosperity between 1860 and 1914. Nearby suburbs like Agenskalns display interesting examples of wooden architecture. Soviet era surburs are not the most beloved places, they feel rather soulless. In post-Soviet era the city is being sourrounded by ever denser rings of communities with single family homes.

Riga borders with Jurmala, a nice resort town. Other popular get-away places are Sigulda and Kemeri National parks. Bay of Riga with its plentiful beaches are ~ 15km away from downtown. Riga is split in two by Daugava, one of the largest rivers in Europe and the initial raison d'etre of the city.