Rigas panorama; Latvijas Nacionala Opera; Melngalvju nams; Rigas Doms
The Panorama of Riga; the National Opera; The Blackheads House; the Dome Cathedral
Foto: L Balodis
postmarked in 2010 with a Latvia mushroom stamp
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Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia.
Riga's historical centre has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture, which UNESCO considers to be unparalleled anywhere in the world.
The site of today's Riga has been recorded, as Duna Urbs, as early as the 2nd century. It was subsequently settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe, later also the Kurs.
Riga began to develop as a centre of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages.