About Riga
Riga
Latvia’s capital Riga is enriched and inspired every day by its multicultural community. Riga is perhaps the most exciting city in the Baltic States and it actually feels like a major European city.
Riga is one of the oldest cities on the Baltic Sea. It is the geographical centre of the Baltic States. Due to its geographical location on the Baltic Sea, Riga has been an important centre of trade, finance and culture for centuries. Riga as Hanseatic League member city acquired the layout typical of German cities. During the 800 years of its existence Riga has borrowed much from Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands and other countries in crafts, social life, education and culture.
Riga has unique medieval architecture of later periods, the urban structure, the richness and quality of Art Noveau architecture and the 19th century wooden architecture of the city. The historical heart of Riga - Old Riga and central parts of the city are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Every year Riga hosts large international cultural festivals, the largest is the National Song and Folk dance festival that is held every 4 years and assembles about 30,000 participants and attracts tourists from around the world. In 2008 Riga again will host the National Song and Folk dance festival. In 2001 Riga celebrated its 800 anniversary. It was filled with events and festivities, renewed and enriched the cultural and historic environment.
Riga has hundreds of reasons for attracting international students – its rich history, architecture, spacious gardens and parks, museums, art galleries, opera and daily treats like a walk in the enormous colourful central market or going to a cosy cafe, club or pub.
Climate
The climate is influenced by the prevailing air masses coming from the Atlantic. Humidity is high, and the skies are usually cloudy; there are only 30 to 40 days of sunshine per year and 150 to 180 completely overcast days.
Summer: June – August
Winter: December – March
Summer is warm, but winter, lasting from November till mid-March, can be very cold (-25°C). The weather in autumn and spring is relatively mild. Heaviest rainfall is observed in August. Snowfall is common in winter, especially in February and March. Average temperatures are: July + 19°C, February -8°C, although some days can be very hot in summer and very cold in winter. The warmest month is July, and the coldest are January and February, and even March. Average rainfall in summer is 195 mm, in winter – 116 mm.
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