St. Petersburg, Russia

In 1703, Peter I (later known as Peter the Great) marched an army in to Nyenskans and took it from the Swedes. There, he ordered the building of a city that would be named St. Petersburg. His first order was to construct a fortress to defend the city and secure Russian access to the Baltic Sea through the Neva River.

In a single decade, the city had formed with straight streets and canals in a more European style than the expected Russian style.  The city is built on 42 islands connected with canals which led to the nickname of the Venice of the North.  In 1712, it became the capital city of Russia.

Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki became the administrative capital of Finland in 1809 when Sweden transferred control of it to Russia and the rulers of the Grand Duchy switched the regional capital from Turku. While the city had existed long before that time, most of the oldest buildings still standing were built in the 18th century because the most common construction material of that time was wood and a large fire destroyed the city.

The Lutheran Church on Senate Square was built in the 18th century was designed by Carl Ludvig Engel who designed much of the city when it was being reconstructed. The statue on the center of the square is of Alexander II who was not as popular in Russia.

The Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral shows the Russian influence of the city and is considered the most richly decorated building in the city.

The Railroad Station was striking against the modern buildings. It was designed to look like an early radio set.

Churches of Tallinn, Estonia

Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral was built in the 19th century on the foundation of earlier churches. It was dedicated to Alexander Nevsky, Grand Duke of Novgorod who was considered a protector of the faith and guardian of warriors.

Church of the Holy Ghost is a Roman Catholic church built in the 14th century. It has the oldest bell in Estonia and the oldest clock in Tallinn.

St. Nicholas Church, the steepled church on the right, was built in 1315 by the German merchants of the city to demonstrate their wealth. When Lutheran reformers mobbed the church to burn their art, as had happened in many other churches in the 15th century, they were not able to access the church. Why? When the church was first constructed, it was part of the defense of the city and had extremely thick walls. In addition, someone poured molten lead in the door locks which prevented the doors from opening and saving the church interior from destruction. During World War II, it was mostly destroyed, but was restored in 1984. Most of the art had been removed so was preserved and today it is a museum and concert hall. Some religious ceremonies are held in the building, but they are from multiple beliefs. It gas hosted both Pope John Paul II and the Dali Lama for services.

The Medieval City of Tallinn, Estonia

The Estonian city of Tallinn has gone by many names, been ruled by many outsiders, and survived as a settlement for thousands of years. Recent archeological studies have found evidence of human settlement from at least 5,000 years ago. The fortress that became the footprint of the present the city was built in 1219 when Valdemar II of Denmark came on a Crusade mission from the Pope of Rome to covert the Estonian pagans to Christianity. The city has survived rule by Vikings, Danes, Germans, Sweds, Poles, Norweigns, and Russians before gaining their independence in the 1990s.

Much of the medieval stone wall still stands around much of the old city. Its construction was ordered by Queen Margaret of Denmark in 1265. She ordered that everyone in the city would benefit from the wall, so they should all pay to build it. So, even churches were taxed for its construction and special fines were enacted including fines for injuring someone with a weapon and hosting an overly lavish wedding. Construction was completed in 1310.

Viru Gate was built in 1345 as an entrance to the clay fields. Extension walls were added in 1898. Today, it marks the entrance to the old town.

A Walk Around Riga, Latvia Part 2

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral was built in 1884 with five gilded cupolas. Photography is not allowed inside, but when I walked around I could see that every inch was filled with artwork. The walls were floor-to-ceiling, including the ceiling, covered in fresco paintings with bright colors. There was gold and silver everywhere. It is hard to believe that it was completely renovated after 1990, because during the Soviet era the walls and ceiling were painted white and the building was used as a planetarium.

Yebak's Barracks were built in the 18th century to house the Russian army. Today, Old Rigas longest building is now a series of shops, cafes, and exhibition halls. At the end of the building the coat of arms for Riga Latvia and its regions can be seen.

Powder Tower is one of the last remaining towers from the 13th century fortification of the city. It got its name from the 17th century when the gunpodwer was stored there. Cannon balls are still embedded in the wall of the tower from the attacks on the city over the centuries.

A Walk Around Riga, Latvia Part 1

This statue of Lenin's Rifleman is one of the few that survived the Soviet occupation and Latvian Independence. The soldiers were from Latvia.

 St Peter's Lutheran Church was built in the 13th century. The steeple was struck by lightning and destroyed in 1719. It took more than 20 years to reconstruct. It was a tradition for the master builder to place the final stone at the top of a structure in a ceremony. The master builder would drink from a special glass of wine that was made for the occasion. The tradition was that the glass would be thrown from the top of the steeple and shatter. The number of pieces it shattered into were supposed to represent how many years the structure would stand. This master builder threw the glass and it landed in a haystack! It only broke in two pieces, so the builder claimed that it would be two centuries not two years. Well, 200 years later in June 1941, German artillery caused the tower to collapse. It has since been rebuilt.

The steeple is so tall that it can be seen throughout the old medieval city. It is very helpful for navigating the narrow, windy  streets of cobblestones.

The Dome Cathedral, Riga Dom, was built in 1211 by Bishop Albert, the founder of the city. The city was founded when Bishop Albert was sent to the region on a mission to spread Christianity. It is the largest cathedral in the Baltic states and had the largest organ of its time with 6,700 pipes in the organ. During the Soviet era, it was used as a concert hall but returned to a church in the 1990s.

Latvian Song and Dance Festival 2018, Riga

In the square across the street from the hotel, this festival was in full swing. Dancing and singing can be heard throughout the old town of the city as vendors selling crafts, food, music, and clothing fill every open space in the area. Several stages had live performances of song and dance. The festival has been held every five years since 1873 and celebrates Latvian culture with an estimated 40,000 dancers and musicians performing in the week long festival.

The internet is not strong enough to post today, but I have video to upload when I get home!