'21 | Latvian Business Guide
Quality of Life and Recreation SIGHTS AND EXPERIENCES Apart from being the capital of Latvia and indisputably the largest city in the three Baltic States, Riga is also Europe’s capital of Art Nouveau architecture and one of the ‘greenest’ cities in the region. Entertainment options for all ages and tastes range from upmarket clubs, fancy restaurants and cinemas to traditional theatres and exhibitions, as well as a zoo and an open-air museum for family visits. The Latvian National Opera and Ballet, in the very centre of Riga, is the proud architectural symbol of a newly independent nation; its distinguished building hosts internationally renowned orchestras, opera, and ballet troupes, and attracts major international artists touring Europe. Riga’s Old Town is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and offers a variety of historical and contemporary influences. These are perfectly captured in a number of Lutheran, Catholic, and Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and, naturally, a mix of international restaurants as well as Irish and British pubs – all within a few blocks of each other. Latvia’s own distinctive cuisine is becoming a major attraction for visitors to Riga, with several of local ‘ethnic’ restaurants arriving on the scene throughout the capital. Maybe it was not so a few years ago, but currently it may be said with pride: Riga’s restaurants have grown incredibly rapidly, and the meals offered can satisfy even the most sophisticated gourmands. Food items produced in Latvia are healthy and tasty; and the chefs are admirably skilled, talented and creative as they enrich the traditions of national cuisine with contemporary ease. Nevertheless, Riga and its surrounding region is only half of Latvia’s story. The remainder can offer an array of recreational options from cosy B&Bs with only a light touch of ‘virtual rurality’, to open-air medieval theatre, to rock and pop festivals with international stars. An evening at a country home featuring a Latvian ‘herbal sauna’, horseback riding across scenic hills, or fishing in a murmuring stream makes for a refreshing shared break, either for a management team or families. If you’d like a more culturally oriented country trip, Latvia offers numerous castles and manors complete with a variety of museums. One such pearl, for example, may be found in Daugavpils, where one of the renovated buildings of the giant historic fortress houses the Mark Rothko Art Centre featuring several of the legendary abstract-art master’s works. The most important national celebration in Latvia is St. John’s Day – the summer solstice on June 23 – when the entire nation gathers at bonfires to greet each other with bouquets of seasonal flowers and grasses and to consume a slice of traditional cheese with a mug of specially-brewed beer. Latvia also boasts its own renowned quadrennial event – the Song and Dance Festival, which culminates in an open-air massed choral concert featuring several thousand singers. Sometimes we wonder about it ourselves, yet it is a fact: Latvia is the ‘superstate’ of music. Such international stars as conductor Andris Nelsons, opera diva Elīna Garanča, and tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko, for example, are our very own: they were born in Latvia, went to school here and became legendary artists.
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