RIGA 2019 - Dommo · 2019-03-11 · content 18 macroeconomic environment 19 investment environment 20 real estate 21 ict and internet 22 business: start-up 23 business: development

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19RIGATHE ECONOMIC PROFILEOF THE CITY OF RIGA

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THE ECONOMIC PROFILE OF THE CITY OF RIGA 2019

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5 10

3 82 7

4 9

10 reasons why Riga

Riga is the metropolis of the Baltic States with more than a million residents in the city and the adjacent areas

Developed and well – connectedinternational transport hub

A city with dynamic economic development

A city with a balanced industrial, residential and green environment

A rich cultural and architectural heritage, a vast cultural life

Broad educational opportunities are evidentby the increasing number of foreign students every year

Local municipality that promotes development and economic growth

Educated and multilingual workforce

Macroeconomic and political stability - Latvia is a member of the European Union and the euro-zone, which provides free movement of goods, services, capital and labour

Riga has a dominant role in Latvia’s economyand business

Riga


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content

18 MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

19 INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT

20 REAL ESTATE

21 ICT AND INTERNET

22 BUSINESS: START-UP

23 BUSINESS: DEVELOPMENT

24 NATURE AND CLIMATE

25 CULTURE

26 TOURISM

27 HOTELS

28 HISTORY

29 IMPORTANT HOLIDAYSAND FESTIVALS

30 TRADITIONS

5 RIGA IN THE WORLD

6 LOCATION

8 RIGA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

9 LAND TRANSPORT

10 RAILWAY

11 RAIL BALTICA

12 PORT OF RIGA

1 CHOOSE RIGA – 10 REASONS WHY RIGA

14 THE LOCALS

15 QUALITY OF LIFE

16 EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

17 LABOUR MARKET


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Riga in the world

You can find a city called Riga in five places in the world Riga has 29 sister cities

Almaty

Tashkent

Astana

Amsterdam

Bremen

NorrkopingStockholm

Aalborg

BordeauxYerevanTbilisi

KobeBeijing

SuzhouTaipei

Cairns

FlorenceRostock Warsaw

Vilnius

Kiev

PoriSt. Petersburg

Moscow

Minsk

TartuTallinn

Dallas

Santiago

Riga is a member of 19 international organizations. For example:

Riga has its own representative officesin Brussels and Moscow

Union of the Baltic Cities, UBC Website: www.ubc.net/ UBC unites 106 cities from 10 countries in the BalticSea Region.

The Hanseatic League of Modern Times (Städtebund DIE HANSE)Website: www.hanse.org/deThe Hanseatic League of Modern Times unites 183 cities from 16 countries. The Hanseatic League’s of Modern Times aim is to promote its city collaboration to contribute to their economic, social, cultural and tourism development.

European Forum for Urban Security, EFUS Website: efus.eu/en/ EFUS aim is to develop and promote exchange of experience, good practice and information between European cities, that are member states of EFUS.

From Riga to other parts of the world

4

Ferry traffic International bus and coach services

international trains

Location

RIGA

The center ofthe Baltic States

Third largest city in the Baltic Sea region

The largest city in the Baltics by population

AREA

DISTANCE FROM RIGA TO THE NEAREST EUROPEAN CAPITAL CITIES

POPULATION DENSITY

304 km2

Inhabitantsper km2

2099

Stockholm

Helsinki

Tallinn

Vilnius

Warsaw

Minsk

RIGA

Vilnius 300 km

Tallinn 310 km

Helsinki 844 km

Stockholm 550 km

Berlin 840 km

Warsaw 660 km

Moscow 920 km

10080

destinations in summer

destinations in winter

5 6


air trafficRiga international airport

6 096.6 thousand

GermanyUnited KingdomRussiaNorwayFinlandSwedenDenmarkItalyLithuaniaEstonia

Number of passengers transported in 2017

+12.9% TOP

2017 2018

increase in number of passengers

destinations (thousand)

Runway length3200 meters

Riga International Airport is the largest air traffic hubin the Baltic States

Transportation statistics from Riga International Airport

TOP 3 charter flight destinations in 2017

Runway width Flights are provided45 meters by 19 airlines

Website: www.riga-airport.com

Source: “Transport in Latvia 2018”, Central Statistical Bureau, Riga International Airport “Yearbook 2017”

873.0845.1638.1367.8340.0265.8235.1232.5223.6221.7

2010 2016 20172015

Number ofairplanes flown out

Number of inbound airplanes

Number ofpassengers flown out, thousands

Number of inbound passengers, thousands

Shipped cargo and mail, tonnes

Cargo and mail received, tonnes

34 070 34 032 37 41834 038

34 075 34 029 37 42134 041

2 349.2 2 692.1 3 043.62 576.4

2 314.4 2 708.6 3 0532 584.4

5 299 11 506 13 20511 136

6 994 8 043 10 2447 622

21,0%

14,5%

8,2%56,3%

Antalya

Heraklion

HurghadaOther

7 8


land transport railway

1 860 km1 203 km

Total length of the railway lines operated in Latvia

Every day trains depart from Riga Central Station on 4 international routes:

Every day trains from the RCS are travellingon 5 domestic routes:

Of which 251km or 13.5%are electrified railway lines

total length of roads and streets in Riga municipality

Riga is at the intersection of two roads of European importance

Riga has: Freight transport

142.7 million

39.4 million km

passengers transported by public transport in 2017

total mileage in the public transport route network in 2017

55 routes of 951.5 km total route length

43 785 thousand tonsfreight transported410 buses

105 trams10 routes of 120.9 km total route length

253 trolleybuses19 routes of 163.7 km total route length

Passenger transport in Riga is carried out by “Rīgas Satiksme”

Source: “Rīgas satiksme” Annual Report of 2017 Source: “Transport in Latvia 2018”, Central Statistical Bureau

RigaMoscowSt. PetersburgMinskKiev

RigaMajori Ogre

SiguldaVecāķi

Carnikava CesisSaulkrasti

Skulte

Valmiera

Valga

AizkraukleJēkabpils

RēzekneZilupe

Olaine

JelgavaDobeleLiepaja

Melluži

SlokaTukums

domestic traffic

International freight dynamics (thousands/ton)

international traffic

1 649 tons or 3.75%

42 136 tons or 96.25%

2010

KrievijaRussia

2016

UzbekistanLithuania

2017

KazakhstanUkraine

LithuaniaEstonia

2015

BelarusBelarus

Latvia

export

import

transit

3 206 2 384 1 8392 849

40 973

3 722

42 036

1 917

36 584

3 713

48 277

2 848

1 003

173

167

138

132

28 604

6 208

1 056

261

190

export (thousands/ton)

import (thousands/ton)

9 10


Tallinn

Riga

Kaunas

265 km

213 km

392 km

Rail Baltica

1435 mm

Baltic and Riga railway infrastructure will now be unifiedwith the European railway area

The project envisages construction of new 1435 mm European Standard width rail line in the Baltic States connecting metropolis Tallinn - Riga - Kaunas - Warsaw - Berlin

The total length of the new tracks in the Baltic States will be

Average speed for passenger trains 170 km/h, for freight trains 68 km/h,maximum speed for passenger trains – 234 km/h, for freight trains – 120 km/h

Two passenger stations are planned in Riga

More information: www.edzl.lv

Project implementation period

2020 2025 2030

plann to start the construction

open connection Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas

open connection with Warsaw

Source: “Rīgas satiksme” Annual Report of 2017

870km

Riga Central Station Riga International Airport Station

port of RigaRiga Freeport is an important part of the global and regional freight transport chain and the Baltic Sea region passenger network

The main cargo is containers,coal, oil products, various metals, timber, fertilizers and grain products

Around 200 different companieswork in Riga Freeport

Total area of the port

Port land 1 962 hawhich includes189,4 ha area for open cargos

Closed warehouse area 418 603 m2

Total length of wharfs 20,0 km

Freezer area 7 800 m2Freezer capacity 14 000 tCapacity of bulk carriers 217 800 m3Capacity of liquid cargoreservoirs 522 391 m3

Port aquatorium4 386 ha

Up to 80% from the cargo turnover of the Freeport of Riga is a transit cargo to be sent to or received from NVS

The second largest portin the Baltic Statesby cargo turnover

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Riga has the largest port in Latvia

33,7 million tons

In 2017, 743 thousand passengers were servedin the port, including87 thousand cruise passengers

In 2017, 3422 ships were serviced at the port with a total capacity of 46.1 million gross tonnage

Infrastructure

Maximum draft at the wharf 15m

6 348 ha

80%

11 12


Passenger ferry traffic and cruises

Number of arriving / departing passengersat the passenger port of Riga (thousands)

Passenger turnover in Riga passenger port

45.6%510.2thousand passengers

743 thousand passengers

2016 2017

2010 2016 20172015

Passengers arrived by ferries

Passengers leftby ferries

Passengers arrivedby cruise ships

319.3 243.3 364.5224.3

327.6 266.9 378.5232.8

58.6 71.4 87.469.2

Riga Stockholm

Romantika

Isabelle

Port of Riga since 2006

More than 60 cruise ships arrive at the port of Riga annually. The biggest cruise ship - Celebrity Silhouette - 319m

Number of cruise ships in Riga increases every year

More than 1,000 cruise tourists came from Italy, Australia, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, France, Austria and Israel

2016

63

2017

87

2018

91

29%other

33%from

Germany17%

from USA

10%

6%

5%

from Finland

from Russia

from Great Britain

67%

47%

36%

3,7%3,4%1,8%7,3%

Latvians

Russians

BelarussiansUkrainiansPolishOthers

the locals

33% of the total population of the country lives in Riga, it is one of the highest indicators in Europe (Source: Eurostat)

By gender

Proportion of nationalities in Riga

RobertsAleksandrsArtjomsGustavsKārlis

SofijaAnnaEmīlijaMartaAlise

The most popular names of newborns

Source: “Demography 2018”, Central Statistical Bureau

The biggest city of Baltics

Population in 2017

Population in Riga agglomeration (Riga and its surroundings)

638 000

1 005 237

354,3k283,5k

Life expectancy for the ones born in 2017

Median age

75,5years

42years

femalemale


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quality of life

11

2

3

4

5

41

45

49

56

Norway

Switzerland Latvia

Australia Hungary

Ireland Russia

Germany Kuwait

UN HumanDevelopment Index

Source: UN Human Development Index

Source: Central Statistical Bureau

13 926 € 74,8 years

3,1 % 380 €

~ 1044 € 55,8 km2

1,1 41. place

gross domestic product per capita

Rice 1.23 Smoked pig meat 6.38 Apple 1.24

Bone-free pork 4.81 Herring rolls 5.40 Potatoes 0.37

Pasta 0.92 Chilled salmon 9.88 Oranges 1.31

Chicken 2.20 Butter 10.29 Fine sugar 0.74

Beer, 4,0-5,5% 2.04

life expectancy

unemployment ratein Riga

minimum wage

average monthly gross wages of workers in Riga

average housing area in Riga

number of rooms per household member in Riga

safest country in the world by UN data

Quality of life in Latvia and Riga

Average prices (€ per kg/liter)

Most positive aspects of quality of life in Riga City

education and science

Education possibilities in Riga

Study programs

2 757

2013

3 492

2014

4 261

2015

5 458

2016

6 314

2017

8 806

2018

Total number of foreign students in universities and colleges

Students

high-school and college students, of which

are gettingvocationaleducation

of students in Latvia

Total number of foreign students in

2018

of all vocational education students

in Latvia

Source: Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia

81 602

Study thematic group Studying TOTAL

11 621

82%

8 806

8 806

...

Accessible public transport

Low noise level

Clean city

Accessibility of cultural events

Access to general educationLow crime rate / safety in the city

Quantity and availability of green zones (parks, boulevards, squares)

239 pre-school educational institutions

148 general education institutions

46 universities and colleges

13 interest education institutions

11 sports schools

9 music and art schools

22 leisure time centers

2 childcare centers

36 sport fields located at education institutions

2 regional sports centers

Social sciences, commercial sciences and law 27 972

Healthcare and social welfare 12 252

Humanities and arts 6 322

Engineering, manufacturing and construction 13 357

Science, mathematics and IT (STEM) 6 995

Services 7 622

Education and pedagogy 5 676

Agriculture 1 406

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926 € average wage

in Latvia

895 737 jobs inLatvia

4,8% unemployment

rate in Latvia

380 € national minimum

monthly salary

1 044 € average wage in Riga

486 996 jobs inRiga

vacant jobs in Riga*

* July, 2018

46% higher education

Field EUR

26% vocational education or vocational secondary education

24% general secondary education

4% primary education or lower than primary education

3,1% unemployment in Riga

7,5% average wages in Riga increased compared to the previous year

Open vacancies in Riga region

Average monthly gross wage in Riga by type of business, EUR

Proportion of economically active residents of Rigaby level of education

Latvia

22 039

Riga

labour market

global labor market competitiveness

Source: The Global Competitiveness Report 2018

29th place

macroeconomic environment

Number of companies

Gross domestic product in Latvia, actual prices

billion EUR

Economically active companies per 1000 inhabitants

27

25

20

2013year 2014 2015 2016 2017

+ 2,4%

+ 1,9%

+ 3,0%

+ 2,1%

+ 4,6%

2,9%average inflation in 2017

87 113in Latvia in Riga

2014

100 491Number of companies

51 102 535Turnover (thousands, euros)

2015

109 642

51 303 570

2016

115 477

51 195 898

2017

112 400

55 406 260

26,9 - billions of euros -GDP in real prices 2017 economic growth ratevs previous year was 4.6%

37,5 % - GDP per capita increased significantly in 2017 compared to the lowest pointin recent years in 2010

Financial and insurance activitiesElectricity, gas supply, heating and air conditioningInformation and communication servicesAgriculture, Forestry and FisheriesPublic administration and defense; compulsory social insuranceProfessional, scientific and technical servicesTransport and storageManufacturing industryConstructionWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcyclesHealth and social careArts, entertainment and recreationReal estate activitiesEducationAdministrative and support service activitiesOther servicesAccommodation and catering servicesMining and quarrying

1 9611 5691 5451 3591 2221 148970954939937916890862854837792680641

6 941 1 033 479

610 185

1537

1 0432 076

Skilled workersand craftsmen

Senior spe-cialists

Specialists

ServersEquipment and machine operators and product assemblers

Simple professions

Service andsales staff Manager

18


17

investment environment

2,3 billion

5 500 000 000 €

Total (private, municipal, stateand foreign) non-financialinvestment in Riga in 2017

Foreign investor investment in the capital accounted for 77% of total foreign investment in the country

Direct investment of foreign investors in the equity capital of companies registered in Riga

Investments in Rigawere around 60%(58% in the previous year) of total investments in the country in 2017

60%

77%

Source: Lursoft/Public report of Riga Municipality 2017

Number of companies in resident and international enterprise groups in Latvia in 2017

7 993 international groups of companies

5 673 residents

41%59%

Country of origin of the TOP multinational groups

Estonia 546

Lithuania 350

Netherlands 131

Luxembourg 57

United Kingdom 478

Denmark 186

Sweden 209

Cyprus 403

Finland 132

Germany 204

13 463companies

real estate

6,3% Private housing

87% Apartment in a house with 10 or more apartments

4,5% Apartment in a house with up to 9 apartments

3,2 m2 housing fund per capita in Riga

0,64 € average management fee calculated by the residential fund on average per month

56,9 m2 average housing area in Riga

19 511 m2 total area, thousands

Riga residents’ housing

Number of construction permits issued in Riga

Price

Housing fund

Offices

211

99

123329492734

43%

20%

2%7%6%10%5%7%

Single-apartment houses

Two or more apartment houses

Hotels and similar use buildingsOffice buildingsWholesale and retail buildings

Industrial production buildings and warehousesEntertainment, educational, health buildingsOther non-residential buildings

2-3% 13-16 EUR/m26-7% 9-12 EUR/m22,9% 30-55 EUR/m22,5% 3,5-4,6 EUR/m2

Proportion of Class A free offices class A

Proportion of Class B free offices class B

Proportion of free retail premises rent

Proportion of industrial space rent

Source: Colliers International. Baltic States Property Snapshot.

19 20


Ict and Internet

67%

84,9%

81,6%

81,2%

25%

98,1%

Internet users in Riga

households have available Internet - compared to 2010, this indicator increased by 21.8 points

In early 2018, 81.2 percent of the population regularly used the Internet, 18.7 percent more than in 2010

25 % of residents use data storage sites (clouds) on the Internet

residents use a mobile phone to access the InternetAlmost half of Latvia’s

residents shop on theInternet at least once a year

households with children have Internet

22

22

business: start-up

Possibility of receiving up to €12,000 grant for starting or developing your business

Grant for foreign filming in Riga

Riga Courage Grant is smart money for developing the business idea – EUR 2000 and the services of the Riga business incubator mentor. 25 participants will receive funding

Riga offers several support programs for young entrepreneurs

Companies registered in the Commercial Register in 2018

Companies registered in the Commercial Register in Riga

in Riga in Latvia5 398

in 20166 267

12 000 €

10 285

in 20185 398

in 20175 383

“Kick-off“

“Riga Film Foundation“

“Riga Courage Grant“

Source: Riga Municipality

Source: Lursoft

Riga has 151.38 enterprises per 1000 inhabitants

21 22


business: developmentCompany turnover in Riga (thousands, euro)

Company turnover in Riga by industry (thousands, euro)

Personnel costs (thousands, euro)

Companies by number of employees

Number of employees in Riga

35 158 515 - in 2013

33 695 709 - in 2015

34 128 255 - in 2014

33 839 612 - in 2016

3 638 359 - in 2016 346 420 - in 2016

3 427 906 - in 2015 345 294 - in 2015

3 205 444 - in 2014 337 688 - in 2014

2 938 754 - in 2013 315 282 - in 2013

77 990in Latvia

in Riga

Riga Latvia

28 244

2013

32 870

2014

33 694

2015

44 158

2016

72 509 172 567

3 008 5 755

799 1 603

66 883 161 603

1 663 3 368

156 238

Total

10-19

50-249

0-9

20-49

250+

Economically activeemployers

24

Approximately

from a total of 308 bird species in Latvia can be seen in Riga. Approximately 150 of them are nesting in the city

The Atlantic Ocean plays an important role in the climate of Riga, bringing active cyclic action. About 220 days a year, marine air masses dominate in Riga and summers are moderately warm.

In the course of the year, on average, 170 - 180 different atmospheric fronts go over Riga. It involves wind intensification, precipitation, hail, thunderstorms, snowstorms

Estimated amount of rainfall in Riga

Total forest property area managed - 61 726,5 ha

Area of gardens, parks, squares and plants inRiga - 252,6 ha

Area of the “Mežaparks” cultural and recreational park - 385 ha

The main value of Riga’s specially protected nature areas is natural grasslands, protected plants and bird nesting sites. Protected areas and nature park are located on banks of water bodies, so they are suitable for recreation and nature tourism

There are currently 12 micro-reserves in Riga designed to protect specific species or habitats

In Riga there are three protected areas of national importance: „Krēmeri”, „Jaunciems”, „Vecdaugava” and nature park „Piejūra”

nature and climateRiga is located on both banks of Daugava

Dzegužkalns is the highest natural mountain in Riga

91,03 km² residentialarea

85,09 km² greenarea

47,67 km² water

45,19 km² roads, streets

16,66 km² port sites

8,65 km² technical building area

6,90 km² manufacturing areas2,86 km² airfield area

28,48 m a.s.l.

250 bird species30%

28%

16%

15%

5%3%2%1%

700 mm

Average air temperature

Average number of sunny hours per month

Monthly rainfall rate (mm)

January

January

January

-3,5°

36

35

+17,2°

268

82

July

July

July

Climate

Green Riga

Source: Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre

Source: Riga Forests

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 18 882 011

Industry 4 804 026

Transport and storage 3 115 180

Manufacturing industry 2 981 155

Information and communication services 1 688 905

Construction 1 680 832

Electricity, gas supply, heating, air conditioning 1 680 173

Professional, scientific and technical services 1 166 156

Real estate operations 1 077 035

Administrative and support institution 879 163

Accommodation and catering services 521 422

Water supply; waste water, waste management and recovery 132 711

Other services 24 882


23 24


Cultural institutions

Special architectural heritage in Riga

43

18

26

6

8

8

choirs

woodenarchitecture

vocal ensembles

folk art studios

orchestras or instrumental ensembles

Riga Central Library with branches throughout the city

music schools

culture centers

exhibition halls

art nouveau buildings

more than

concert halls - “AVE SOL” and Riga St. Peter’s Church

fine arts studios

national minority groups

28 9

6

800

42

Cultural institutions of national importance, monuments, architectural, archaeological, historical, and important cultural sites are also concentrated in Riga as the capital of Latvia.

There are 7 theaters in Riga

TOP Museums - Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga Motor museum

The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia, Art museum Riga Bourse, The Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Pauls Stradins Museum for History of Medicine, Natural History Museum of Latvia

Riga Art Noveau Centre, Latvian National Museum of History

Latvian National Opera - The building was built in 1860-1863. The origins of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet are to be found in 1782.

Circus - one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest in the Baltic

culture

The Old Town silhouette with church towers is a business card and identity mark of the city of Riga, thanks to which Riga has acquired the European Heritage Label.

The historic center of Riga, including Old Riga, has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

5 776,3 1 949,5

tourismNumber of foreign travelers in Latvia

one-day travelers multi-day travelers

Number of border crossing, thousands

Total expense on foreign travel, million euros

6 246

668,5

2014 2015 2016 2017

6 842

742,2

6 797

645,2

7 726

691,9

Number of foreign travelers (thousands)

Purpose of travel

Multi-day traveler distribution by Country in 2017

Source: “Tourism 2018”, Central Statistical Bureau

1 948,9Leisure

3 896,4Transit

3 829,4Other

3 896,4Tourism

1 211Leisure with friends and

relatives

736,5Business

42,2%

4%2,8%

other countries

PolandSweden Estonia

Russia

Germany

Lithuania 15,4%

13,1%

12,5%

9,8%

25 26


Number of people served in hotels and other tourism accommodation in Latvia and Riga

Distribution of people served in hotels and other tourism accommodation by country in 2017

hotels

Other countries 27 Latvia 31

Russia 9,4

Germany 8,1

Number of housing

Number of hotels

26 1 476 113 985

unknown

23 2 754 278 027

2 58

33 7 928 1 002 686

8 809 76 634

Number of bedsNumber of people served

Number of rooms Number of beds

Lithuania 7

Estonia 6,3Finland 4,5

Sweden 3

United Kingdom 3,7

809 17 017 40 824130 7 745 15 788

*hotel resorts includedNumber of hotels by category*

Tourist accommodation in Latvia and Riga

Source: “Tourism 2018”, Central Statistical Bureau

history

1201.

1863.

1880.

1891.

1896.

1898.

1901.

1912.

1918.

1919.

1922.

1930.

1935.

1938.

1940.

1954.

1960.

1964.

1974.

1991.

2001.

2003.

2004.

2006.

2014.

2015.

2018.

Riga was founded by the German bishop Albert, but a residential area has existed already in the 12 th century.

Current Latvian National Opera and Ballet building was constructed.

First horse omnibus route was created.

First outpatient medical institution-leprosy is established.

First six-story rental house was built.

Electrical engineering plant “Union” is established (which later becomes VEF).

First electric tram starts running.

Riga Zoological Garden was founded.

On November 18, an independent Republic of Latvia was proclaimed in Riga.

University of Latvia was established.

The Bank of Latvia starts to work.

Riga Central Market was opened.

The first airline opened (Riga - Liepaja).

VEF starts to manufacture Minox.

Riga Film Studio was founded.

First TV translation.

The Riga Central Railway Station complex was built.

Riga bus terminal was opened.

Construction of the airport “Riga” is completed.

Latvia regained independence from the Soviet Union.

Riga celebrates its 800-year anniversary.

Eurovision Song Contest in Riga.

Latvia joins the European Union.

NATO summit in Riga.

Riga is assigned to be the European Capital of Culture.

The official events of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union took place in Riga.

The 100 th anniversary of Latvia’s proclamation is widely celebratedin Riga and throughout the country.

Coat of Arms

Flag

The current coat of arms of Riga was approved on 31 October 1925 and the approval was renewed in 1988. Riga has a large and small coat of arms.

The shield of the arms of Riga depicts a red wall open in a silver field, with two towers symbolizing the city’s right to independence, and under the raised gate grille - the golden lion’s head. Above the gate are two crossed black keys symbolizing the pope’s defense, but above the keys are a golden cross and a golden crown that points to exposure to the bishop. The holders of the large coat of arms are two golden lions on a gray cap. Riga’s little coat of arms is a shield of the great coat of arms

The current flag of Riga was approved on 4 May 1937, using the white and blue colors of the 17th century Riga ship’s flag as a foundation. Riga’s coat of arms was added.

The flag of Riga is a rectangle divided in two horizontal parts of equal width. The upper part is blue but the lower - white. In the middle of the flag there is the big version of Riga’s coat of arms.

Web page: www.riga.lv

Riga symbols

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

1 555 936 869 975

1 113 898 689 330

1 311 538 779 852

1 584 996 943 671

1 644 758 971 728

1 839 2411 112 990

2 098 381 1 274 3572 139 3931 333 520

2 303 643 1 428 552

2 577 338 1 583 083

Latvia

Riga

27 28


traditions

Golden roosters at Riga Church Towers – they were once set up because superstitions say that devils are very afraid of rooster songs and are avoiding places where they live.

Christmas tree – an integral element of Christmas and New Year celebrations for the city. Riga has been one of the first places in the world where the tree has been decorated for Christmas

Jāņi, Midsummer celebration – this holiday is celebrated throughout Latvia, but celebrating Ligo festival on the Daugava waterfront has become a relatively new tradition

For a city of over 800 years, there is no shortage of traditions – both old and new. An unfailing source of tradition is the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia located on the outskirts of Riga – one of the oldest and largest open-air museums in Europe, where it is possible to learn about centuries of customs and traditions.

important holidays and festivals

Riga honors traditions, so a series of events are taking place every year, both for festivals known throughout the world and for those specific only to Riga and Latvia.

Christmas and New Year are widely celebrated in Riga every year

One of the most spectacular festivals in Riga and Latvia, when everyone goes to enjoy the magic of the summer solstice. In Riga, a number of events are taking place in honor of Ligo festival – the largest of them – in Dome Square and Ligo Festival night on the waterfront

One of the most ambitious sports events in the Baltic Sea Region. In 2019, the Riga marathon has achieved the highest - gold - quality mark that allows to gather tensof thousands of running enthusiasts

Every year Riga City Festival is organized for residents and town guests with concerts, shows, paradesand other activities.

You can find out more about the events in Riga on LiveRiga website (www.liveriga.com)

Christmas and New Year

Ligo festival

Riga Marathon

Riga City Festival

Easter

The main squares of the city are decorated with majestic and embellished festive fir trees

Traditional Christmas Market is taking place in Dome Square

Pagan traditions are also honored – a log is being dragged during solstice time

(June 23-24)

Christmas and New Year’s concerts and events are taking place throughout the city

On New Year’s Night, the locals gather on the waterfront for the traditional salute. The same place also a New Year’s party with concert and danceis taking place

Easter with a wide range of events is celebrated at the Open Air Museum, which is a unique Latvian traditional lifestyle monument on the outskirts of the city. Over the years, the Open-Air Museum has built a unique exposition of ancient buildings and artifacts, where on this holiday it is possible to participate in Easter pagan traditions - swinging, fighting with colored eggs. Church services are taking place in the sacred buildings of the city

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RĪGAS DOMES PILSĒTAS ATTĪSTĪBAS DEPARTAMENTS

The City Development Department4 Amatu Street, Riga, LV–1050, [email protected](+371) 67 012 947@rdpadRDPilsetasattistibasdepartaments


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RIGA 2019 - Dommo · 2019-03-11 · content 18 macroeconomic environment 19 investment environment 20 real estate 21 ict and internet 22 business: start-up 23 business: development