Historic Centre of Riga
Riga was a major centre of the Hanseatic League,
deriving its prosperity in the 13th–15th centuries from the trade with
central and eastern Europe. The urban fabric of its medieval centre
reflects this prosperity, though most of the earliest buildings were
destroyed by fire or war. Riga became an important economic centre in
the 19th century, when the suburbs surrounding the medieval town were
laid out, first with imposing wooden buildings in neoclassical style and
then in Jugendstil . It is generally recognized that Riga has the finest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe.