LSM’s resident hiking and history guru has put together some suggested itineraries for interesting and exercising walks in Pardaugava – the lesser-known ‘left bank’ of the Latvian capital on the opposite side of the River Daugava from the Old Town. So pull on a pair of sturdy walking shoes, pack a sandwich box and get going!
Having started as a popular area for building manor houses and experiencing a particular boom in the 18th century, today Imanta is more associated with a cluster of high-rise apartment blocks. Imanta is hardly the first Rīga neighbourhood that comes to mind as a place for a potentially nice walking route, but here you can catch the breeze of manor houses of bygone centuries, find environmental art and, quite unexpectedly, experience the feeling that the hustle and bustle of the capital has long been left behind, but deep forests spread around.
The route starts at the cultural center “Imanta”, where various types of cultural activities are in full swing, and in the further section it follows the Anniņmuiža Boulevard until it winds into the forest. One of the three Riga forest parks stretches there – Anniņmuiža Forest Park, which consists of Anniņmuiža Forest and Vecanniņmuiža Park. The park is crossed by larger and smaller roads, paths, trails and paths, washed by several ditches.
Anniņmuiža is the only one of the manors in the Imanta area that has survived, albeit to a small extent, through the ages. Shyly hidden behind buildings belonging to the University of Latvia, the neo-Renaissance Anniņmuiža residential building, also known as Meža pils, opens up to view. The building was built at the end of the 19th century next to the previous manor center.
The manor territory itself, although under a different name, was first mentioned in written sources as far back as 1595, but it acquired its current name in the 18th century in honor of the wife of the manor owner, Anna. The ravages of time are slowly trying to erode the historic building, but the ancient manor still holds its own. Behind it, a pond shimmers in the sun, and beyond it stretches a park, surrounded on both sides by majestic avenues of trees.
In the Vecanniņmuiža Park, pedestrians are greeted by the Grand Tree Trail – right in the middle of the city, two state-important grand oaks and ten other grand trees of both national and local importance can be seen. Who would have thought that such mighty trees would flourish and thrive in Imanta!
In a nearby meadow, the environmental object “Blue Mist Sway” basks, created by Anna Līva Traumane and Harijs Vucens. The artwork is designed as a blue wave that seemingly hangs in the air, thanks to the sides of the mirror surface and the optical illusion they create, however, vandals have unsurprisingly sprayed the sides with graffiti, so the levitation effect has been somewhat lost.
The cobbled streets of Torņakalns with cozy wooden houses and several gems designed by Riga’s most famous architects conjure up a romantic small-town charm, but a walk in this neighbourhood, which is one of the oldest in Pārdaugava, sometimes feels like a trip in a time machine.
The name of the neighborhood comes from… a tower ( tornis ). Information about the observation tower, which was located next to the Mārupīte stream, can be found in written sources as early as 1483. As time passed, a settlement developed at the foot of the tower, which began to be called Torņakalns or ‘Tower Hill’. In 1812, a huge fire raged in Pārdaugava, so most of the historical buildings visible in Torņakalns date after this conflagration.
The walk begins at the picturesque Arkadijas Park, through which the Mārupīte stream winds its way in beautiful loops. The history of the park stretches back to 1852, when Christian Heinrich von Vērmanis purchased one of the Pārdaugava manors. In the middle of the plot of land stretched an expensive dune, which Vērmanis used to create a fine ‘arcadia’.
The garden even had wonderful orangeries, where exotic plants from tropical lands flourished – palm trees, grapes, apricots and even peaches. The next owner of the park, a merchant named Klein, added a theatre and a tavern to the garden, turning it into a fun place for parties. At the end of the 19th century, the garden came into the hands of the city of Riga, and at the instigation of Mayor George Armitstead (who was of English and Scottish descent), the course of the Mārupīte was changed, winding the brook through the park, and an artificial waterfall was also created. In later years, the famous Riga garden architect Georgs Kūfalts also contributed to the improvement of Arkādijas Park.
The route then takes you to Torņakalns station. The Torņakalns station building was built in the mid-1880s, once suffered a fire and was later restored. Nearby, you can see a memorial dedicated to one of the darkest pages in Latvian history – the deportations of 1941. Next to the station, there is a deportation wagon and a memorial stone created by sculptor Ojārs Feldbergs, but a little further away, you can see the memorial “Puteni” created by sculptor Pauls Jaunzems and architect Juris Poga with five stone figures symbolizing the families devastated by the Soviet terror.
Further on, a small hillock stands a memorial plaque dedicated to the folklorist, and writer Fricis Brīvzemnieks, created by sculptor Ģirts Burvis, architect Žanis Krauklis, and metal artist Vilnis Vincevičs based on the idea of folklorist Daiņš Stalts. Four oak pillars symbolize the regions of Latvia, while the spire of the memorial plaque depicts the trio of deities characteristic of Latvian mythology.
The spire of Torņakalns Church is the most recognisable local landmark, whose unusual interior was designed by the well-known Baltic German architect Wilhelm Bockslaff. If the church doors are open, don’t miss the opportunity to look inside and explore the interior.
The elegant classicist forms of Blok’s Manor mysteriously shimmer through the trees. In 1857, the manor was acquired by army captain Eduards Bloks, and it was after him that the manor itself later began to be called. Blok’s Manor is the only one of the Torņakalns manors that has survived to this day, and it is also the only Riga manor with a gallery-style colonnade that surrounds the building on three sides.
The route also passes by the school building built in 1910, part of Reinhold Schmelling’s “red school” style, examples of which can be found at various locations across the capital. The walk also allows you to dream about the romance of trams and admire the eclectic-style tram depot No. 4. The industrial atmosphere is enriched by the former oil press “C.Ch.Schmidt”, which was founded in 1852 under its original name “Wogan
