Riga Research Forum

If you have any questions about Riga or its history please contact me at rigamax@inbox.lv and your question
(and answer) will be posted on this page. Also if you have an answer or anything to add to any answer please
also contact the same address, mentioning the question number.



Aleksey Dementyev-Kornilov

05/01: Tanya from Riga asks: I was interested to see on your Riga Cemetery page a picture of the monument over the grave of Aleksey Dementyev-Kornilov. Is there a story behind the carving of the elephant?

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Grēcinieku iela

05/02: Juris from Riga asks: Can you tell me anything about why Grēcinieku iela has such an unusual name?

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Freddy Mercury

05/03: Peter from Dublin asks: A friend tells me there is a monument to the singer Freddy Mercury in Riga. Is this true?

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Peter the Great

05/04: Dzidra from Riga asks: What happened to the monument to Peter the Great which stood where the Monument of Freedom now stands. I have read that it now stands in St Petersburg. Do you know if this is true?

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George Armistead

05/05: Ivan from Riga asks: Do you know anything about George Armistead and why an Englishman was made Mayor of Riga?

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'Irbite'

05/06: Tomas from Tallinn asks: On a recent visit to Riga I took a photograph of a lovely statue, I forget where. Who is it?

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Ghosts

05/07: Tom from England asks: Are there any ghost stories connected with Riga?

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Language in Latvia

05/08: Joe from Georgia, USA asks: I hear that there is a problem in Latvia concerning Latvian v Russian language speakers. Can you explain what the situation is?

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Christmas Tree

05/09: Dieter from Hannover, Germany asks: I read on Riga Research that Riga was the place of the first Christmas Tree. I always thought the Christmas Tree was a German innovation. Do you have any more information on this?

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Riga

06/01: Annemarie from the Netherlands asks: Last year I visited Riga for the first time. Riga and Latvia have stolen my heart. The guide told us that Riga means 'The river goes rapidly'. In Holland were we live, we met an art teacher who told us that the meaning of the word 'Riga' in Russian means a kind off house in the country where they collect straw. Can you can tell me anything about the meaning of Riga?

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Riga Cathedral

06/02: Lawrence from Hong Kong asks: Have any postage stamps been issued showing the Riga Cathedral.

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Riga Guard

06/03: Djotaya from Serbia asks: I am writing my graduate work about Changing Guard and the Guard of Honor as tourist attraction in some Europian cities. Since you live in Riga I'm sure that you are familiar with the guards at the Monument of Freedom, and it would be nice if you could tell me something more about it.

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Background Music

06/04: Jojo from the USA asks: I enjoy the music on your website. Please tell me what it is.

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The Corner House

06/05: Clare from Malta asks: I would like to have a bit more information on the Corner House on Stabu iela. Can you help me?

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Sergej Vronsky

06/06: Helmut from Berlin asks: I have been reading about astrologists in the Third Reich and have found a small reference to one Sergej Vronsky, who, so the book says, came from Riga. Have you any information about him?

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Jēkaba kapi

06/07: Edvins from Canada asks: Does the Jēkaba kapi still exist and where could I find a list of who is buried there?

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Population

06/08: Matthew from Dublin, Ireland asks: Can you give me any information on the population of Latvia? I understand that there is a lot of migration out of Latvia (especially to my home city). Does this mean that the population of Latvia is going down? And if so by how much.

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Avotu iela

06/09: Anthony from London, England asks: What is Klutchevaya St now called?

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Riga Market

06/10: Anthony from London, England asks: Where was Riga market before WW1?

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Ojārs Feldbergs

07/01: Connor from Ireland asks: I was recently in Ventspils and saw Ojārs Feldbergs' Seven Mental Meteorites. I must confess, to me, they looked more like stone toadstools than meteorites. So why is it mentioned in all the guidebooks and websites about Ventspils? Is there some way in which the sculpture was designed to be interpreted, maybe some hidden meaning, or are they simply supposed to be mildly amusing? If you know anything about this I would be very grateful.

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Liela Ķēniņu Iela 37

07/02: Jane from Toronto asks: My mother, born in 1917, lived at this address until approximately 1930. Is the building still standing? How could I obtain a photograph of this property?

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