During 2014 two cities will jointly host the prestigious European Capital of Culture honour: Riga in Latvia and Umea in Sweden.
Riga, Latvia
The bright bold city of Riga has firmly established itself as the unofficial capital of the Baltics, so what better choice for a European Capital of Culture City? During 2014, Riga ramps it up another notch as it looks to capitalise on its fantastic nightlife reputation by also showcasing its superb culture and history to explore by day.
Founded in 1201 and ruled by many other countries over the years, the historic center of Riga is today a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of only two sites within Latvia. The city prospered during the 13th to 15th century thanks to trading within Europe. Strong economic strong impacted the city’s growth in the 19th century with the addition of rich architecture that can still be seen today. The traditional medieval architecture was complemented by the addition of neoclassical wooden structures and Jugendstil (German art nouveau) buildings in the suburbs. In fact, the Art Nouveau examples are lauded as the finest collection within Europe, hence the UNESCO status which was bestowed on Riga in 1997.