Description
Do you know where Riga’s oldest wooden building is located? On which street there is only a single address – house No. 100? And which street once bore the name of automobile pioneer Ferdinand Porsche?
This is the second volume in the book series “Rīgas ielas” (“The Streets of Riga”), dedicated to Pārdaugava – from the meadows of Spilve and the narrow lanes of Āgenskalns to the high-rise housing estates of Ziepniekkalns and the latest road construction projects unfolding during the preparation of the book.
“Rīgas ielas. Kreisais krasts” (“The Streets of Riga. The Left Bank”) documents 685 streets and bridges in Pārdaugava. Their histories are enriched with around 250 historical and contemporary photographs, as well as maps. Since the publication of the first volume on the right-bank streets of Riga at the end of 2024, several new streets have appeared in the city – all of which are also included in this edition.
Author Edgars Lecis notes:
“Streets are an essential part of any city’s fabric. Beyond serving as transport arteries, they also fulfil social and representational roles. For centuries, streets were almost the only space where people stepped outside their immediate social environment – and they reflected, to a large degree, the economic, demographic, and national characteristics of the city in a given historical period.”
The author extends his gratitude to the National Library of Latvia and the National Archives of Latvia for their support in the making of this book.
