Built in 1905, this art nouveau–style synagogue was the only one to survive the Nazi occupation – to torch it in the tightly packed Old Town would have put neighbouring buildings at risk. It reopened for worship during the Soviet period but was damaged by bomb attacks by neo-Nazis in the 1990s, following independence. It was fully restored in 2009 and is now protected by police 24/7. Inside, there is beautiful ornamentation modelled on ancient Egyptian and Assyrian-Babylonian styles.
Rīga Synagogue
Old Rīga
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.89 MILES
Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a…
0.1 MILES
Forming the centrepiece of Rīga’s skyline, this Gothic church is thought to be around 800 years old, making it one of the oldest medieval buildings in the…
0.98 MILES
A real-life house of horrors, this imposing fin de siècle building is remembered by generations of Latvians as the local headquarters of the notorious…
1.12 MILES
There is hardly a place in Latvia that can tell such a poignant and optimistic story as this quietly stunning memorial. Žanis Lipke saved over 50 Jews…
Rīga Ghetto & Latvian Holocaust Museum
0.44 MILES
The centrepiece of this arresting and challenging museum is a wooden house with a reconstructed flat, like those that Jews had to move into when the Nazis…
3.96 MILES
Between 1941 and 1944, the Nazis – aided by Latvians – shot more than 35,000 Jews at 55 different sites in this forest. It is one of several killing sites…
Museum of the Barricades of 1991
0.24 MILES
Latvia's independence came after enormous struggles. One of the most remarkable stories involves the barricades built by thousands of citizens around…
22.62 MILES
These striking pine-covered cliffs loom above a pristine white-sand beach dissected by a glistening stream. This is one of the most enchanting places…
Nearby Old Rīga attractions
0.03 MILES
Occupying a historic merchant's house from 1500, this little museum displays early images from Rīga along with changing exhibitions of contemporary…
0.05 MILES
A branch of the National History Museum, this exhibition involving interactive multimedia technology covers the period of the third Atmoda (national…
0.09 MILES
Built in 1695 as the home of a wealthy German glazier, this sparsely furnished house offers insight into everyday life for Rīga's successful merchants…
0.1 MILES
A 13th- to 19th-century amalgam of Gothic and baroque styles, the church was first mentioned when the citizens installed catapults on its roof and…
0.1 MILES
Forming the centrepiece of Rīga’s skyline, this Gothic church is thought to be around 800 years old, making it one of the oldest medieval buildings in the…
0.13 MILES
This quirky museum houses a collection of porcelain assembled in now-defunct local porcelain factories from Soviet times. One was run by Russians hailing…
0.15 MILES
Built in 1344 as a veritable fraternity house for the Blackheads guild of unmarried German merchants, the original house was bombed in 1941 and flattened…
8. Museum of Decorative Arts & Design
0.16 MILES
The former St George’s Church houses a museum devoted to applied art from the art nouveau period to the present, including an impressive collection of…