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107-758: Novosokolnichesky District is located in the Bezhanitsy Hills , a hilly plateau of glacial origin, and the area of the district is divided between the drainage basins of the Neva and the Narva . The rivers in the northwest and in the west of the district drain into the Velikaya River , which belongs to the Narva River basin. The source of the Velikaya is located in the district as well. The major part of

214-793: A trade route since antiquity, part of the Vikings' Dvina–Dnieper navigation route to Byzantium. A sheltered natural harbor 15 km (9.3 mi) upriver from the mouth of the Daugava—the site of today's Riga—has been recorded, as Duna Urbs , as early as the 2nd century. It was settled by the Livs , a Finnic tribe. Riga began to develop as a centre of Viking trade during the early Middle Ages . Riga's inhabitants engaged mainly in fishing, animal husbandry , and trading, later developing crafts, including bone, wood, amber, and iron. The Livonian Chronicle of Henry testifies to Riga having long been

321-576: A campaign of forced Christianization . Berthold died soon afterwards and his forces were defeated. The Church mobilized to avenge this defeat. Pope Innocent III issued a bull declaring a crusade against the Livonians . Bishop Albert was proclaimed Bishop of Livonia by his uncle Hartwig of Uthlede , Prince-Archbishop of Bremen and Hamburg in 1199. Albert landed in Riga in 1200 with 23 ships and 500 Westphalian crusaders. In 1201, he transferred

428-592: A century earlier, and many Latvians had been baptized. Meinhard settled among the Livs, building a castle and church at Uexküll (now known as Ikšķile ), upstream from Riga, and established his bishopric there. The Livs, however, continued to practice paganism and Meinhard died in Uexküll in 1196, having failed in his mission. In 1198, the Bishop Berthold arrived with a contingent of crusaders and commenced

535-426: A few failures in the top electrical wires. The trams ran at the speed of 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph) and could carry 20 passengers per carriage. The carriages were converted from the used horsecars . About 900,000 passengers were transported over a regular season between 20 January and 21 March. The sparking of contacts at the top wires amused spectators in the night. The first concrete bridge across Neva,

642-578: A fire caused by the Wehrmacht (renovated in 1954). Another example is the House of the Blackheads , completely destroyed, its ruins subsequently demolished; a facsimile was constructed in 1995. In 1989, the percentage of Latvians in Riga had fallen to 36.5%. In 2004, the arrival of low-cost airlines resulted in cheaper flights from other European cities such as London and Berlin, and consequently

749-593: A flat and sandy plain. Riga was founded in 1201, and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , noted for its Art Nouveau /Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit , the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 ,

856-532: A member of the Hanseatic League . The Hansa was instrumental in giving Riga economic and political stability, thus providing the city with a strong foundation which endured the political conflagrations that were to come, down to modern times. As the influence of the Hanseatic League waned, Riga became the object of foreign military, political, religious and economic aspirations. Riga accepted

963-488: A much larger flood of 760 centimetres (300 in) was described in 1691. Besides flooding as a result of tidal waves, in 1903, 1921 and 1956 floods were caused by the melting of snow. The Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of Russia classifies the Neva as a "heavily polluted" river. The main pollutants include copper , zinc , manganese , nitrites and nitrogen . The dirtiest tributaries of

1070-461: A substantial increase in numbers of tourists. On 21 November 2013, the roof of a supermarket collapsed in Zolitūde , one of the neighbourhoods of the city, possibly as a result of the weight of materials used in the construction of a garden on the roof. Fifty-four people were killed. Latvian President Andris Bērziņš described the disaster as "a large-scale murder of many defenceless people". Riga

1177-551: A trading centre by the 12th century, referring to it as portus antiquus (ancient port), and describes dwellings and warehouses used to store mostly flax, and hides. German traders began visiting Riga, establishing a nearby outpost in 1158. Along with German traders the monk Meinhard of Segeberg arrived to convert the Livonian pagans to Christianity. Catholic and Orthodox Christianity had already arrived in Latvia more than

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1284-471: A year. Near the Ladozhsky Bridge there is an underwater tunnel to host a gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 . The tunnel has a diameter of 2 metres (6.6 ft) and a length of 750 metres (2,460 ft) and is laid at a maximum depth of 25 metres (82 ft). Neva is the main source of water (96 percent) of St. Petersburg and its suburbs. From 26 June 2009, St. Petersburg started processing

1391-476: Is humid continental (Köppen Dfb ). The coldest months are January and February, when the average temperature is −2.1  °C (28  °F ) but temperatures as low as −20 to −25 °C (−4 to −13 °F) can be observed almost every year on the coldest days. The proximity of the sea causes frequent autumn rains and fogs. Continuous snow cover may last eighty days. The summers in Riga are mild and rainy with an average temperature of 18 °C (64 °F), while

1498-465: Is 7 mg/L. The basin area of Neva is 5,000 km , including the pools of Lake Ladoga and Onega (281,000 km ). The basin contains 26,300 lakes and has a complex hydrological network of more than 48,300 rivers, however only 26 flow directly into Neva. The main tributaries are Mga , Tosna , Izhora , Slavyanka and Murzinka on the left, and Okhta and Chyornaya Rechka on the right side of Neva. The hydrological network had been altered by

1605-585: Is a democratically elected institution and is the final decision-making authority in the city. The Council consists of 60 members or deputies who are elected every four years. The Presidium of the Riga City Council consists of the Chairman of the Riga City Council and the representatives delegated by the political parties or party blocks elected to the City Council. From February to October 2020,

1712-569: Is connecting the River Volkhov and Neva. Some of its historical structures are preserved, such as a four-chamber granite sluice (1836) and a bridge (1832). On 21 August 1963, a Soviet twinjet Tu-124 airliner performed an emergency water landing on the Neva near the Finland Railway Bridge . The plane took off from Tallinn -Ülemiste Airport ( TLL ) at 08:55 on 21 August 1963 with 45 passengers and seven crew on board and

1819-611: Is further divided into a Champions Competition and an Open Competition to allow choirs from all backgrounds to enter. Choral workshops and festivals are also witnessed in the host cities and are usually open to the public. The radio and TV tower of Riga is the tallest structure in Latvia and the Baltic States, and one of the tallest in the European Union, reaching 368.5 m (1,209 ft). Riga centre also has many great examples of Gothic revival architecture, such as

1926-703: Is navigable throughout and is part of the Volga–Baltic Waterway and White Sea–Baltic Canal . It is the site of many major historical events, including the Battle of the Neva in 1240 which gave Alexander Nevsky his name, the founding of Saint Petersburg in 1703, and the Siege of Leningrad by the German army during World War II . The river played a vital role in trade between Byzantium and Scandinavia . The earliest people in recorded history known to have inhabited

2033-700: Is one of the largest in the Baltics. It handled a record 34 million tons of cargo in 2011 and has potential for future growth with new port developments on Krievu Sala. Tourism is also a large industry in Riga and after a slowdown during the global economic recessions of the late 2000s , grew 22% in 2011 alone. Riga was intended to become the global financial centre in the former Soviet Union. One bank , which provided high levels of secrecy for its customers, promoted itself as "We are closer than Switzerland!" (Russian: «Мы ближе, чем Швейцария!» ). On 28 July 1995, twenty Latvian banks with assistance of persons from

2140-597: The 2013 World Women's Curling Championship , and the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in 2006 , 2021 , and 2023 . It is home to the European Union 's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named as the European Region of Gastronomy . In 2019, Riga received over 1.4 million foreign visitors. The city is served by Riga International Airport ,

2247-697: The Great Northern War , the Crossing of the Düna took place nearby, resulting in a victory for king Charles XII of Sweden . Between November 1709 and June 1710, however, the Russians under Tsar Peter the Great besieged and captured Riga , which was at the time struck by a plague . Along with the other Livonian towns and gentry, Riga capitulated to Russia , but largely retained their privileges. Riga

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2354-528: The Hermitage Bridge . From 1727 to 1916, the temporary Isaakievsky pontoon bridge was early constructed between the modern Saint Isaac's Square and Vasilievsky Island . A similar, but much longer Trinity pontoon bridge, which spanned 500 metres (1,600 ft), was brought from the Summer Garden to Petrogradsky Island . The first permanent bridge across Neva, Blagoveshchensky Bridge ,

2461-511: The Kalpaka Boulevard Library , and a bevy of Art Nouveau architecture, as well as a medieval old town. Riga has one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau buildings in the world, with at least 800 buildings. This is due to the fact that at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when Art Nouveau was at the height of its popularity, Riga experienced an unprecedented financial and demographic boom. In

2568-618: The Latgale , Vidzeme and Zemgale suburbs. Three entities were established on 1 September 1941, and the other three were established in October 1969. There are no official lower-level administrative units, but the Riga City Council Development Agency is working on a plan, which officially makes Riga consist of 58 neighbourhoods . The current names were confirmed on 28 December 1990. The climate of Riga

2675-745: The Livonian War , Riga for twenty years had the status of a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire before it came under the influence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Treaty of Drohiczyn , which ended the war for Riga in 1581. In 1621, during the Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625) , Riga and the outlying fortress of Daugavgrīva came under the rule of Gustavus Adolphus , King of Sweden , who intervened in

2782-679: The Neo-Latvians was followed by the socialist New Current during the city's rapid industrialisation, culminating in the 1905 Revolution led by the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party . The 20th century brought World War I and the impact of the Russian Revolution of 1917 to Riga. As a result of the battle of Jugla , the German army marched into Riga on 3 September 1917. On 3 March 1918,

2889-739: The Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland . Despite its modest length of 74 kilometres (46 mi), it is the fourth-largest river in Europe in terms of average discharge (after the Volga , the Danube and the Rhine ). The Neva is the only river flowing from Lake Ladoga. It flows through the city of Saint Petersburg , the three smaller towns of Shlisselburg , Kirovsk and Otradnoye , and dozens of settlements. It

2996-655: The Paris Stock Exchange organised the Riga Stock Exchange which was the first Latvian stock exchange in Riga. The Mežaparks Great Bandstand (Latvian: Mežaparka Lielā estrāde) is a open-air bandstand in Mežaparks park . The Bandstand is the place where the Latvian Song and Dance Festival , one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world and part of UNESCO Masterpieces of

3103-637: The Reformation in 1522, ending the power of the archbishops. In 1524, iconoclasts targeted a statue of the Virgin Mary in the cathedral to make a statement against religious icons. It was accused of being a witch, and given a trial by water in the Daugava river. The statue floated, so it was denounced as a witch and burnt at Kubsberg. With the demise of the Livonian Order (1561) during

3210-674: The Riga City Council also voted to demolish the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders . On 20 May, a rally called "Getting Rid of Soviet Heritage" took place in Riga to call for removing Soviet monuments in Latvia, it was attended by approximately 5,000 people. The demolition began 22 August 2022 and on 25 August 2022, the obelisk was toppled. In 2022, after

3317-648: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , the street on which the Embassy of the Russian Federation is located was renamed "Independent Ukraine Street." Riga is one of the largest city in the three Baltic states : (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia). Riga is home to approximately one tenth of the three Baltic countries' combined population. Riga's administrative divisions consist of six administrative entities: Central , Kurzeme and Northern districts and

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3424-594: The Thirty Years' War not only for political and economic gain but also in favour of German Lutheran Protestantism . During the Russo-Swedish War (1656–1658) , Riga withstood a siege by Russian forces. Riga remained one of the largest cities under the Swedish crown until 1710, a period during which the city retained a great deal of autonomous self-government. In July 1701, during the opening phase of

3531-520: The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, giving the Baltic countries to Germany. Because of the armistice with Germany of 11 November 1918, Germany had to renounce that treaty, as did Russia, leaving Latvia and the other Baltic States in a position to claim independence. Latvia, with Riga as its capital city, thus declared its independence on 18 November 1918. Between World War I and World War II (1918–1940), Riga and Latvia shifted their focus from Russia to

3638-567: The Volodarsky Bridge , was built in 1936. During World War II, from 8 September 1941 to 27 January 1944, Leningrad was in the devastating German Siege . On 30 August 1941, the German army captured Mga and came to Neva. On 8 September Germans captured Shlisselburg and cut all land communications and waterways to St. Petersburg (then Leningrad). The siege was partly relieved in January 1943, and ended on 27 January 1944. A river station

3745-575: The 20-year-old Prince Alexander Yaroslavich , aimed to stop the planned Swedish invasion. The Swedish army was defeated; the prince showed personal courage in combat and received the honorary name of "Nevsky". As a result of the Russian defeat in the Ingrian War of 1610–17 and the concomitant Treaty of Stolbovo , the area of the Neva River became part of Swedish Ingria . Beginning in 1642,

3852-601: The 8th to 13th centuries, Neva provided a waterway from Scandinavia to the Byzantine Empire . In the 9th century, the area belonged to Veliky Novgorod . The Neva was already mentioned in the Life of Alexander Nevsky (13th century). At that time, Veliky Novgorod was engaged in nearly constant wars with Sweden. A major battle occurred on 15 July 1240 at the confluence of the Izhora and Neva Rivers. The Russian army, led by

3959-858: The Baltic Sea. Then, the Tosna was flowing in the modern lower half of the Neva as today, into the Litorinal Sea. In the north of the Karelian Isthmus , the sea was united by a wide strait with Lake Ladoga . The Mga then flowed to the east, into Lake Ladoga, near the modern source of the Neva. Thus the Mga then was separate from the Tosna/lower-Neva basin. Near the modern Lake Ladoga, by glacial rebound land rose faster, and an endorheic lake briefly formed. This overspilled, eventually

4066-399: The Baltic, and despite demographic changes, the Baltic Germans in Riga had maintained a dominant position. By 1867, Riga's population was 42.9% German. Riga employed German as its official language of administration until the installation of Russian in 1891 as the official language in the Baltic provinces , as part of the policy of Russification of the non-Russian-speaking territories of

4173-405: The Church of the Intercession. Raised in 2007, it is a wooden replica of a historical church which stood on the southern shore of Lake Onega. That church was constructed in 1708 and it burned down in 1963. It is believed to be the forerunner of the famous Kizhi Pogost . Old Ladoga Canal , built in the first half of the 18th century, is a water transport route along the shore of Lake Ladoga which

4280-462: The Dom Cathedral, built St. James's Church , (now a cathedral) and founded a parochial school at the Church of St. George. In 1227, Albert conquered Oesel and the city of Riga concluded a treaty with the Principality of Smolensk giving Polotsk to Riga. Albert died in January 1229. He failed in his aspiration to be anointed archbishop but the German hegemony he established over the Livonia would last for seven centuries. In 1282, Riga became

4387-420: The KGB located at 61 Brīvības iela , known as 'the corner house', is now a museum. Stalin's deportations also included thousands of Latvian Jews. The mass deportation totalled 131,500 across the Baltics. During the Nazi occupation, the Jewish community was forced into the Riga Ghetto and a Nazi concentration camp was constructed in Kaiserwald . On 25 October 1941, the Nazis relocated all Jews from Riga and

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4494-420: The Leningrad Oblast. They include the fortress Oreshek , which was built in 1323 on the Orekhovy Island at the source of Neva River, south-west of the Petrokrepost Bay, near the city of Shlisselburg . The waterfront of Schlisselburg has a monument of Peter I. In the city, there are Blagoveshchensky Cathedral (1764–95) and a still functioning Orthodox church of St. Nicholas, built in 1739. On the river bank stands

4601-442: The Neva River runs from late April to November. To the west of Shlisselburg, an oil pipeline runs under the river. The pipeline is part of the Baltic Pipeline System , which provides oil from Timan-Pechora plate, West Siberia , Ural , Kazakhstan and Primorsk to the Gulf of Finland. The 774-metre (2,539 ft) long pipeline lies 7 to 9 metres (23 to 30 ft) below the river bottom and delivers about 42 million tonnes of oil

4708-427: The Neva River, barely missing some of its bridges and an 1898-built steam tugboat . The tugboat rushed to the plane and towed it to the shore. The plane's pilot was at first fired from his job but was later reinstated and awarded the Order of the Red Star . Riga Riga ( / ˈ r iː ɡ ə / REE -gə ) is the capital, the primate , and the largest city of Latvia . Home to 605,273 inhabitants,

4815-410: The Neva are the Mga, Slavyanka, Ohta, and Chernaya. Hundreds of factories pour wastewater into the Neva within St. Petersburg, and petroleum is regularly transported along the river. The annual influx of pollutants is 80,000 tonnes, and the heaviest polluters are Power-and-heating Plant 2 ( Russian : ТЭЦ-2 ), "Plastpolymer" and " Obukhov State Plant ". The biggest polluters in the Leningrad Oblast are

4922-576: The Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity list, takes places every five years. Riga hosted the biannual 2014 World Choir Games from 9 to 19 July 2014 which coincided with the city being named European Capital of Culture for 2014. The event, organised by the choral foundation, Interkultur , takes place at various host cities every two years and was originally known as the "Choir Olympics". The event regularly sees over 15,000 choristers in over 300 choirs from over 60 nations compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in over 20 categories. The competition

5029-431: The Russian Empire, including Congress Poland , Finland and the Baltics, undertaken by Tsar Alexander III . More and more Latvians started moving to the city during the mid-19th century. The rise of a Latvian bourgeoisie made Riga a centre of the Latvian National Awakening with the founding of the Riga Latvian Association in 1868 and the organisation of the first national song festival in 1873. The nationalist movement of

5136-428: The Soviet forces invaded Latvia occupying bridges, post/telephone, telegraph, and broadcasting offices. Three days later, Latvian president Kārlis Ulmanis was forced to approve a pro-Soviet government which had taken office. On 14–15 July, rigged elections were held in Latvia and the other Baltic states, The ballots held the following instructions: "Only the list of the Latvian Working People's Bloc must be deposited in

5243-400: The area are the Finnic people . The word Neva is widespread in Finnic languages , having quite cognate meanings. In Finnish it means poor fen , in Karelian : watercourse and in Estonian (as nõva ): waterway. It has been postulated the name could derive from Indo-European adjective newā which means new – the river began its flow some time between 2000 BC and 1250 BC. However,

5350-467: The area of the district belongs to the drainage basin of the Lovat , which is a tributary of Lake Ilmen and belongs to the Neva basin. The main rivers in the district which belong to the drainage basin of the Lovat are the Nasva and the Smerdel . 31.2% of the area of the district is covered by forests. In the 19th century, the area was split between Velikoluksky Uyezd of Pskov Governorate and Nevelsky Uyezd of Vitebsk Governorate . Novosokolniki

5457-419: The ballot box. The ballot must be deposited without any changes." The alleged voter activity index was 97.6%. Most notably, the complete election results were published in Moscow 12 hours before the election closed. Soviet electoral documents found later substantiated that the results were completely fabricated. The Soviet authorities, having regained control over Riga and Latvia imposed a regime of terror, opening

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5564-1085: The buildings or warehouses found in great number along the banks of the Duna, which the Livs in their own language are accustomed to call Riae". The "j" in Latvian rīja hardened to a "g" in German. English geographer Richard Hakluyt (1589) corroborates this account, calling Riga as Rie , as pronounced in Old Latvian. This is further supported by the fact that Riga is called Riia in Estonian (a language closely related to Livonian ). [REDACTED] Terra Mariana ( condominium of Archbishops of Riga and Livonian Order ) 1201–1561 [REDACTED] Imperial Free City 1561–1582 [REDACTED] Poland–Lithuania 1582–1629 [REDACTED] Swedish Empire 1629–1721 [REDACTED] Russian Empire 1721–1917 [REDACTED] German Empire 1917–1918 [REDACTED] Republic of Latvia 1918–1940 [REDACTED]   Latvian SSR 1940–1941 [REDACTED] Nazi Germany 1941–1944 [REDACTED] [REDACTED]   Latvian SSR 1944–1990 [REDACTED] Republic of Latvia 1990–present The river Daugava has been

5671-443: The capital of Ingria was Nyen, a city near the Nyenschantz fortress. Because of financial and religious oppression, much of the Orthodox population left the Neva region, emptying 60 percent of the villages by 1620. The abandoned areas became populated by people from the Karelian Isthmus and Savonia . As a result of the Great Northern War of 1700–21, the valley of Neva River became part of Russian Empire . On 16 May 1703,

5778-476: The cities of Shlisselburg, Kirovsk and Otradnoye, as well as the Kirov thermal power station . More than 40 oil spills are registered on the river every year. In 2008, the Federal Service of St. Petersburg announced that no beach of the Neva was fit for swimming. Cleaning of wastewater in Saint Petersburg started in 1979; by 1997, about 74% was purified. This rose to 85% in 2005, to 91.7% by 2008, and Feliks Karamzinov expected it to reach almost 100% by 2011 with

5885-409: The city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area , which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 860,142 (as of 2023). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea . Riga's territory covers 307.17 km (118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3–33 ft) above sea level on

5992-459: The city of St. Petersburg was founded in the mouth of Neva and became capital of Russia in 1712. Neva became the central part of the city. It was cleaned, intersected with canals and enclosed with embankments. In 1715, construction began of the first wooden embankment between the Admiralty building and the Summer Garden . In the early 1760s works started to cover it in granite and to build bridges across Neva and its canals and tributaries, such as

6099-477: The completion of the expansion of the main sewerage plant. Many sites of ancient people, up to nine thousand years old, were found within the territory of the Neva basin. It is believed that around twelve thousand years BC, Finnic people ( Votes and Izhorians ) moved to this area from the Ural Mountains . In the 8th and 9th centuries AD, the area was inhabited by the East Slavs who were mainly engaged in slash and burn agriculture, hunting and fishing. From

6206-406: The confluence of the river Tosna, and near the island Fabrinchny near the source. The average depth is 8 to 11 metres (26 to 36 ft); the maximum of 24 metres (79 ft) is reached above the Liteyny Bridge , and the minimum of 4.0 to 4.5 metres (13 to 15 ft) is in Ivanovskye rapids. In the Neva basin, rainfall greatly exceeds evaporation; the latter accounts for only 37.7 percent of

6313-414: The cornerstone for the Riga Dom . Riga was not yet secure as an alliance of tribes failed to take Riga. In 1212, Albert led a campaign to compel Polotsk to grant German merchants free river passage. Polotsk conceded Kukenois ( Koknese ) and Jersika to Albert, also ending the Livs' tribute to Polotsk. Riga's merchant citizenry chafed and sought greater autonomy from the Church. In 1221, they acquired

6420-410: The countries of Western Europe. The United Kingdom and Germany replaced Russia as Latvia's major trade partners. The majority of the Baltic Germans were resettled in late 1939 , prior to the occupation of Estonia and Latvia by the Soviet Union in June 1940. During World War II , Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940 and then was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941–1944 . On 17 June 1940,

6527-418: The development of Saint Petersburg through its entire history. When it was founded in 1703, the area was low and swampy and required construction of canals and ponds for drainage. The earth excavated during their construction was used to raise the city. At the end of the 19th century, the delta of Neva consisted of 48 rivers and canals and 101 islands. The most significant distributaries of the delta are listed in

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6634-475: The district from east to west. Novosokolniki has an easy access to the highway. Novosokolniki is furthermore connected by roads with Velikiye Luki and Nevel. A road connecting Velikiye Luki and Porkhov via Loknya crosses the northeastern part of the district. There are also local roads. The district contains three objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of federal significance and twenty-six monuments of local significance. The federal monuments are

6741-551: The district. Novosokolniki is an important railway hub, located at the crossing of two lines. One railway connects Moscow and Velikiye Luki with Riga and runs in the east–west direction. Another railway, running in the north–south direction, connects Saint Petersburg and Dno with Nevel . In Nevel, south of Novosokolniki, it splits into two railway lines, both running southeast into Belarus : One line to Vitebsk , and another one to Grodno via Polotsk and Molodechno . The M9 highway which connects Moscow and Riga crosses

6848-420: The diversity of fish species in Neva is small. Permanent residents include such undemanding to environment species as perch , ruffe and roaches . Many fish species are transitory, of which commercial value have smelt , vendace and partly salmon . Floods in St. Petersburg are usually caused by the overflow of the delta of Neva and by surging water in the eastern part of Neva Bay . They are registered when

6955-507: The drinking water with ultraviolet light, abandoning the use of chlorine for disinfection. The Neva also has developed fishery, both commercial and recreational. Leningrad Oblast : St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg, Neva delta Construction of the Novo-Admiralteisky Bridge , a movable drawbridge across the river, has been approved, but will not commence before 2011. Whereas most tourist attractions of Neva are located within St. Petersburg, there are several historical places upstream, in

7062-556: The fires and cutting for technical needs. Extensive damage was caused during World War II : in Saint Petersburg, the forests were reduced completely, and in the upper reaches down to 40 to 50 percent. Forest were replanted after the war with spruce, pine, cedar , Siberian larch , oak , Norway maple , elm , America, ash , apple tree, mountain ash and other species. The shrubs include barberry , lilac , jasmine , hazel , honeysuckle , hawthorn , rose hip , viburnum , juniper , elder , shadbush and many others. Nowadays,

7169-414: The headquarters of the KGB , massive deportations started. Hundreds of men were arrested, including leaders of the former Latvian government. The most notorious deportation, the June deportation took place on 13 and 14 June 1941, estimated at 15,600 men, women, and children, and including 20% of Latvia's last legal government. Similar deportations were repeated after the end of World War II. The building of

7276-426: The large multi-storied housing blocks were built to house immigrant workers. By the end of World War II, Riga's historical centre was heavily damaged from constant bombing. After the war, huge efforts were made to reconstruct and renovate most of the famous buildings that had been part of the skyline of the city before the war. Such buildings were, amongst others, St. Peter's Church which lost its wooden tower after

7383-529: The largest and busiest airport in the Baltic States. Riga is a member of Eurocities , the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), and Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU). The precise origin of the name is unknown, however there are numerous and speculative theories for the origin of the name Riga : However, the most reliably documented explanation is the affirmation by German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610) that Riga's name comes from its already established role in trade: "Riga obtained its name from

7490-729: The late 19th century to park unused ships. Neva is part of the major Volga–Baltic Waterway and White Sea – Baltic Canal , however it has relatively low transport capacity because of its width, depth and bridges. Neva is available for vessels with capacity below 5,000 tonnes. Major transported goods include timber from Arkhangelsk and Vologda ; apatite , granite and diabase from Kola Peninsula ; cast iron and steel from Cherepovets ; coal from Donetsk and Kuznetsk ; pyrite from Ural; potassium chloride from Solikamsk ; oil from Volga region. There are also many passenger routes to Moscow , Astrakhan , Rostov , Perm , Nizhny Novgorod , Valaam and other destinations. Navigation season on

7597-421: The local place names with such influence coincide with Scandinavian traders and Slavs' first main settlement in the region, in the 8th century AD. In the Paleozoic , 300–400 million years ago, all the delta region was covered by a sea. Modern relief, eminences, were formed by glacial scouring. Its retreat formed the Littorina Sea , the level of which was 7 to 9 metres (23 to 30 ft) higher than its successor

7704-599: The mouth. There are three sharp turns: the Ivanovskye rapids, at Nevsky Forest Park of the Ust-Slavyanka region (the so-called "Crooked Knee"), and near the Smolny Institute , below the mouth of the river Okhta . The river declines 4.27 metres (14.0 ft) in elevation between source and mouth. At one point the river crosses a moraine ridge and forms the Ivanovskye rapids. There, at the beginning of

7811-520: The oblast. On January 29, 1935, the district was transferred to Kalinin Oblast , and on February 5 of the same year, Novosokolnichesky District became a part of Velikiye Luki Okrug of Kalinin Oblast, one of the okrugs abutting the state boundaries of the Soviet Union . On May 4, 1938, the district was subordinated directly to the oblast. Between 1941 and 1944, Novosokolnichesky District

7918-593: The offices of the Mayor and Vice Mayors were suspended and the council itself had been dissolved and replaced by an interim administration of representatives from three governmental ministries until snap elections were held in 2020. With 605,270 inhabitants in 2024 as according to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Riga was one of the largest cities in the Baltic states , though its population has decreased from just over 900,000 in 1991 and

8025-746: The old town. Riga has a rich basketball history. In 1937, as the defending champions, in hosted the second edition of the EuroBasket tournament. In the 1950s, Rīgas ASK became the best club in the Soviet Union and also in Europe, winning the first three editions of the European Cup for Men's Champions Clubs from 1958 to 1960. In 1960, ASK was not the only team from Riga to take the European crown. TTT Riga clinched their first title in

8132-566: The percentage of Russians fell from 47.3% to 35.7% in the same time period. In 2022 citizens of Latvia made up 79.0%, non-citizens 15.3% and citizens of other countries 5.6% of the population of Riga. Riga is one of the key economic and financial centres of the Baltic states . Roughly half of all the jobs in Latvia are in Riga and the city generates more than 50% of Latvia's GDP as well as around half of Latvia's exports. The biggest exporters are in wood products, IT, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transport and metallurgy. Riga Port

8239-678: The period from 1857 its population grew from 282,000 (256,200 in Riga itself and another 26,200 inhabitants beyond the city limits in the patrimonial district and military town of Ust-Dvinsk ) to 472,100 in 1913. The middle class of Riga used their acquired wealth to build imposing apartment blocks outside the former city walls . Local architects, mostly graduates of Riga Technical University , adopted current European movements and in particular Art Nouveau. Between 1910 and 1913, between 300 and 500 new buildings were built each year in Riga, many of them in Art Nouveau style and most of them outside

8346-475: The population of Vilnius has just outnumbered that of Riga. Notable causes include emigration and low birth rates . According to the 2022 data, ethnic Latvians made up 47.4% of the population of Riga. Russians formed 35.7%, Belarusians 3.6%, Ukrainians 3.5%, Poles 1.7%, other ethnicities consisted 8.2%. By comparison, 63.0% of Latvia's total population was ethnically Latvian, 24.2% Russian, 3.1% Belarusian, 2.2% Ukrainian, 1.9% Polish, 1.1% are Lithuanian and

8453-418: The rapids, is the narrowest part of the river: 210 metres (690 ft). The average flow rate in the rapids is about 0.8–1.1 metres per second (2.6–3.6 ft/s). The average width along the river is 400 to 600 metres (1,300 to 2,000 ft). The widest places, at 1,000 to 1,250 metres (3,280 to 4,100 ft), are in the delta, near the gates of the marine trading port, at the end of the Ivanovskye rapids near

8560-402: The rest of other origins. Upon the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991 , Soviet-era immigrants (and any of their offspring born before 1991) were not automatically granted Latvian citizenship because they had migrated to the territory of Latvia during the years of Soviet occupation . The proportion of ethnic Latvians in Riga increased from 36.5% in 1989 to 47.4% in 2022. In contrast,

8667-657: The right to independently self-administer Riga and adopted a city constitution. That same year Albert was compelled to recognise Danish rule over lands they had conquered in Estonia and Livonia. Albert had sought the aid of King Valdemar of Denmark to protect Riga and Livonian lands against Liv insurrection when reinforcements could not reach Riga. The Danes landed in Livonia, built a fortress at Reval ( Tallinn ) and set about conquering Estonian and Livonian lands. The Germans attempted, but failed, to assassinate Valdemar. Albert

8774-427: The river, this sometimes causes upstream floods. Of the total ice volume of Lake Ladoga, 10.6 cubic kilometres (2.5 cu mi), less than 5 percent enters the Neva. The average summer water temperature is 17 to 20 °C (63 to 68 °F), and the swimming season lasts only about 1.5 months. The water is fresh, with medium turbidity; the average salinity is 61.3 mg/L and the calcium bicarbonate content

8881-656: The seat of the Livonian bishopric from Uexküll to Riga, extorting agreement to do this from the elders of Riga by force. The year 1201 also marked the first arrival of German merchants in Novgorod, via the Dvina. To defend territory and trade, Albert established the Order of Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202, which was open to nobles and merchants. The Christianisation of the Livs continued. In 1207, Albert started to fortify

8988-455: The source of the Neva, near Shlisselburg, there are the two small islands of Orekhovy and Fabrichny. Island Glavryba lies up the river, above the town of Otradnoye . There is almost no aquatic vegetation in Neva. The river banks mostly consist of sand, podsol , gleysols , peat , and boggy peat soils. Several centuries ago, the whole territory of the Neva lowland was covered by pine and spruce mossy forests. They were gradually reduced by

9095-861: The table. Before construction of the Obvodny Canal , the left tributary of that area was the Volkovka; its part at the confluence is now called Monastyrka. The Ladoga Canal starts at the root of Neva and connects it along the southern coast of Lake Ladoga with the Volkhov . Some canals of the delta were filled over time, so that only 42 islands remained by 1972, all within the city limits of St. Petersburg. The largest islands are Vasilyevsky at 1,050 hectares (2,600 acres), Petrogradsky at 570 hectares (1,400 acres), Krestovsky at 420 hectares (1,000 acres), and Dekabristov at 410 hectares (1,000 acres); others include Zayachy , Yelagin and Kamenny Islands . At

9202-606: The temperature on the hottest days can exceed 30 °C (86 °F). The head of the city government in Riga is the mayor, or officially the Chairman of the Riga City Council. The mayor is elected by the city council. He or she is assisted by one or more Vice Mayors (deputy mayors). The current mayor is Vilnis Ķirsis , who was elected on 17 August 2023 from New Unity , with support from "Coalition for Cooperation", consisting of New Unity , National Alliance/Latvian Regional Alliance (NA/LRA) , Code for Riga, Honor to server Riga and For Latvia's Development factions. The city council

9309-686: The town. King Philip invested Albert with Livonia as a fief and principality of the Holy Roman Empire . To promote a permanent military presence, territorial ownership was divided between the Church and the Order , with the Church taking Riga and two-thirds of all lands conquered and granting the Order a third. Until then, it had been customary for crusaders to serve for a year and then return home. Albert had ensured Riga's commercial future by obtaining papal bulls which decreed that all German merchants had to carry on their Baltic trade through Riga. In 1211, Riga minted its first coinage, and Albert laid

9416-475: The uniform water flow from Lake Ladoga to the Neva over the whole year, there are almost no floods and corresponding water rise in the spring. The Neva freezes throughout from early December to early April. The ice thickness is 0.3 to 0.4 metres (1.0 to 1.3 ft) within Saint Petersburg and 0.5 to 0.6 metres (1.6 to 2.0 ft) in other areas. Ice congestion may form in winter in the upper reaches of

9523-590: The upper regions of the river are dominated by birch and pine-birch grass-shrub forests and in the middle regions there are swampy pine forests. In St. Petersburg, along the Neva, there are many gardens and parks, including the Summer Garden , Field of Mars , Rumyantsev, Smolny , Alexander Gardens , Garden of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and many others. Because of the rapid flow, cold water and lack of quiet pools and aquatic vegetation

9630-515: The vicinity to the ghetto. Most of Latvia's Jews (about 24,000) were killed on 30 November and 8 December 1941 in the Rumbula massacre . By the end of the war, the remaining Baltic Germans were expelled to Germany . The Soviet Red Army reconquered Riga on 13 October 1944. In the following years the massive influx of labourers, administrators, military personnel, and their dependents from Russia and other Soviet republics started. Microdistricts of

9737-417: The water consumption from the Neva and the remaining 62.3 percent is water runoff. Since 1859, the largest volume of 116 cubic kilometres (28  cu mi ) was observed in 1924 and the lowest in 1900 at 40.2 cubic kilometres (9.6 cu mi). The average annual discharge is 78.9 cubic kilometres (18.9 cu mi) or 2,500 cubic metres per second (88,000 cu ft/s) on average. Due to

9844-486: The water rises above 160 centimetres (63 in) with respect to a gauge at the Mining Institute . More than 300 floods occurred after the city was founded in 1703. Three of them were catastrophic: on 7 November 1824, when water rose to 421 centimetres (166 in); on 23 September 1924 when it reached 369 centimetres (145 in), and 10 September 1777 when it rose to 321 centimetres (126 in). However,

9951-526: The whole Mga valley and thus broke into the western valley (the valley of the Tosna/lower-Neva). The Ivanovo rapids of the modern Neva were created at the breakthrough. According to early books, the breakthrough may have been about 2000 BC, but according to more recent research, this happened at 1410–1250 BC, making the river rather young. The valley is lined with glacial and post-glacial sediments and has changed little over 2,500 years. The delta

10058-450: The wooden church in the village of Nasteny , a monument to fallen soldiers, and an archeological site. Neva River The Neva ( / ˈ n iː v ə / NEE -və , UK also / ˈ n eɪ v ə / NAY -və ; Russian : Нева́ , IPA: [nʲɪˈva] ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria ) to

10165-476: Was 1,130 kilometres (700 mi) long. Every winter from 1895 to 1910, electric tramways were laid on the ice of the river, connecting the Senate Square , Vasilievsky island , Palace Embankment and other parts of the city. The power was supplied through the rails and a top cable supported by wooden piles frozen into the ice. The service was highly successful and ran without major accidents except for

10272-463: Was a part of Velikiye Luki Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. On June 17, 1929 the district was transferred to Western Oblast. On January 1, 1932, Nasvinsky District was abolished and split between Loknyansky, Velikoluksky, and Novosokolnichesky Districts. The district has enterprises of textile and food industries. The main specialization of agriculture in the district is meat and milk production. In 2011, there were nine large- and mid-scale farms in

10379-475: Was a part of Velikiye Luki Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. On June 17, 1929 the district was transferred to Western Oblast. On September 20, 1930, Rykovsky District was abolished and split between Nasvinsky, Loknyansky, Novosokolnichesky, and Pustoshkinsky Districts. Another district established on August 1, 1927 was Nasvinsky District , with the administrative center in the settlement of Nasva . It included parts of former Velikoluksky Uyezd. The district

10486-501: Was able to reach an accommodation with them a year later, however, and in 1222 Valdemar returned all Livonian lands and possessions to Albert's control. Albert's difficulties with Riga's citizenry continued; with papal intervention, a settlement was reached in 1225 whereby they no longer had to pay tax to the Bishop of Riga, and Riga's citizens acquired the right to elect their magistrates and town councillors. In 1226, Albert consecrated

10593-655: Was built above the Volodarsky Bridge in 1970 which could accept 10 large ships at a time. Wastewater treatment plants were built in Krasnoselsk in 1978, on the Belyi Island in 1979–83, and in Olgino in 1987–94. The South-West Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed in 2003–05. Neva has very few shoals and its banks are steep, making the river suited for navigation. Utkino Backwaters were constructed in

10700-434: Was established, with the administrative center in the town of Novosokolniki. It included parts of former Velikoluksky and Nevelsky Uyezds. Pskov Governorate was abolished as well, and the district became a part of Velikiye Luki Okrug of Leningrad Oblast . On June 17, 1929, the district was transferred to Western Oblast . On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were also abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to

10807-592: Was formed at that time, technically a pseudodelta, as not from accumulation of river material but by scouring past sediments. The Neva flows out of Lake Ladoga near Shlisselburg , flows through Neva's lowlands and discharges into the Baltic Sea in the Gulf of Finland . It has a length of 74 kilometres (46 mi), and the shortest distance from the source to the mouth is 45 kilometres (28 mi). The river banks are low and steep, on average about 3 to 6 metres (10 to 20 ft) and 2 to 3 metres (7 to 10 ft) at

10914-399: Was founded in 1901 as a station of the railway which connected Moscow and Riga . It was granted town status in 1925. After 1919, Vitebsk Governorate was a part of Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic . In 1924, Vitebsk Governorate was abolished, and Nevelsky Uyezd was transferred to Pskov Governorate. On August 1, 1927, the uyezds were abolished, and Novosokolnichesky District

11021-566: Was made the capital of the Governorate of Riga (later, Livonia) . Sweden's northern dominance had ended, and Russia's emergence as the strongest Northern power was formalised through the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. At the beginning of the 20th century Riga was the largest timber export port in the Russian Empire and ranked the 3rd according to the external trade volume. During these many centuries of war and changes of power in

11128-454: Was occupied by German troops. On August 22, 1944, the district was transferred to newly established Velikiye Luki Oblast . On October 2, 1957, Velikiye Luki Oblast was abolished, and Novosokolnichesky District was transferred to Pskov Oblast. On August 1, 1927 Rykovsky District with the administrative center in the selo of Skokovo was also created. It included parts of former Velikoluksky and Opochetsky Uyezds . The district

11235-476: Was opened in 1850, and the second, Liteyny Bridge , came into operation in 1879. In 1858, a "Joint-stock company St. Petersburg water supply" was established, which built the first water supply network in the city. A two-stage water purification station was constructed in 1911. The development of the sewerage system began only in 1920, after the October Revolution , and by 1941, the sewerage network

11342-441: Was scheduled to land at Moscow -Vnukovo ( VKO ). After liftoff, the crew noticed that the nose gear undercarriage did not retract, and the ground control diverted the flight to Leningrad ( LED ) because of fog at Tallinn. While circling above St. Petersburg at the altitude of 1,650 feet (500 m), under unclear circumstances (lack of fuel was one of the factors), both engines stalled. The crew performed an emergency landing on

11449-518: Was the European Capital of Culture in 2014. During Latvia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2015, the 4th Eastern Partnership Summit took place in Riga. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the Saeima voted to suspend the functioning of a section of an agreement between Latvia and Russia regarding the preservation of memorial structures on 12 May, in the next day

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