The most expensive SUVs in the world
The Latvian company “Dartz Motorz” are behind production of the most expensive SUVs in the world. Whale skin, diamonds, rubies and gold… The price tag for such a car goes up to around one million euros.
80scasualclassics.co
The invention of jeans
Jākobs Jufess was born in Riga in 1831 but later, after moving to Nevada, he changed his name to Jacob Davis. It was this man who blessed the world with jeans. He is the co-founder of Levi Strauss & Co.
The metro that was never built
A gigantic project for the construction of a subway in the capital of Latvia was prepared at the end of the 20th century. However, it hasn’t been possible to turn it into reality. There are many reasons for this: lack of a budget, swampy terrain and, of course, the unstable political situation in the country at the time. In the city underground, not even a single tunnel was dug and the project was forgotten almost instantly.
The first Christmas tree in Europe
Some believe that the first Christmas tree was set up in Strasbourg. But the fact is, it was already done in Riga 100 years earlier – in 1510.
The Brotherhood of the Blackheads, having chosen the largest Christmas tree in the entire forest, planned to burn it near the river Daugava (it was an old tradition). But while it was laying at the riverbank, children ran to see the giant tree and for some reason decided to decorate it with dried flowers, berries, colored ribbons and wooden toys. The tree turned out so beautiful that the members of the brotherhood changed their minds and instead of burning it, installed the Christmas tree in the central square of the city.
theculturetrip.com
The prototype of the protagonist of “Crocodile Dundee”
The inspiration of the main character from the movie about crocodile Dundee (it’s not about the crocodile) came from the Latvian Arvids Blumentals. He was born near Dundaga in 1929. After the second world war – in the early 1950s – Arvids went to Australia and devoted the rest of his life to catching crocodiles.
The only circus in the Baltic States
Janis Friedrich Baumanis, a famous 19th century architect, began designing the circus in 1888. Since that moment, the building has gone through many renovations, one of which is being carried out right now. It’s the only stationary circus building in the Baltic States.
Riga Balsam
Riga Balsam is the trademark of Latvia. It contains about 25 plant components, most of which can be found growing in the territory of this country. The balm is infused in oak barrels and consumed not only as a drink, but also as a cure for colds. It’s also a popular addition to coffee and cocktails.
Musical heritage – folk songs
The famous writer and national hero Krišjānis Barons throughout his life collected songs of Latvian folklore called “Dainas”. It was the “Dainas” that kickstarted Latvia’s cultural struggle for independence. Barons did so much for local culture that his work is compared with Homer’s contribution to the culture of the ancient world.
Gender “inequality”
There are 17% more women in Latvia than men. Such a gender imbalance is felt especially clearly here – after all, on average in Europe this figure ranges from 4 to 10%.
Safe ecology
Even though all the Baltic countries boast huge green areas, Latvia still stands out among its neighbors. Indeed, in terms of environmental safety, it ranks second not just in Europe, but throughout the entire world.
Latvia – the land of forests
Latvia is sometimes called the land of green forests. The fact is that more than 50% of the country’s territory is covered by forests.
Interweaving of religions
Riga is the only European city where there are temples of five different religions.
Sun Museum
There is a museum in Riga that can’t be found in any other country in the world – which is the Museum of the Sun. Here you can see the main star of our galaxy embodied in a variety of objects (mirrors, panels, paintings, etc.).
