Park

Viestura Garden

Riga, Latvia

Viestura Garden near Riga

Viestura Garden is a historic Riga park associated with an imperial garden and the first general Latvian Song Festival in 1873. A centenary memorial and the relocated Alexander Gate add later chapters to its landscape.

Guide preview

A quiet park near the Daugava carries the memory of a remarkably large act of collective singing. In 1873 choirs came to what is now Viestura Garden for the first general Latvian Song Festival. A century later a memorial was placed here, connecting the everyday paths and trees to a tradition that continues across Latvia.

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Quick facts

  • The garden was established in the early eighteenth century under Peter I.
  • The first general Latvian Song Festival held concerts here in 1873.
  • A memorial ensemble marking the song festival centenary was unveiled in 1973.

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