This tour will introduce you to the cultural and national diversity of Riga, which has always been a multi-national city.
Jewish heritage occupies a very important role in the history of Riga. During the tour you will become acquainted with the most important sites and memorial places. The tour starts with a visit to the site of the former Great Synagogue, which was built in 1868 and was the biggest and most beautiful synagogue in Riga. However, on July 4, 1941 it was deliberately burned down, with hundreds of Jewish refugees from Lithuania and local Latvian Jews inside. On July 4, 1988 a memorial was established and now a large, gray stone with the inscription "Magen David" stands on the site of the former place of worship.
The tour will take you further to the Jewish Hospital "Bikur Holim", which was built in 1924. People of different nationalities were and still are treated here. Afterwards you will visit the Old Jewish Cemetery, which was used from 1725 until 1941 when it was included in the territory of the ghetto and became a vast communal grave for many Jewish people killed in 1941. After World War II the cemetery was destroyed and it is now a memorial park.
The bus will take you to the outskirts of Riga to a memorial place in Rumbula. During the Nazi regime thousands of Jewish people from all over Europe were massacred here. In the late 1960s a tombstone was placed here in honor of the victims of the Nazi terror.
On your return to the city center you will have a chance to visit the New Ghetto Museum. At the end of the tour you will visit the only synagogue in Riga that still functions, built in 1905 and located in the Old Town.
Please note: This tour involves approximate 2 hours of walking on mostly flat ground - at times over cobblestone surfaces. The order of sites visited may vary. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Tour is not suitable for wheelchair guests.