The day I left Riga, I decided to run the Daugawa River and see what was outside of the old city and central area.

It was a cloudy but pleasant morning and the river and landmarks made navigation easy.  Overall the run was just short of 6.5 miles.

The turnaround point of my run was the Riga Radio and TV tower…the tallest TV tower in the European Union…and third tallest in Europe…15th in the world.  1207 feet tall or 368m.  Construction was funded by the Soviet Union from 1979 to 1989.  The tower is isolated on the Zakusala island in the middle of the river.

On the way down to the tower, the terrain transitioned from urban to rural and I ran thru a large park area which was empty in the early morning but seemingly quite pleasant.  I also came across a fascinating monument which I didn’t fully appreciate at the time…I could see that it was Russian, but that was the extent of my understanding.  Today, thanks to Wikipedia and Google Translate, I can see that it’s the Monument to the Defenders of the Island Lutsavsala.  Russian Wikipedia link here.  In 1701, 400 Russian grenadiers defended the river crossing to the last man against the Swedes during the Great Northern War.  The monument was renovated in 2001 and serves as a reminder of a era when the Russian presence was more appreciated.

As I approached my hotel at the end of the run, I circled one of most striking buildings I have ever seen.  On my arrival a few days earlier, I had seen it at night, bathed in lights.  It looked like a sci-fi battleship sailing up the river.  It’s actually the Latvian National Library and every angle of the building is magnificent.   According to Lonely Planet, it represents “the Castle of Light,” a feature of many Latvian fairy tales. The architect, Gunnars Bikkerts, passed away in 2017 after a remarkable career.