The natural wonders around Jurmala have attracted tourists for centuries. Whether you're coming to the health resorts to benefit from the therapeutic springs and mud baths, or just want to bask in the sun, the Jurmala region is perfect. As beautiful as the area is, Latvian industry has been very insensitive to the environment in the past, so now the authorities discourage bathing of any kind.
To the South of Jurmala is Lozmetejkalns, the famous battlefield where lightly armed Latvian troops overpowered a number of powerful German positions. Today the area is sprinkled with gravestones that stand along the roads as silent reminders of the meaninglessness of war.
Just outside Riga is this fascinating car and motorcycle museum. The Motormuzejs has a range of old and new cars, and among the real gems of the collection is Joséf Stalin's bulletproof limousine.
The Russian Orthodox cathedral in Riga, the Kriezy Pareizticigo Katedrale, is a monumental tribute to Christianity. It has five very characteristic domes that were used as astronomical observatories by the Communists. Today the cathedral serves its intended purpose as a house of worship once again, and a very impressive house at that.
The Freedom Monument for Riga and all of Latvia was erected back in 1935 and surprisingly it was not torn down during the years of Communist rule. While the Communists were in power, the monument served as a national focal point for Latvians who risked imprisonment if they made too obvious gestures like laying down flowers at the monument. Nonetheless, this was the scene of increasingly serious demonstrations against the Communist regime throughout the 1980s.
Besides being a gunpowder magazine, this old 26 metres tall tower in Riga has housed the gaol and a torture chamber over the years. It has suffered bombardments by Swedish and Russian armies, but has been rebuilt every time. The powder tower has some impressive battle scars to show in the form of large cannon balls wedged in the heavy walls.