A view of Riga

Card no 346 - Undine

St. Peter's Church is a Lutheran church in Riga.  The church, one of a number of previous constructions on the site, burned down in 1941. Conservation and restoration began 1954 with research by architect Pēteris Saulītis. The work was carried out from 1967 to 1983 under the direction of Saulītis and architect Gunārs Zirnis. Renovation began with the metal tower frame. A rooster – a precise reproduction of the previous rooster and the seventh rooster in all – was placed atop the steeple in 1970 and the renovated tower clock began to show time in July 1975. According to tradition, it has only an hour hand. The bell music began in 1976; it plays the Latvian folk melody "Rīga dimd" five times a day and bells ring at the top of every hour. The tower has an elevator installed that allows visitors a view of Riga from a height of 72 metres (236 ft). Renovation of the interior of the church ended in 1984 and services resumed in 1991.

The House of the Blackheads is a striking Gothic building with a Dutch Renaissance facade situated in the old town of Riga, Latvia. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga.  It was used to house travelling, single members of the merchants' guild. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornamentations.

The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was begun in 1995 and finished in 2001  in honour of the city's 800th anniversary.

The President of Latvia has moved his offices here while Riga Castle is being renovated, so the building is no longer open to the public.

I like this stamp showing letters -

This card, received at the beginning of January 2013, was my first from Latvia. It brings the number of countries from which I have received cards to 37.  Thanks Undine.