Suburbs

Already in the Middle Ages various settlements, predominantly near the main roads, were concentrated around the dams and walls, which created the boundary for the territory of Riga. With time, they merged with the city to become its suburbs. Around the 18th century the possibilities for Riga to develop inside its walls was practically exhausted, thus the role of the suburbs increased. In the territories adjacent to the city walls, only small wooden buildings were permitted to be constructed for defence purposes, and therefore the suburbs were historically formed in a tight range around the centre. When industry started to develop, the first factories were built far from the centre, near convenient and inexpensive waterways – in Sarkandaugava, Iļguciems, Bišmuiža, and Jugla. Since the defensive constructions were demolished only in the middle of the 19th century, thereby giving Riga the possibility of becoming a single, united entity, the suburbs have preserved a certain isolated ambience. These peculiar “cities within the city” only partially coincide with any official administrative classification.