Hi Hive Friends!

After a week I'm reporting back here. Please bear with me, slowly the exams in the university are coming back;). Since I have not yet completed my post series about Riga, I would like to continue it here today. Riga has a lot of beautiful sights, of which I saw only a handful in the few days I was there. For this reason alone I will come here again;) Many of the sights we saw during our snow walks, during Christmas time. That's why you can still see Christmas decorations on some of the pictures.

During our walk we passed, among other places, St. Gertrude Church. Here in Germany, the name Gertrude is a very old name. Even if the church is of course older, I somehow would not have thought that it carries such a name. Funny!

My friend, whom I visited in Riga, told me that rather less attention is paid to the church on the Internet or elsewhere in the city in the information center. When you think of Riga, you do not think directly of this church. I think that's a pity, she was very beautiful. The happier I was, that I had something like an "insider" with me;) From people who have grown up in the city, you get to know the cities always best!

Influences of the Swedish occupation

This church is an Evangelical Lutheran church. In fact, there is another church here with a similar name: The New St. Gertrude Church. That is why this church here also bears the name Old St. Gertrude Church. If you would like to visit it, you can find it in the Vidzemes priekšpilsēta district of Riga. Interestingly, the church is located directly on a crossroads, forming an island, so to speak. Such a location for a church is rather unusual, don't you think? I do not know something like this from Germany;).
The name of the church, about which I already speculated a little at the beginning of this post, comes from St. Gertrude. She was venerated by the inhabitants as the patron saint of travelers and wanderers.

Can you still remember the Swedish Gate from my last post? It was built under the Swedish occupation. The church was also greatly influenced by the Swedish occupation: the church was destroyed in 1605, shortly after its renovation, during the siege of Riga by the Swedish King Charles IX. First a temporary, then a completely new church building was erected. The latter was destroyed by fire, and from 1865 to 1869 the church that stands today was built. It is characterized by a neo-Gothic style. I like the bricks, this reddish is really beautiful. Do you feel the same way? What makes the church very different from other churches is its orientation. Usually churches are oriented east-west. This one faces southeast. As a result, you can see the church's trademark tower for many miles down the road.

Outside more beautiful than inside

We briefly went inside the church, but I must confess, the church is not beautiful inside, so I did not take any photos. The architecture is much more interesting on the outside. Inside, the church looks bare and sober and also rather more austere.
Nevertheless, I can recommend you to look at it once, if you are in the area. The round square on which it stands is very beautiful and surrounded by Riga houses. The church itself is also relatively well preserved. Above all, there are many bars and cafes nearby. The church is thus also a good starting point to explore the art nouveau district. Of this I have already shown you in my last post some impressions. The houses look really great here. The architecture of the Jugenstil is incredibly beautiful! What I also found very interesting was the relationship of the church to Germany. The church serves the ethnic German community in Riga.

"Mio"-Cafe in Riga inside

The "Mio" Cafe - much attention to detail

From the church we walked to the "Mio" cafe. The cafe was extremely beautifully decorated. A friend had recommended it to us (I think only because of the furnishings, but I'm not so sure anymore;)). From the church to the cafe is about nine minutes walk, the cafe is just a few streets away.

The cafe looks rather unimpressive from the outside, rather even modern, it is kept in white and green plants are in white pots. Inside - well, see for yourself!

Not only the interior design left me speechless. How do you like the interior? I have to say, I could spend a few hours here, but not more. It is then but a little too old and a little too much for me;). The cafe is also suitable for vegans and vegetarians and there are gluten-free dishes. How do you like my piece of cake;) In general, the atmosphere was very nice in the cafe and has seen that the owner has taken a lot of attention to detail. Next time I would still prefer to sit outside, even here there is a French flair, but it looks a little more modern here outside, in the small "garden";).

How did you like my post? Feel free to write your feedback in the comments! I am curious what you say to the Mio Cafe. Do you like the interior? See you next time!