In this chapter of Riga's neighbourhoods, I am going to tell you a bit about the place I spend my working day, Kipsala.
Kipsala, formerly known as Zagas Island is an island on the River Daugava. Its about 2.7 km long and about 500 m wide. Originally Kipsala was made up of several smaller islands but ambitious engineering projects turned these into 1 large island. The Kipsala as we know it was finished at the end of the 19th century.
Prior to and during this time, the island was mostly inhabited by fishermen and the streets had fishing appropriate names such as Anchor street and Seagull Street. The only way off or onto the island was by ferry and a steamboat also ran.
Kipsala went into decline in the early years of the 20th century and despite plans to regenerate the island, the Soviet authorities vetoed the plan. In the 1970's Riga's technical university was built on Kipsala with the intention of it using the whole island as its campus. This was considered untenable and impractical although it does take up a large part of the island.
In 1981, the Suspension Bridge was built across the Daugava and this connected Kipsala properly to road traffic.
After independence several new buildings were built including the Olimpia shopping centre, the Islande Hotel, a swimming pool and the Hansabank, now Swedbank, building. The Riga International Exhibition centre was also built and this building has generated a lot of income for the area.
Other important developments have included the restoration of the islands wooden houses. This has also lend to land prices on the island spiralling so that now it is one of the most prestigious locations in Riga.
#kipsala #riga #rtu #swedbank
No comments:
Post a Comment