The tallest people, the widest waterfall in Europe, pagan holidays... and many other amazing but true facts about fantastic Latvia!
Latvians were among the last in Europe to convert to Christianity, which is why they still deeply respect their pagan roots. They worship nature by jumping over bonfires on Midsummer Eve, and many Latvian surnames come from birds, animals or trees.
Latvia is home to the tallest women in the world: the average height of local women is an impressive 170 cm. Men are slightly inferior to them, ranking fourth in height in the world.
Riga Central Market is one of the largest markets in Europe. It is famous for its pavilions, which are actually former airship hangars abandoned by the German army after the First World War.
The coastline of Latvia stretches for more than 500 kilometers, so it is not surprising that there are so many beaches. On Latvian beaches there is a place for everyone who wants to enjoy the sun and admire the long sandy shores, and this wealth is available to everyone and absolutely free.
More than half of the country's territory is covered with forests, making Latvia a real green paradise.
Considering its small population, the capital of Latvia, Riga, is simply huge - more than a third of the country's population lives here. But on weekends in the summer, you wouldn’t even know it, because everyone goes to their country estates in the countryside.
There are more than 800 buildings in Riga built in the Art Nouveau style. It is one of the world's largest collections of examples of this joyful architectural style. Alberta Street is almost entirely lined with buildings inspired by the Art Nouveau genius Mikhail Eisenstein (Mikhail Eisenstein), whose son, Sergei Eisenstein (Sergei Eisenstein), is one of the pioneers of modern cinema.
In Latvia, you don't need to look for specialty health food stores to buy organic products because locals simply collect them. Birch sap in spring, berries in summer, mushrooms in autumn forests... Latvians are a nation of gatherers.
Latvia is a real paradise for wireless Internet. It has the fourth fastest internet connection in the world, and there are over 800 points in Riga where you can use free Wi-Fi. Latvia also holds the world record for the longest telephone conversation, set in 2012 - a marathon lasting 54 hours and 4 minutes.
Ventas Rumba in Kuldiga is the widest waterfall in Europe. Its average width is 110 meters, but during high water it can reach 270 meters. In spring you can see fish jumping over the rapids towards their spawning grounds.
Next time you wear jeans, don't forget to thank Latvian-born tailor Jacob Davis. In 1871, in Reno, Nevada, he invented durable denim fabric, which he used to make trousers and subsequently achieved success by partnering with cloth merchant Levi Strauss (Levi Strauss & Co.).
Latvia is a small country, but at one stage in its history it had overseas colonies. In the 17th century, the independent Duchy of Courland, located in western Latvia, was a maritime power and controlled part of the territory of the African country of Gambia and the Caribbean island of Tobago.
The legendary artist Mark Rothko was born in the south-east of Latvia, in the city of Daugavpils, but became famous in the USA. His painting "No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red)", sold in 2014 for 140 million euros, is one of the most expensive paintings in art history.
Every year in August, the large village of Aglona, located in the Latgale region, briefly becomes the second largest city in Latvia: more than 200,000 people gather in the local basilica, which is the end point of one of the most crowded pilgrimages in Europe.
