What Riga looked like 30 years ago

The Baltic States in the Soviet years were something like their "little abroad" — beautiful clean streets of Baltic cities, mysterious names in Latin, no shortage in stores, beautiful girls in fashionable clothes. Holidays in Palanga or Jurmala were then considered more prestigious than on the Black Sea coast. And the beautiful Riga in the Soviet years became an invariable film set for films about "foreign life". Its elegant streets, where there are so many ancient buildings — from medieval to Art Nouveau style-appeared in dozens of paintings of those years.

We invite you to take a walk through the photogenic streets of Riga in the 80s with the help of these rare pictures.

It's not easy to drop a letter in the mailbox if you're a junior.

Fashionable Riga youth of the 80s.

Marstal Street in Old Riga.

Retrocars on Lenin Street (now it is Brivibas Street).

Lenin Street is the central street of Riga, which starts from the Freedom Monument ("Milda") and goes through the entire right-bank city territory of Riga from Rainis Boulevard to the city border.

Girls on the background of the "Books" store.

Skarnu Street.

Three Brothers is a complex of ancient buildings in the center of Old Riga.

Architectural details.

Booksellers in the city center.

"Zhiguli" on the street Amata.

A girl and her collie on the platform.

Railway station Square and Garlib Merkel Street.

Kirov Street-cinemas "Spartak" and "Riga".

Such a fashionable skateboarding in the 80s at the Bikerniek sports recreation center.

After lessons.

Romantic Riga.

Reflections.

Racing at the Bikerniek sports recreation center.

One of the racers.