This ducal residence was once home to a future Russian empress and a French king in exile.

This celebration of Latvia’s freedom and independence avoided demolition over half a century of Soviet occupation.

Just another terrifying garden filled with hundreds of endlessly smiling doll people.

The statue of a legendary giant who carried Christ and shouldered the world's sins.

This former Nazi labor camp is now a poignant memorial, complete with giant Soviet-style monuments.

This ornate church has survived Nazi and Soviet occupation, including a short stint as a Soviet-era gymnasium and cinema.

This charming Latvian lane doubled as Baker Street on the Soviet Union’s version of Sherlock Holmes.

A stone marker and sculpture in the city of Riga stake a claim for the very first community Christmas tree.

The mile-long pier stretches from a ruined fortress out into the Baltic.

The reconstruction of this prominent building fulfilled a long-written command.

The widest waterfall in Europe is a natural wonder and one of the only places where fish are caught in the air.

Latvia's symbolic mountain-shaped national library is home to millions of cultural tomes.

These crumbling Latvian forts make for some haunting seaside ruins.

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

A railway bridge leading nowhere stands lonely in the middle of a meadow.

The oldest housing complex in Riga is a mini timeline of architectural trends.

Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century.

3,000 market stands in five former Zeppelin hangars.

Described as one of the Baltic region’s most daring and original construction projects.

Plaques celebrating Lithuanian writers freckle a wall of this picture-perfect path.

A 300-kilogram egg sculpture that embodied a neighborhood revival.

Over time, this castle grew to encompass the entire island.

This magnificent Art Deco church is a reflection of Lithuania’s turbulent history.

While this monument tile is shrouded in mystery it also marks the end of the longest ever human chain.