The capital of Latvia, together with its numerous historic buildings is the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Apart from the building dating back to the Middle Ages, Riga is the place that is one of the biggest centers of Art Nouveau architecture. The city was founded in 1201 and it quickly became an important commercial center at the coast of the Baltic Sea. It soon resulted in joining the Hanseatic League (the union of commercial cities of Northern Europe) toward the end of 13th century.
