This is the oldest remaining portion of the Old Town fortifications, the rest having been progressively knocked down because artillery made them obsolete. This fragment was built between the 13th and 16th centuries and restored during Soviet times, hence its rather 'new' appearance. It used to run between the Bishops' Castle and the Castle of the Brothers of the Sword. At the end of Aldaru, is the Swedish Gate (Zviedru vārti), built in 1698 to celebrate the Scandinavians' occupation of the city, and the only such structure left in Old Riga. The apartment above belonged to the city executioner or bende, who would put a red rose on the window ledge on the morning before a head rolled.
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Old City Walls & Swedish Gate [Vecpilsētas mūris & Zviedru vārti]
This is the oldest remaining portion of the Old Town fortifications, the rest having been progressively knocked down because artillery made them obsolete. This fragment was built between the 13th and 16th centuries and restored during Soviet times, hence its rather 'new' appearance. It used to run between the Bishops' Castle and the Castle of the Brothers of the Sword. At the end of Aldaru, is the Swedish Gate (Zviedru vārti), built in 1698 to celebrate the Scandinavians' occupation of the city, and the only such structure left in Old Riga. The apartment above belonged to the city executioner or bende, who would put a red rose on the window ledge on the morning before a head rolled.
