Riga Swedish Gate 4001M

The Swedish Gate of Riga is the only one of the eight gates that have survived in the city's defensive wall to this day. The gate was built in 1698 as an exit to the houses on Torna Street, located behind the city's defensive wall. Like other gates of Riga, they opened at sunrise and closed at sunset. According to legend, the name came in honor of Swedish heroism during the Great Northern War. The Russians occupied several important fortresses in 1710 and fought for Riga - only plague and famine forced the Swedes to surrender. Peter I, being a soldier himself, appreciated the Swedish heroism and dismissed the soldiers. They left the city through the Swedish Gate, hence the name.