Vecrëga ("Old Riga") is the historical center and a neighbourhood (as VecpilsÃÂta) of Riga, Latvia, located in the Central District on the east side of Daugava River. Vecrëga is famous for its old churches and cathedrals, such as Riga Cathedral, St. James's Cathedral and St. Peter's Church.
Vecrëga is the original area of Riga and consists of the historic city limits before the city was greatly expanded in the late 19th century. Vecrëga was once protected by a surrounding wall, except the side adjacent to the Daugava river bank. When the wall was demolished, the waters from Daugava were diverted into area of the former wall, creating Riga City Canal.
In the early 1990s, Vecrëga's streets were closed to traffic and only residents of the area and the local delivery vehicles were allowed within Vecrëga's limits with special permits. Vecrëga is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed as "Historic Centre of Riga", which also includes most of the surrounding Centrs district.
Vecrëga is the oldest part of the Riga, andâÂÂeven though in its primordial state most of the buildings were made of woodâÂÂcurrently, there are a lot of architectural works remaining from the times of renaissance, baroque and medieval times in the middle of the unique and notable buildings in the style of Art Nouveau, especially the ones created by the locally and internationally well-known architect Mikhail Eisenstein.