NSLI-Y 2022 Latvia – Week 4
Greetings from sunny Riga! During Week 4 of the NSLI-Y Russian program in Latvia, students took advantage of a variety of opportunities to learn more about their host country and about Latvian and Russian culture. They enjoyed a tour of the Bank of Latvia, a discussion with students from the Riga Young Leaders School, a lecture about Soviet power in Latvia, language activities and games with peer language partners, and a full-day tour of Soviet Riga, including a visit to a formerly secret Soviet bunker.
Leading up to Week 4, students and their host families gathered for a barbecue at the home of Jesse’s host family. There they experienced the very best of Russian hospitality.
On Thursday, NSLI-Y students Beckett, Shelby and Regina improved their engineering and Russian language skills during activities with their peer language partners.
Lauren, Helen, Ally and Jillian learn a new game with their language partners, then sing a new song together with them.
Thursday evening, several of our students met at the American Center in Riga with students from the Riga Young Leaders School, one of the partners of the American Embassy in Latvia. This event brought American and Latvian students together for an informal discussion about democracy and social media. In this photo, Alex, David, Jillian, Zoey, Chloe, Ally, Andrew, Helen, Katie, and Andrea listen to an introduction to the evening’s activities.
Saturday’s full-day tour of local Soviet sites began with a visit to the Academy of Sciences in Riga. This building, an example of Stalinist architecture, was constructed between 1951 and 1961 and is decorated with hammer and sickle symbols and Latvian folk ornaments and motifs. The 17th-floor balcony features an observation deck from which to admire the Riga cityscape.
Students gathered for a group photo on the observation deck.
The view from the top of the Academy of Sciences, looking toward Old Riga.
After our visit to the Academy of Sciences, we circled the Victory Memorial to the Soviet Army, one of Riga’s most controversial monuments. The Memorial was erected in 1985 to commemorate the Soviet Army’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The memorial complex is now surrounded by police barriers and is slated for demolition this fall.
(Photo credit: photoriga.com)
Our next stop was the terminal of the Soviet-era Spilve Airport, which opened as the first international airport in Riga in the 1920’s and fell into disuse in 1980’s. The airfield was closed for regular flights in the late 1980’s, but the terminal still remains as a notable example of Stalinist neoclassical architecture.
The terminal, along with the Academy of Sciences, is one of a very small handful of buildings in Riga where communist symbols can still be found today.
Students pose for a group photo inside the terminal.
After our visit to the airport, we left Riga, stopping for lunch at a local restaurant. There we enjoyed typical Latvian fare: two kinds of fresh salads, potatoes, and chicken. In the photo from left to right are Elena (our tour guide), Karen (Resident Director of the program), Tatiana (Program Coordinator in Riga), and Antonina (one of our students’ teachers).
A Walk In Nature
After lunch, the group went for a walk and saw a fish ladder that had been constructed to help migrating fish move upstream.
From there, the group climbed wooden stairways to a scenic overlook.
Views from the overlook.
A Trip Into Soviet History
The last stop on Saturday’s excursion was a guided tour of a formerly top-secret Soviet bunker. Līgatne Bunker, located 30 feet underground, was constructed to serve as a shelter for Latvia’s Communist elite in case of a nuclear war. We visited several rooms in the bunker, and our tour guide explained some of the equipment and artifacts found there. I’ll end this week’s blog entry with photos from our visit. I look forward to sharing more photos with you next week!
Our tour guide, Alejandro, explains the map of the bunker.
Alex studies documents on this Soviet-era desk.
The communications room. “Without communication there is no authority. Without authority there is no victory.”
Andrea tries her hand at using 20th-century equipment.
A bust of Lenin flanked by the flags of the Soviet Union and the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Ally, David, Andrea, Katie, and Beckett examine Soviet-era counting machines.
A party room at the bunker, decorated with Soviet symbols.
Ally studies documents related to management and notification.
Zoey sports a gas mask while Helen looks on.