Last Updated on 2020-04-20 by Birk Karsten Ecke
Skanste is a neighborhood in Rīga, it is located in the center of Riga, but administratively belongs to the Vidzeme suburb. It is the most modern part of the Latvian capital and is characterized by multi-storey apartment buildings. The landmark of this neighborhood are the Skanstes virsotnes – the needles of Skanste. Today there are around 12,000 people living in this area, but once it is completed there will be around 42,000. When the goals of the city planners come true, Skanste will become the economic heartbeat of Rīga and all of Latvia. The conditions are certainly not bad due to the proximity to the center and the available space.
Skanste is today the location for telecommunications and IT companies as well as banks in Rīga. Where high-rise buildings are located today were once the pastures of the citizens of the Hanseatic city of Rīga. At the time of the Soviet occupation after the Second World War, there were allotments in the Skanste area, which helped the townspeople to secure their supply of vegetables.
Skanste got its name probably during the time of the Russian emperor Peter the Great. At this point, he ordered the construction of fortifications that additionally secured the fortress town of Riga. Skanste means something like a hill in the sense of a fortress. Until 1965 there was a racetrack for horses in this area – between Vesetas iela and Skanstes iela. Skanste is now one of the top urban development projects in the Latvian capital Rīga. The vision of the Skanstes district includes the idea of an active development of the center, whereby its living and cultural space is created in synergy with business functions.
The urban development concepts stipulate that Skanste fits into the compact center of the city and becomes a modern part of it. If all historical buildings and infrastructures are to be preserved in the historical and quiet center, Skanste is a free area in the city center where modern city functions can be developed. The project belongs to the spatial core of Riga with a compact population. Since most jobs are located right in the city center, the development of the district involves building apartments that are as close as possible to this part of Latvia’s capital. It is planned to build several business centers in Skanste by 2024, which will house many new and existing companies.
All Images © 2019 by Birk Karsten Ecke
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Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The modern multi-functional Arēna Rīga.
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Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The building of the LUMINOR BANK.
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Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The modern multi-functional Arēna Rīga and the multi-storey apartment houses Skanstes virsotnes.
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Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The Elektrum Olympic Centre.
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Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The modern multi-multi-storey apartment houses. In the background you can see the Skanstes virsotnes.
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Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The multi-storey apartment houses Skanstes virsotnes.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The modern multi-multi-storey apartment houses.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
The multi-storey apartment houses Skanstes virsotnes.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
Skanste is the location for telecommunications and IT companies as well as banks.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Image: The Neighborhood of Skanste in Rīga.
Skanste is the location of banks in Latvia.
Click on the image to enlarge it.
Internal Links:
Fototour: Skanste, the heartbeat of Rīga – absolut im Trend und komplett verkauft oder vermietet. Ein Rundgang durch den neuen Stadtteil.
Straßenbahnen in Rīga – Der stark wachsende Stadtteil Skanste bekommt eine neue Trambahnlinie und weshalb hier niemals eine U-Bahn gebaut wird