Swedish Gate

The Swedish Gate (Zviedru vārti) on Torņa iela in Riga's Old Town, Latvia, is the only surviving gate of the medieval city fortifications. It was cut through the city wall in 1698, during the period of Swedish rule over Livonia, when Riga was the largest city in the Swedish Empire. According to historical accounts, a merchant who owned a house adjoining the wall obtained permission to build the passage so that he could reach his warehouse more conveniently. The gate was built into the walls of the house rather than as a defensive work, and the arched passage still carries a plaque with the date. It lies close to the Powder Tower and the Jacob's Barracks, a row of yellow 17th-century warehouses and barracks that were later converted into shops and cafes. The structure is a simple stone archway with a narrow lane that runs between the buildings and the surviving fragment of the city wall. A well-known local legend says that a Latvian girl who fell in love with a Swedish soldier and met him at the gate was walled up alive inside it as punishment, and that her ghost is said to appear. The legend is not documented history, but it is repeated by guides and keeps the passage popular. The gate was historically closed at night, a custom connected with the legend. The surrounding stretch of wall is one of the few sections that survive from the former circuit of the town defences, which were mostly demolished in the 19th century to make way for the boulevard ring around the Old Town. The gate has been restored as part of the maintenance of the Historic Centre of Riga, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Today it functions as a pedestrian passage, and visitors can walk through at any time of day.