Epilogue

This concluding chapter details the aftermath of the city of Riga, as well as the changes it experienced, after falling to Russian rule. The migration of Jews to Riga, and of Russian officials and laborers, are among the many developments that would take place during the two centuries that followed Riga's capitulation to the tsar. The city's renovation and the appearance of dozens of yellow-brick factory buildings in the suburbs were still to come. The ruined city that fell to Tsar Peter I in 1710 had none of the parks, canals, gardens, and urban villas that would transform Riga into one of northeastern Europe's most attractive and welcoming cities during the twilight years of the Russian Empire. Yet, as this chapter shows, even as Riga tore down its medieval walls in the 1850s and incorporated the suburban areas, where promenades and beautiful homes were built for the city's prosperous bourgeoisie, the oldest parts of Riga would retain many of their traditional features into present times.