Purvciems

Purvciems
Neighborhood of Riga
Purvciems Skyline
Location in Riga
Country	Latvia
City	Riga
District	Vidzeme Suburb, Riga
Area
• Total	5,017 km2 (1,937 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	62 053
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Typical soviet and post-Soviet apartment blocks in Purvciems

Purvciems is a neighbourhood of Riga, Latvia. Its name literally translates as "marsh village". It is located on the east bank of the River Daugava, to the east of the City Centre and is defined roughly as the area between A. Deglava Iela and Ieriķu Iela. The area is characterised by apartment blocks from the late Soviet and early independence years (1980s–1990s), though there is also some detached housing. The district is mainly — though not exclusively — Russian-speaking.

Astra Lux and GE Money Headquarters

Domina Shopping Centre is the largest shopping centre in the Baltic states, located in the North-West side of Purvciems.

History

Starting the end of 17th century and start of 18th century, the largely unsurveyed territory was called Hausmaņa purvs. Until the 19th century, only yeomen lived there. In 1828, the first part of the region was included in Riga's borders, and the area saw rise in single-family house construction. The second part of the region was included in Riga's borders in 1924, when a regional development plan and road construction led to rise in family home construction. The territory remained primarily for single homes until 1963–4. In 1965, the Purvciems housing block plan was conceived, that led to extensive high-rise building throughout 1970–80s. Purvciems together with Pļavnieki is one of the most densely inhabited neighbourhoods of Riga.