Sister Cities - Riga, Latvia

http://www.rcc.lv/
(This site is in Latvian)

Established a Sister City relationship in 1990.

This relationship was formed following a liaison by the Mayors of Cairns and Riga at the International Sister Cities Convention hosted by Cairns in 1988. Riga - population of one million - is a city with a history dating back to the 13th century and with many mediaeval buildings still standing in the older part of the city.

Her strategic position on the Baltic Sea between Eastern and Western Europe set the scene for many battles and foreign occupation - including 50 years of Russian domination which ended when Latvia became independent in 1991.

The Cairns / Riga sub-committee comprises ethnic Latvians in Cairns working with its Australian members to establish projects such as student exchanges, schools pen pal scheme, multi cultural displays in Cairns, and a video has been produced by Cairns High School and sent to Riga.