Arnis Balcus' Photo Blog

Swedish embassy

2012-01-30T19:13:00.000Z

Swedish embassy in Riga, Latvia
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Pawnshops

2012-01-21T09:54:00.002Z

One of the most visible aftereffects of the economical crisis in Latvia is the raise of pawshops (called "lombards" in Latvian). Six years ago you could find just a few of them, today - almost on every street. Since most of the people live from salary to salary it is common to run out of money; people hand in mobile phones, gold and other valuables as pawns to get small high interest loans. If they are unable to pay it back, the pawnshop sells their pawns.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Special project

2012-01-14T20:49:00.000Z

Well, for me these outworn apartment blocks remind Sarajevo, but actually it's just "a special housing project" made in Riga in the last years of Soviet Union. It seems that the Soviet workers haven't done the job properly and after 20 years it looks like the building has been wounded by bombs and bullets.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Latvian fruits

2012-01-12T15:58:00.001Z

The sign in the window says "goods from Latvian countryside". You see pomegranates, clementines, pineapples, melons, grapes etc. but actually none of these fruits in this shop window grow in Latvia.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Inflation

2012-01-11T16:36:00.000Z

This is the price in Latvian lats for gasoline on 11 January 2011...

...and this is what it costs today on 11 January 2012.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Meat for Christmas

2011-12-23T15:00:00.000Z

Traditional food for Christmas? For instance, in England it's a turkey. In Latvia - a pig's nose (or full head). But of course, nowadays it's a rarity on Christmas table.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Little snow

2011-12-20T18:49:00.000Z

Snowing in Ziepniekkalns district of Riga. This winter the snow hasn't stayed for more than a few hours and perhaps it's gonna be a rare grey Christmas. It should have been some -15 C outside, instead it's +5 C. Consequences of global warming?
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Plastic bird cages

2011-12-03T22:47:00.000Z

Someone in Riga has used plastic bottles to create bird cages for titmouses.

Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Military parade in Riga

2011-11-21T12:28:00.000Z

November 18 is the independence day of Latvia and the military parade is being held in Riga. Since the Latvian army is small, the parade is quite modest.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

11/11/11 11:11

2011-11-17T16:35:00.000Z

People all over the world took a photo at 11:11 on 11 November 2011. Well, me too...
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

CCTV

2011-10-04T23:18:00.000+01:00

CCTV cameras have been attached to a tree. Seen in Zolitūde district of Riga.

Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Early election

2011-09-18T15:34:00.000+01:00

Early parliamentary election on 17 September 2011. Voting in Salacgrīva, North Latvia.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Basketball crazy

2011-08-30T21:58:00.000+01:00

Lithuanians love basketball. This year European championship takes place in Lithuania so everything works and lives around basketball, even other businesses and advertising. It took me just a few hours to spot dozens of adverts in Kaunas and Panevezys that use basketball as a selling point. In fact, none but only one of these ads actually promote the championship itself.
All photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Too much ice-hockey

2011-07-08T05:05:00.000+01:00

People in Canada are so keen on ice-hockey that there's even a need for signs to stop people from playing. Found in a park in Montreal.

Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

CCCP

2011-06-16T16:40:00.000+01:00

Saw this can lying on the ground in Central market in Riga. Appearantly it's a new energy drink called CCCP which means USSR.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Kuldīga in an hour

2011-05-29T17:29:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I got an hour of spare time in Kuldīga, a town some 160 km west of Riga. Photos of local church, shopwindows, police station etc.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

9th May in Riga

2011-05-16T21:49:00.001+01:00

Last Monday thousands of people gathered in Victory park (Uzvaras parks) in Riga to celebrate the end of WWII. More photos on http://fotokvartals.lv/2011/05/10/uzvaras-svetki/

Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Couples

2011-04-19T17:29:00.000+01:00

Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Shoes on cables

2011-04-18T15:29:00.000+01:00

Probably those shoes hang there since 1990s. Back then time to time suburb gang boys would attack someone, steal the shoes and throw them on cables. Seen in Purvciems district of Riga.

Photo by (c) Arnis Balčus

Hair salons

2011-04-17T11:37:00.001+01:00

Hair salons around Riga suburbs.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Riga on April 14th

2011-04-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

Random photos from Riga on April 15th, 2011.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Kino

2011-04-05T19:21:00.000+01:00

This Soviet times mural for cinema (kino) can be found in Iļģuciems district of Riga.

Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Road accident

2011-03-30T17:24:00.000+01:00

Road accident in Riga at around 6pm today. The first to arrive were photographers, then fire brigade, then police and only the last came an ambulance.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Cheburashka & Winnie The Pooh

2011-03-29T16:32:00.000+01:00

A window in Ķengarags district of Riga with Cheburashka (left) and Winnie The Pooh. Both are popular characters from Soviet cartoons.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Cat ladder

2011-03-28T18:57:00.001+01:00

Cat ladders in suburbs of Riga.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Creative ad

2011-03-03T12:26:00.000Z

A shovel in Vidzemes market in Riga. It says "We work the best! So let's sneak into the shed! Got a lot of tasty vegetables here."
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Driving lessons in Soviet style

2011-02-21T23:29:00.000Z

This yard on Melngaiļa street in Riga must have been used for driving lessons in Soviet times. The mural features traffic signs and a warning in Russian to follow the rules on the road.

Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Elevator

2011-02-04T09:06:00.000Z

This cute elevator can be found at Dzelzceļa (Railway) health centre in Riga. Styled in Soviet vintage, they even got a lift-boy to operate it.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Gastronome

2011-02-02T14:25:00.000Z

Those neon lights are what's left from a Soviet time "gastronomy" - grocery store. They indicate the products you could buy there- sausage, ham, cheese, milk & kefir and canned goods. The signs can still be found on K.Valdemara street in Riga, while the shop vanished back in 1990s.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Barricades of 1991

2011-01-20T11:09:00.000Z

Today people in Latvia remember the January events in 1991. Back then I also took some photos just straight after the events. Here are a few photos - from parliament and TV centre.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Straume

2010-12-29T23:18:00.000Z

Although the factory Straume doesn't exist for ages, you can still find its plate and logo in Riga. In Soviet times it was well-know for its production of toys and coffee-grinders.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Snowflakes

2010-12-06T14:06:00.002Z

Dozens of shops in Riga have already given a Christmas feel to their windows. This one on Marijas street has used just a bit of paper and scissors to create snowflakes, just like kids used to do in good old times.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Escape way

2010-11-02T09:09:00.000Z

This mural on Artilērijas street in Riga is from WWII. It points in Latvian and German: "escape way- Ziedona garden" where the bomb shelter was located.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Dushanbe II

2010-10-31T21:08:00.000Z

In the National museum of history the key historical person is the current president.

The museum also features a few interesting paintings...

..and also items that all Tajik people can be proud of, such as cans for milk.

Cement factory.

Soviet times social ad - don't let the children play with electricity.

"Glory to..."

"... the friendship..."

"...of all nations!"

Scary children's amusement park.

Russian school with dads - Tajik and Russian presidents.

Newsagent.

It says "photo", perhaps it means there's a photography lab in the tunnel.

Local circus.

And here's a small collection of Soviet soda vending machines that can be still found all over the streets of Dushanbe. All of them were out of order, unfortunately.

Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Dushanbe I

2010-10-24T23:03:00.001+01:00

On the outskirts of Dushanbe stands a huge cement factory. All the walls have been painted with propaganda staff.

This is a cheap and good place to eat. It's called "Soviet bistro" and is decorated with Soviet memorabilia.

In Dushanbe some sort of wedding dress cult has spread all over the city.

A wedding dress can be found even outside the main department store...

..and inside it.

The store hasn't changed that much for the past 30 years.

And this place is called "salesman's corner" and has a quote of Maxim Gorky - "just in the work and only in the work a man's great".

The main park in the centre and the president's palace in the middle.

The alternative to begging is to make business with offering people to weight them. Very popular all over ex-USSR.

And people also make money by working as telephone attendands.

Another optimistic propaganda poster of the president.

The main post office.

Events list of the local opera. Look at the hours when the plays take place - it's only mornings. Opera in Dushanbe is for kids only.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Iskander Kul

2010-10-21T20:59:00.000+01:00

Iskander Kul is a mountain lake about 130 km north from Dushanbe.

The lake is beautiful but very cold in September. It is located at an altitude of 2195 m, so it is warm enough to swim there only for a short period in July and August.

Next to the lake is a holiday camp. In Soviet times it must have been a luxurious resort but now it reminds a backpackers camp.

And there's also a restaurant next to the lake. Didn't work, the season was over.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Penjikent-Dushanbe

2010-10-13T22:28:00.000+01:00

To reach Dushanbe we hired a car with a driver in Penjikent. Although it's 225 km, the journey took almost 7 hours due to many stops and road condition. These kind of objects signify the presence of an inhabited locality.

The car goes up and down the hills. The weather changes from hot to cold.

It seems they have got the road police after every 20 km. The guys in the red car perhaps did not want to pay the bribe so the police searched their car.

On the way there are quite a few villages. This is a department store in one of them.

And this is a bus stop with a star built in.

Next to old factories colorful Soviet times mosaics can be found...

...or murals.

Animals cannot climb the rocks everywhere to feed themselves thus they wander on the roads. Sometimes they cause road accidents. For instance, I saw a dead donkey.

Most of the road is in poor condition and very dangerous to Western standards. Look at those traffic signs - at the same time you should expect curve, steep uphill and slippery road. Don't even dream of hiring a car and driving yourself if you come from a flat land country.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Penjikent

2010-10-10T22:57:00.002+01:00

Penjikent is a town in West Tajikistan, some 20 km from the Uzbek border. Unless you like Soviet relics there's nothing much to see there. Upon entering the town I saw this weird road police post with a car on the top. Police posts are very present on roads and they stop most cars to check papers. Normally a local driver will hand 3 somoni (around 0.70 USD) to a police officer to skip the check.

This mural reads as "60 years of Tajik SSR". The town's main street mainly hosts old Soviet apartment blocks.

And there's also another Soviet relic - restaurant "Friendship". On the left you see an advert for Tajik's constitution.

A garbage bin.

Local culture house that hosts cinema screenings and music events.

A memorial desk for Tajik people of Penjikent who died in Soviet-Afghan war.

They also have a golden Lenin...

...and a communist party.

But the main sights in Penjikent are Soviet murals and mosaics. I collected most of them.

This is the meat at the butcher's. Looks a bit rotten. I could not believe they eat it. But apart from this the food is cheap and eatable. Especially fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes were 0.20 USD per kg. I wanted to buy only two pieces but the salesman gave them for free, probably did not want to bother with such a small amount, perhaps just wanted to please the tourist.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Marguzor lakes

2010-09-28T20:46:00.002+01:00

Marguzor lakes are seven beautiful lakes in Fann mountains in Tajikistan. Our journey starts in this car. Normally a 5-seater, it took 13 people on board. To reach the sixth lake, which is about 70 km from Penjikent, we needed 2,5 hours due to road condition and many stops. One of the stops was cos most of the guys wanted to have a collective pray.

Here we have arrived at the sixth lake. On the left you see a house I spent a night. On the right - a toilet. And the local kids that were amazed by foreigners.

The kids wanted to touch everything, it seemed they haven't seen such things as zippers and shoe strings.

That's the sixth lake, a few steps from the house that hosted me.

The same lake from the same spot, but around 8am on the next day.

Local kids.

And that's the seventh lake, about 2 hours walk from the sixth.

Kids over there do have very strange dress-code. These two girls were not that keen to have been photographed, perhaps cos they approach marriage age.

Another girl with a bit of a snow in her hand.

And that's a lost donkey. Sometimes they appear out of nowhere without a rider.

And all the seven lakes are quite impressive. This is the 4th.

And this is a village near the 5th lake. Living conditions over there resemble 19th century. The only modern things are electricity and cars.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Samarkand

2010-09-26T08:38:00.001+01:00

Advert for a body-building hall.

A tuned zaporozhec (ZAZ), a rarity even in post-Soviet Central Asia.

Streets in Uzbekistan accompany a small open channels for waste water. If you are not careful at walking or crossing the street you might end up wet or with a broken leg. Some people have solved the problem of absent passes and created bridges out of old radiators. And this is not just one case, seen dozen of times.

A typical old town street in Samarkand.

Registan - the main tourist attraction in Samarkand.

Urban planning disaster - a newly built pedestrian street that links Registan and the main market. They should not have done this.

Old moskvich. It is quite common to see a car carrying giant size items on the top of it.

Anti-alcohol and cigarettes propaganda at university.

Sometimes children playgrounds might be very scary in ex-USSR.

Daewoo Matiz - every Uzbeks dream car. They even got Daewoo as mobile network operator.

Soviet times ornaments and signs are easy to find in Samarkand.

The post in Uzbekistan uses the old Soviet times letter boxes.

Another symbol heavily used in Soviet times - Olympic rings and flame.

And another Soviet car collection - three Lada's and a moskvich.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Bukhara

2010-09-25T07:49:00.003+01:00

The cultural heritage is well integrated into the old town in Bukhara in South Uzbekistan. The city has the oldest madrassa in Central Asia, a spectacular minaret and many more must-see things. Perhaps the best place for a tourist to visit in Uzbekistan.

This is an interior at the main post office that is just a small room with furniture from the previous century.

This is a typical street in Bukhara.

And a typical old-town street. In one of those I found a small photo gallery run by Anzor Salidjanov. Google his name and you will find amazing work on people in Uzbekistan, especially local gypsies. He also represented Uzbekistan in the last Venice Biennale.

Donkeys are still a popular means of transportation also in a city like Bukhara. You can also easily spot sheep and goats that wander around the city streets.

This is a mobile shooting gallery and inside it you can see a school girl who is trying her luck with a gun.

The old Soviet soda vending machines are still spread throughout the city. In summer some of them have been put back to work. I wonder if they share out Coca-Cola nowadays...
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Tashkent

2010-09-24T14:39:00.003+01:00

Soviet era monster - hotel Uzbekistan on the main spot in the town - Amir Timur square.

Most Uzbeks are Muslims and the state policy allow to sell strong alcohol only in special shops. This one looks like a typical grocery store, however they only sell spirits.

In dozens of ex-USSR towns one can find a street named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. In Tashkent there's also a monument for him.

Police and military personnel is quite present in Tashkent, but in most cases they tend not to offend tourists. Sometimes they are tourists themselves.

Lada or Zhiguli is still the most commonly seen car on the Tashkent streets with Daewoo Matiz as a runner-up.

Ladas everywhere...feels like early 1990s.

Dress-code for males is white shirt, a tie, black leather shoes and black trousers.

It feel some shops haven't changed their window lay-out for quite a few decades. Perhaps it's just the sense of style that has not changed.

Fruits in Uzbekistan are cheap. A melon costs around 0.40-0.50 $, grapes around 0.40$ per kg, figs - 0.60 $ per kg. A 15 year-old brandy/cognac costs 7 $. Besides you need to carry a lot of money, cos the biggest banknote they have is 1000 sum that makes just 0.45 $ on black market (official rate is 1600 sum per dollar, while on the black market you can get 2200 sum for 1 $).

Tashkent has quite a few Soviet era relics, mainly in architecture. This coat of arms is quite unique - it's not the official Soviet Uzbekistan one, as instead of sickle and hammer it has axe and shovel. Suggestions of its origin are welcome.
All photos (c) Arnis Balcus

Taxies

2010-08-21T10:02:00.000+01:00

This is an old mural from the late 1980s found in a backyard on E.Melngaila street in Riga. It it dedicated for the union of cab drivers that existed in the Soviet Union times. You can even see "1948-1988" written there and it means the mural was made on the 50th birthday of the union. Look at the idea behind it - the mural links history (horse riding as the beginning) with the future - a quite futuristic car for the times on the far right side.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Mangalsala's mole

2010-08-17T21:34:00.001+01:00

That tiny line on the horizon in the first photo is a mole in Mangaļsala, which is on the right bank of Riga. That's the place where the river Daugava meets the Baltic sea. The mole that was built in 1850s, once a forbidden military territory, now is a popular spot for Latvians to bring their foreign friends as you can watch how ships enter the port or planes land and take off from the airport nearby. It is some sort of alternative to touristic Old town. And at the end of it you feel like you are in the sea as the mole is quite long - it's almost 1 km. There have been plans to turn the mole into an official touristic hot-spot with all the infrastructure but I am afraid it would just ruin this rural place.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Gulbene's station

2010-08-15T15:57:00.004+01:00

Gulbene's railway station is quite a spectacular building - it was built in 1926. Today it serves as a final stop for the narrow-gauge railway network that lasts from Gulbene to Alūksne - about 30km trip on the small train takes 1,5 hours. It's the only such train in Latvia and it's not just for tourists - locals travel on it as it serves twice-per-day trains to Alūksne. Next to the station is an old railway depot that were used for usual trains as well, but since the state has left only twice-per-week trains to Riga, the depot is not functional and mainly serves as a storage for old cars and garbage. Back in the station there's a cafe and a canteen that issues food to poor and homeless people.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Old fire trucks

2010-08-14T19:24:00.006+01:00

These are fire trucks found in a car repair service in Lielvārde, Latvia. I assume they still operate when needed.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

RAR shop

2010-07-10T08:53:00.002+01:00

This is an old shop of RAR (Rīgas autoelektroaparātu rūpnīca) - Riga autoelectromachinery factory on Klusā iela in Riga. Today the company still somehow exists, perhaps cos it belongs to Russians and works mainly for Russia, so it might be the reason why they don't need a local shop anymore.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

For safe Riga

2010-07-06T19:25:00.002+01:00

This is a strange late 1980s/early 1990s mural on Tallinas street in Riga. It says "Riga" at the top but it's a social ad for police. It says: "in case of emergency, call..." and "install anti-theft system on your cars".
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Friendship

2010-07-05T21:08:00.002+01:00

Just a plate and tatty mural - that's all what is left from culture house Draudziba (Friendship) in Sarkandaugava, Riga.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Tram at 6am

2010-07-03T14:56:00.001+01:00

This is a tram at 6.07am this morning starting the shift from Brivibas street in Riga.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Priekule

2010-06-30T17:20:00.003+01:00

A few photos from Priekule in West Latvia. In Soviet times due to rail network and Soviet army base the town was dynamic but now there's nothing much to do there. The second and third photo is of a local hospital, the last one - cloth shop.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

PMK

2010-06-29T22:34:00.002+01:00

This is a Soviet time decoration on an apartment block in Ulbroka near Riga. It says PMK in the middle of it.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Belgrade

2010-06-28T21:49:00.004+01:00

Floods, apartment blocks of New Belgrade, Tito's museum, flea market, cathedral of Saint Sava and other places from Belgrade in early June.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Trainer and sweeper

2010-06-18T18:40:00.001+01:00

You don't see these kind of trams too often in Riga. The first one is a training tram, the second - a track sweeper.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Flash-mob in Riga

2010-06-08T08:51:00.004+01:00

Last Thursday about 60 people, mostly photographers and twitterists gathered in a flash-mob around the construction site Tango on Dzirnavu street in Riga. The flash-mob was my initiative to stand for photographer's rights to take photos in public without fear of being assaulted by security forces. Two days earlier I was assaulted by security guards from Ave Lat sargs company that guard the construction site, the incident was reported to local media but the statement issued by security company a day later stated that it was my own fault and I was accused on spying, while psychical assault was not mentioned at all. So I organized a flash-mob on the same spot where I had my incident. People were taking photos of everything around (of course, mostly of the construction site) for 10 minutes in order not just to raise awareness to my incident but for all photographers and people with cameras who have been assaulted. The flash-mob was covered my almost all Latvian media, such as (click on names to view more photos) Diena, NRA, Delfi, TVNet, LETA, FotOblog and many others, as well as lots of photos were circulating around Twitter under hashtag #Tango.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Building shop

2010-05-30T11:01:00.002+01:00

This shop on Eksporta street has a really strange window dressing. Most likely they are selling building tools but it looks like it is closed for renovation.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

The making of parking lot

2010-05-29T14:18:00.004+01:00

It took about a month to destroy the building on Kungu street in Old Riga. It was built in Soviet times and served as a storage hall for the main department store "Universālveikals". On the ground floor there also used to be a stationary shop. For the past 15 years the building was not used. The destruction works finished a couple of weeks ago and the area has been turned into a parking lot.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Chairs and umbrella

2010-05-23T23:11:00.002+01:00

This is a strange mural in the backyard of apartment blocks on Miera street in Riga. Possibly painted in late 1980s to create some sort of romantic atmosphere.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

9 May in Riga

2010-05-21T21:46:00.005+01:00

These are photos from the Victory day celebration on 9 May in Riga. In Latvia 9 May is more than just a victory celebration, it is also an expression of collective identity for local Russians. On 9 May thousands of Russians go to the park, sing and listen to war songs, greet war veterans and picnic in the park.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Latglavenergo

2010-04-27T06:55:00.004+01:00

This is a plate by Latglavenergo that says "To repair or change pillow-blocks without the presence of a representative from a cable department is dangerous to your health". This plate could be around 30 years old, found on Hospitāļu street in Riga.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Garden city in Ziepniekkalns

2010-04-13T14:31:00.005+01:00

If the road linking the Southern bridge and Jelgavas highway will be expanded this territory will be leveled to the ground. Now it's a small garden city next to the apartment blocks where people in Soviet times have built small garden houses out of garbage. Due to its poor condition the place rather resembles some illegal village of homeless people than garden city.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Old utility

2010-04-06T08:19:00.004+01:00

This is an plate for some repair shop on Valdeku street in Riga. The age of pictograms suggest that the plate is at least 15 years old.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Builders street

2010-04-05T09:10:00.003+01:00

This is an old street name plate on Kartupeļu (Potatoes) street that used to be called Celtnieku (Builders) street in Soviet times. The plate also says that it is a district of Lenin (Ļeņina rajons).
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Pet cemetery

2010-04-04T13:09:00.003+01:00

There's illegal pet cemetery near the factory Dzintars in Ziepniekkalns, Riga.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

A day in Liepaja

2010-03-23T21:17:00.005Z

Last Sunday in Liepāja, West Latvia.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Zhiguli in snow

2010-03-18T06:42:00.003Z

In the last few days it was snowing a lot in Riga. This is a zhiguli car on Miera street a couple days ago. However, today almost all snow has melted and the spring has come.
Photo (c) Arnis Balcus

Back in 1991 (II)

2010-03-16T20:17:00.003Z

Today the filming of barricades times took place on Aldara street in Old Riga.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Back in 1991

2010-03-15T21:17:00.004Z

Today and yesterday a German film crew were filming a drama movie near Saeima (the parliament) in Old Riga. The events in the movie are taking place in January 1991, when the parliament was surrounded with barricades and hundreds of people gathered there to protect the building from a possible attack of Soviet military forces. The barricades were built on the next day after the Soviet forces in Lithuania had attacked the Vilnius TV Tower and killed 13 civilians.
Photos by (c) Zane Balcus

Sweetshop Daile

2010-03-14T12:52:00.002Z

Probably the oldest sweetshop in Riga has not survived the economical crisis and has been shut down for a few weeks already. The sweetshop Daile on Blaumana street was selling cakes and cookies since 1930s. The owners still have a hope of relaunching the business in the future.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Fish pavilion

2010-02-28T08:21:00.003Z

There are five pavilions at the Central market, the fish pavilion being the most old-fashioned one. In the near future it will also experience renovation works.
Photos (c) Arnis Balcus

Central market

2010-02-28T00:06:00.005Z

Riga Central market is a popular tourist sight. However, soon the market will experience renovation and might lose its exotic and vintage character. Some of the stalls have been already demolished, more destruction and renovation to follow in the next months. Most photos represented here are from the manufactured goods market - one of the most bizarre areas in the Central market.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

A view from above

2010-02-18T08:05:00.003Z

Usually panoramic photos of Riga are taken from well-known spots, such as St.Peter tower or hotel Latvia, so I tried to find some alternatives. The first one is from the Rigas modes building, the second - national library.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

WC in 1995

2010-01-28T13:36:00.003Z

In 1995 I took quite a few photos of private and public toilets in Latvia, mainly Riga and Liepāja. I wonder how many toilets can be found in the same state fifteen years later...
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

The fight

2010-01-26T09:42:00.002Z

This memorial plate on A.Briana street in Riga says that "here in this house an illegal printing house was publishing the communist party's newspaper Cīņa (The Fight)". The plate dates back to Soviet times as in context of today's political conjuncture such fact is of no significance. All political parties, including the communist party, were banned during the president's K.Ulmanis dictatorship between 1934 and 1940.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Glass bottle recycling on Daugavpils street

2010-01-17T18:12:00.003Z

This is an old glass bottle recycling point on Daugavpils street in Riga. Perhaps it still functions but then the work hours timetable is lying as it was closed during the day. Interestingly, the point is on the basement floor and the window is so low, thus you would need to stand on the knees to pass your bottles to the collector.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Hoarfrost in Riga

2010-01-16T10:56:00.002Z

For the last few days the weather in Riga has been cold (around -15C) and sunny, so hoarfrost can bee seen on trees and bushes.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Ambulance garage

2010-01-15T10:42:00.004Z

The Soviet times neon lights on Tallinas street in Riga indicates that there's a base for ambulance cars. I don't know whenever the base is still operational as the most of the former base area has been rented out as garages.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Vai

2010-01-14T13:34:00.002Z

This old mural can be found on A.Briana street in Riga. In the screen that has been painted over you can still notice three big letters VAI. It's not only "oh" in Latvian, but is also short for Soviet times state vehicle inspection (Valsts autoinspekcija).
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

New Year

2009-12-31T10:38:00.001Z

This is a New Year's greetings card from 1979/1980 when Moscow was expecting to host Olympic games. Happy New year to everyone!

Sweets

2009-12-27T20:03:00.003Z

In Soviet times Christmas was celebrated in private, making the New Year Eve the main public event of the year. And for this occasion a full table of food is a must. These are photos of sweets by factories Uzvara and Laima in Soviet Latvia.
Photos from Latinform archives, 1974, 1978 and 1980

Good-bye Brivibas 32

2009-12-22T14:49:00.004Z

Today the department of philosophy and history of Latvian University left its premises on Brivibas street in Riga. Financial crisis in Latvia is affecting also education - the department was forced to change the location in order to save on rental costs. It had resided in this house for the last 63 years. Next year perhaps some refurbished offices will ruin this historical place.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Soviet Riga

2009-12-19T08:28:00.004Z

Lately a large advert has been temporarily removed from one of the walls near railway station in Riga, uncovering city's coat of arms from Soviet times. It is not easy to notice the difference because nowadays the arms looks quite similar - the star at the top is replaced with cross and two lions have joined on both sides.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Talsi

2009-12-18T13:33:00.003Z

Talsi is known as the town of nine hills and two lakes and is one of most beautiful and calm towns in Northwest Latvia, some 120 km from Riga. It has a lot of old wooden houses, small quiet streets, shabby shops and a few Soviet time symbols, such as the "Kursa" sign for the supermarket, or even older signs - in the second photo from the bottom one can spot a shop ad from Tsar times covered with another sign of "Talsi consumer society" from 1920s or 1930s.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Rio cinema

2009-12-17T10:42:00.004Z

In the boom of British cinema Hackney had 23 cinemas. Today only one has survived - Rio cinema in Dalston. This year the one of most popular independent cinemas in London is celebrating its 100th birthday. In 1909, Clara Ludski, the owner of an auctioneer's shop at 105 Kingsland High Street, recognised the growing potential of moving pictures and converted her shop into a 175-seat electric picture house. It was then called the Kingsland Palace and was among the first full-time cinemas.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Hammer & sickle in Vienna

2009-12-10T10:20:00.002Z

Communist symbols hammer and sickle can be spotted even in Vienna, Austria.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Socio-realism in Albania

2009-11-11T01:04:00.002Z

During Enver Hoxha's rule in Albania social realism in arts was practiced just like in Soviet Union. Perhaps even more enthusiastically. For instance, the mosaic in the top image is not created of coloured glass pieces as usually you would expect, but of small stones of natural colour.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Leningrad

2009-10-25T19:13:00.003Z

St.Petersburg has dozens of Soviet Union staff, from statuesques to manhole caps, which sometimes can make you feel as if the difference between Leningrad and St.Petersburg is only the name.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Pioneer street

2009-10-16T11:54:00.002+01:00

While walking down the Pioneer street (ulica Pionerov) in St.Petersburg you can observe a few pioneer stars on the houses.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Glass-cutters

2009-10-12T12:18:00.005+01:00

It is hard to guess if this glass-cutter workshop still exists. The ad found in Teika, Riga suggests that the workshop resides in another district in Purvciems, Riga. 6-digit number makes it at least 15 years old (nowadays Latvia has 8 digit numbers).
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Old Ventspils

2009-09-30T22:32:00.003+01:00

Ventspils is a coast town in West Latvia, considered wealthy, tidy and boring place. These are a few photos of the city centre that slightly compromise this image - old signs of fishermen's club and hospital, street water pump, weird old house and closed glass bottle recycling point.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Kronstadt

2009-09-25T21:05:00.004+01:00

Kronstadt island was founded in 1704 as a fortress to guard sea access to St.Petersburg and is located in the bay some 30 km from it. The Kronstadt Sea Fortress used to be considered the most fortified port in the world. In Soviet times it was a closed city (with restricted access to visitors) due to its military port and ship-building industry. Today the city seems quiet apart from many cadets in the streets.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Late emergency

2009-09-23T18:23:00.002+01:00

This old plate found in Liepāja, West Latvia says "in case of emergency after 6pm call...". It seems that in Latvian version someone has changed the time to "after 7pm".
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

RRR today

2009-09-22T21:24:00.005+01:00

Rīgas Radio Rūpnīca aka Radiotehnika RRR or just RRR for short, which means Riga Radio factory, was producing radios, turntables and cassette players in Soviet Latvia but went bust in 1990s. Located in Imanta district of Riga the waste territory is now occupied by various small companies, strorages and empty buildings. One of the companies is RRR VEF, a merge of names of RRR and another famous company VEF, however besides the grand name there is a small firm that produces sound speakers.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Lenin in St.Petersburg

2009-09-21T10:15:00.003+01:00

In St.Petersburg that used to carry Lenin's name (Leningrad) one can find dozens of monuments for the Soviet leader. These are just a few of them. The last photo with a wooden box has a special story. The ass of one of the main Lenin's monuments on Lenin's square was blown up by some explosives on the 1 April earlier this year. Lenin's ass is now under repair.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Narva/Ivangorod

2009-09-16T14:52:00.005+01:00

There is not much difference between Narva and Ivangorod, except for the fact that Narva is the third biggest city in Estonia, which is part of European Union, while Ivangorod is just a rural area in Leningradskaya oblast in Russia. In Soviet times they operated as a single town (even thought Ivangorod was oficially also a seperate town then) but today Ivangorod sinks into recession and survives only thanks to transit and contrabanda of alcohol and cigarettes. The first photos are from Narva, while the last six photos are from Ivangorod.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Lenin is back

2009-09-13T17:24:00.005+01:00

Yesteday there was a "white night" in Riga where various cultural events took place. One of them was a blue monument made by the artist Aigars Bikše. The statue that resembles Lenin occupied the same spot as Lenin's monument in the past. It was made of plastic and in a 2 minute sequence was inflating and deflating, thus referring to how political leaders rise and fall to power. The statue should remain there until 20 September.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

VEF culture house

2009-09-11T21:10:00.004+01:00

VEF kultūras pils in Riga is a culture house that bares the name of the famous State's electro-technical factory (Valsts Elektrotehniskā fabrika) even though the factory doesn't exist anymore - it bankrupted soon after the collapse of Soviet Union. The factory was producing telephones, radios and also is considered the birthplace for the world's smallest Minox camera. Built in typical 1950s monumental style the building today hosts various low-key events and youth hobby clubs.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus

Lenin in Narva

2009-09-10T15:30:00.004+01:00

In the Russian populated Narva, the city in Estonia near the border with Russia, Lenin has not been destroyed or vandalized like in many other Baltic cities, but only displaced. In the early 1990s from the central city square it moved to the nearby touristic Narva fortress, which makes it perhaps the best placed monument of Lenin in the Baltics.
Photo by (c) Arnis Balcus

Back to school

2009-09-01T08:02:00.004+01:00

1 September is the day when the school starts in Latvia and most East European countries. Pupils gather in the class but no lectures are held, instead they just meet the teacher as well as attend an official ceremony, such as director's speech in the main hall. In Soviet times pupils also had to visit the monument of Lenin and place red flowers. Today all flowers go to teachers only.
Photos from Latinform archive, 1977

East Sarajevo

2009-08-31T17:58:00.005+01:00

Istočno Sarajevo aka East Sarajevo is a district in suburban Sarajevo that is part of the autonomous Serbian republic. The area consists just of dozens of apartment blocks, some of them still not fully recovered since Bosnian war in 1990s.
Photos by (c) Arnis Balcus