Mežaparks (park)

Mežaparks (lit. transl. Forest Park) is a large urban park in the Mežaparks neighbourhood of Riga, the capital of Latvia. The park is home to the open-air Mežaparks Great Bandstand and has Riga Zoo located next to it as well as access to Ķīšezers lake. The 424 ha (1,048 acres) territory is covered with coastal dunes, much of it with boreal forests, both protected conserved biotopes. The territory began to be used for recreation in the 18th century and was added to Riga's territory in the 19th century. In 1901, the Mežaparks neighbourhood became Russian Empire's first architectural project to use the garden city movement. The area was expanded and developed during the first half of the 20th century, primarily serving as an elite sports complex. After World War II in 1949, the Soviet Government carried out a major expansion of the park and inaugurated it as a public park with many recreational areas and buildings. Up until the end of the 20th century, the park continued to serve as a public park. Although little of the Soviet architecture survives, the park has seen a resurgence after restoration of Latvia's independence and is currently a popular recreational location. The park and the neighbourhood are a national heritage site and architectural cultural monuments.