Ķengarags

Ķengarags is a neighborhood in the city of Riga, Latvia. It is located in the southern part of the city. Ķengarags borders the Daugava River to the west, the Riga-Moscow railroad line to the east, Rumbula to the south, and Krasta Residential Neighborhood to the north.

History

Ķengarags was a location of Sword Brothers fort, built in 1208 AD. The name "Ķengarags" dates back to late 16th century AD and is a combination of two words "Ķenga", a name of a farmer who lived in the area, and "rags", the Latvian word for horn. (The Daugava river makes a horn shaped turn in the Ķengarags area.)

Present

Ķengarags consists of three neighborhoods, known as Ķengarags, Ķengarags-2, and Ķengarags-3 from north (center of Riga) to south (outskirts) respectively. Each of these parts of Ķengarags consists of both residential and commercial areas. The main streets of Ķengarags are Lokomotīves iela and Maskavas iela bordering Ķengarags on the east and west respectively.

There are several ways to get to Ķengarags from downtown Riga. For the points on the east side, the quickest way is the elektrichka, a suburban train service using the Riga-Moscow railroad. The stations on the railroad line within Ķengarags are Jāņavarti, Daugmale, and Šķirotava. From Riga Central Train Station by elektrichka it takes about 15 minutes. An alternative to taking the elektrichka would be either route 7 or 9 tram which follows Maskavas iela and terminates at the Dole supermarket. The most commonly used method of Ķengarags residents to get to city center is the route 15 trolleybus, which runs through residential neighborhoods and terminates at the southern tip of Ķengarags on Višķu iela.

The residential areas of Ķengarags consist of private houses and apartment buildings, consisting of 4, 5, 9, and 12-story buildings. Most apartments have cable television which was installed in the last years of Soviet occupation. Most of other Riga neighborhoods receive their television programs through on-roof antennas. The residents of Ķengarags also benefit from the proximity of Daugava river which is within walking distance for many people.

External links

* [http://www.unep.ch/scope/archive/baltic/Background%20report-Latvia_Draft_rev15Jun04.doc Latvian demographics report]
* [http://www.agenda21riga.lv/upload_file/300073/RigaCityOfficialPlan.doc Riga development report]