Russian courses in Riga with Stanislav & our team
Interested? Read the details on our program's new website. We're looking forward to welcome you to Riga and help you master Russian in an immersive, fun, and efficient way..
Russian immersion in Riga
Intensive and fun mini-groups in. All levels welcome! Minimal course - 1 week.
Instructors
Course instructors
Станислав и Алла Чернышовы
We're authors of the world-renowned Russian language textbooks “Poekhali!”, co-founders of Extra Class Language Center/Stanislav Academy, authors of the innovative self-study online platform Active Russian Grammar.
We have put together all our education, passion, and experience to create a unique, all-in-one Russian language learning method. Our books have sold over 200 000 copies, and we often travel around Europe holding workshops and training courses for Russian teachers.
This summer is Riga's turn. Join us, bring your friends along for the new best language trip of your life!
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Accommodation options
You can choose to stay in the host family, hostel, or hotel of your choice. Visit our new website for more details.
Click the button to see the detailed information with prices and links to the hotels' websites.
We have an agent for group bookings, please email us for organizational support.
Some curiosities and fun facts on Latvian history and connections with Russia
- Latvia was originally settled by the ancient people known as Balts. In the 9th century, the Balts came under the overlordship of the Varangians, or Vikings.
- Riga has been founded by crusaders known as “knights of the sword” who joined the famous Teutonic knights in 1237. Why? To be converted to Christianity and establish a new outpost for Christian expansion to the east. In the 12th century AD crusaders were sent to convert one of the last Pagan nations in Europe: Latvia. Missionaries had been sent into the country before, but their efforts had been in vain. The Latvians just refused to be Christian. Finally, it was decided that Latvia would have to be converted by force.
- In the following centuries, Riga flourished, becoming a large trading city, selling things such as furs, honey, and wax to larger countries. After the conquest, the Germans formed a so-called Livonian confederation, which lasted for more than three centuries. This feudalistic organization was not a happy one, its three components - the Teutonic Order, the archbishopric of Riga, and the free city of Riga - were in constant dispute with one another. Moreover, the vulnerability of land frontiers caused frequent wars. The Latvians, however, benefited from Riga's joining the Hanseatic League in 1282, as the league's trade brought prosperity, which later lasted through 200 years when it was run by the Russian Empire.
- Latvia was then controlled by Poland (1561), Sweden (1629), and the Russian empire (1721). The rulers of Muscovy had failed to reach the Baltic shores of the Latvian country in the 15th century, though Ivan III and Ivan IV had tried to do so. The Russian tsar Alexis renewed the attempt without success in his wars against Sweden and Poland (1653-67). Finally, however, Peter I the Great managed to "break the window" to the Baltic Sea. The Great Northern War concluded the struggle for influence in the Baltic Sea with the victory of Russia. On Riga’s capitulation in 1710 it was incorporated into the Russian Empire and the city became the administrative center of the province.
- The second half of the 19th century in Riga was a period of rapid change. The Russian Empire exercised a number of administrative reforms. New urban development plans resulted in the modern visual image of Riga. The defense ramparts were taken down and, on the site, high-rise public and apartment buildings formed the Boulevard Circle. During the 19th century, the program of Russification brought an end to the privileged status of Germans in the regions of Estonia and Latvia. Czar Alexander III, in 1885, instituted Russian as the compulsory language of government. It also led to the large-scale migration of Russian peasants into Latvia and Estonia.
- Riga was at the epicenter of the Latvian fight for independence in the early 20th century. After the Russian Revolution of March 1917, the Latvian National Political Conference convened at Riga, and asked for complete political autonomy in July. By 1919 Latvia had a functioning sovereign government. A Latvian constituent assembly, elected in April 1920, met in Riga on May 1; and on August 11 a Latvian-Soviet peace treaty was signed in Riga, the Soviet government renounced all claims to Latvia, which didn’t prevent its annexation by the USSR in 1940.
- Under the Soviets, Latvia experienced the greatest influx of ethnic Russians of all the Baltic republics. By 1989, the Russian population accounted for 34% of the total population, and ethnic Latvians 52% (the rest came from other Soviet republics). One of the reasons for this colonization was the country’s strategic location and extensive militarization. Riga was the headquarters of the Baltic Military District and the whole country was full of military installations. Most of the coastal area was under military control.
- Riga has the highest concentration of wooden architecture among European capitals. Excellent examples of architectural fantasies in wood can be found all over the city. Riga and Latvia have historically always had access to high-quality timber. In Riga the traditions of Russian craftsmanship met with the best of Western architectural building traditions. A must for lovers of wooden architecture is Kipsala Island.
- Riga is like a museum of architecture, covering periods from Gothic to Classicism. But the real treasure of the city is the largest and best-preserved collection of Art Nouveau buildings in the world. This fact was corroborated by UNESCO in 1997 and now the central section of Riga is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Riga is sometimes called the “capital” of Art Nouveau thanks to the heritage of 800 Art Nouveau buildings.
- Riga Old Town has remarkable sites like St.Peter’s Church with its famous rooster, St.Jacobs Church, Dom Square, and Dom Cathedral, home to one of the world’s most valuable historic organs. The Powder Tower and city walls will make you feel the breath of the Middle Ages. There are also the oldest stone residential dwellings: the Three Brothers, the Great and Small Guilds, and the fortification wall of Riga with the Swedish Gate as the last surviving gate in the wall. The guide will introduce you to the intriguing story of the Cat House and show you Town Hall Square with the beautiful and elegant Blackheads House.
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