As any other medieval town, Riga was girded by strong fortified walls. In places these walls survived but not in their original appearance, but with added buildings.
You can see the old fortified city walls, as well as the Powder Tower, one of the strongest towers, in the north-western area of the Old Town, near the Jacob`s Barracks. It would be better to reach the area from the Riga Castle, or from the Dome Cathedral. Before that you should follow Maza Pils Street to see the Three Brothers buildings.
Opposite the long yellow building, which is called the Jacob`s Barracks, you can see the restored section of Riga City Walls. It is just there that you can see how the original walls looked, and how the buildings were attached to them later.
At the time of the Swedish rule the citizens of Riga had to pull down the city walls, but for their certain sections, which were also the back of some houses. The houses were built close to the wall as the streets of the medieval town were very narrow, so the city walls already ceased to perform their main function of protecting the city.
Near the Jacob`s Barracks you should see the Swedish Gate. It is the only original city gate, which survived until our time. Opposite the Swedish Gate you can see the Executioner`s House with a tiny window where a flower was always put up on the day of execution.
Small sections of the city walls survived near St. Peter`s Church, as well as within the restaurants on the Livu Square. There the houses were also built close to the old city walls.
