St. Peter's Church, Riga
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St. Peter's Church is a tall church in Riga, Latvia, named after Saint Peter.
It was first built in 1209 as a church for the people. It was enlarged at the beginning of 15th century, beginning in 1409, by the mason Johann Rumeschottel of Rostock, whose first known work was the Marienkirche in Rostock, and who understood the ways of Riga.
The current tower was completed in 1746. It was last restored before 1973. The tower was struck by lightning 6 times, and collapsed on two of these occasions, in 1666 and again in 1721.
Before World War II it was the highest wooden building in Europe. During the war the roof and the tower were damaged in a fire.
Soviet engineers restored the church in the 1970s, and installed an elevator that allows people to look out over the city of Riga from a height of about 70 metres.
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Coordinates: 56°56′51″N 24°06′34″E / 56.9475°N 24.10944°E
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