Riga Central Market

Riga Central Market (Latvian: Rīgas Centrāltirgus) is Europe's largest market and bazaar in Riga, Latvia. It is one of the most notable structures from the 20th century in Latvia and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list together with Old Riga in 1998. It was planned from 1922 and built from 1924 to 1930. The main structures of the market are five pavilions constructed by reusing old German Zeppelin hangars and incorporating Neoclassicism and Art Deco styles. The market is 72,300 square metres (778,000 sq ft) wide with more than 3,000 trade stands. The joint stock company Rīgas Centrāltirgus is currently owned by the Riga municipality, and the chairman of the board since 2010 is Anatolijs Abramovs. Currently, due to the rise of supermarkets, the market is showing similar trends and is seen as a cheap shopping place in Riga, however Riga City Council has expressed priority of preserving the market's mission and cultural value. The main goal of the company's board of directors is increase of customer flow throughout the market. They noted that among the problems is petty theft, customer deceit, and homeless people.