10 Lats Collector Coin Dedicated to Riga's 800 year Anniversary. Coin dedicated to 19th Century Riga.

In 1812, the Napoleonic troops invading Russia occupied part of Latvia (Courland) and threatened Riga. Exposed to warfare, citizens of Riga developed a defence strategy. The price paid to save the city, however, was high: its suburbs were burnt down. After the war, new better laid-out suburbs, now part of Riga's centre, were built.

The second half of the 19th century saw Riga's transformation from a medieval fortress to a modern European city and one of the largest cities of the Russian Empire. Once Riga was joined to the country's main railway system, trade developed briskly. The port of Riga became the largest one in the Russian Empire in terms of export. The city accumulated fiscal capital to promote new branches of industry. The second half of the 19th century was a time of rapid economic upturn during which Riga expanded. Numerous eclectic buildings, both public and apartment houses, were constructed in the Old Town and on the newly created boulevards along the canal.

At the turn of the century, the multinational population of Riga amounted to three hundred thousand, and almost half of them were Latvians.

In 1877, city administration was changed by restructuring the city council to have two chambers, the legislative and the executive. Moreover, the reform granted to the council the right to elect a mayor for the first time.

Riga became a scientific, educational and cultural centre. The Latvian Association of Riga, established in 1868, was the heart of the cultural and social life of Riga's Latvians. The Association made a contribution to Latvian unity by organizing the First National Song Festival in the summer of 1873. The festival has not lost its importance and is still held. The coin's reverse depicts a scene of the festival procession.