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Riga is the site of a university (est. 1919), the Latvian Academy of Sciences (1946), and numerous other educational and cultural institutions. The old section, or Hansa town, of Riga is circled by a park-lined moat and includes the ancient castle of the Livonian Knights (rebuilt at various periods), the 13th-century Lutheran cathedral (rebuilt 16th cent.), and the Parliament building (19th cent.). The famous Hanseatic Schwarzhaupter House (15th cent.) and the Church of St. Peter with a steeple 412 ft (126 m) high were largely destroyed during World War II. The old town, with its narrow, cobbled streets lined with gabled dwellings and warehouses, has retained much of its medieval character.
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