Big Christopher

The following text is from a plaque:

LEGEND OF RIGA
"Once upon a time, long ago, before the city of Riga was founded, a tall strong, man named Lielais Kristaps (Big Christopher) carried people across the river Daugava.

Kristaps lived in a cabin on right bank of the river. While sleeping one night, Kristaps heard a small child crying on the other side of the river. He immediately rose to fetch the child, and began to carry it across the river.

Halfway across, the child became so heavy that Kristaps barely managed to get to the other bank. Exhausted, he laid the child down to sleep in his shack, and fell asleep himself.

The following morning Kristaps awoke to find a large chest of gold coins where the child had been. Upon his death, the money was used to found the city of Riga, the first building was build on the spot where Kristaps cabin had once stood."

Gints Upitis in 1997 made copy of the original wooden sculpture built by Michael Brinkman in 1683. (The original statue is
located in Museum of History of Riga and Navigation.)Read more