点评:The National Academy of Science building was gifted by Stalin to his subjects in Latvia. Interestingly, there was a similar "gift" to Warsaw in Poland that was used as a Palace of Culture, though according to the guide from whom I received a tour in Warsaw, the Soviet Union later demanded compensation from the Poles to cover the cost of the building. Since Latvia was part of the Soviet Union at that time, the "gift" was paid for by wage deductions from workers on collective farms in Latvia. At least on the outside, both buildings are beautiful and impressive, and both include observation decks. However, the observation deck on the building in Warsaw is fenced in to prevent jumpers. In Riga, the deck is open to the elements, and there are wonderful views of the city in all directions. I visited in the morning, and I tried to go again at dusk, but, alas, the ticket marked with the day's date was only good for one entry. It's outside the main tourist area on the other side of the enormous Riga Central Market, but I think that it's worth the ten-minute walk from the Old Town Riga.
翻译:苏联国家科学院大楼是斯大林赠予拉脱维亚民众的“礼物”。有趣的是,苏联也曾向波兰的华沙赠送过类似的“礼物”,那座建筑后来被用作文化宫。不过,据带我游览华沙的导游所述,苏联后来要求波兰人支付费用以补偿建造成本。由于当时拉脱维亚属于苏联的一部分,这笔“礼物”的费用实际上是通过扣除拉脱维亚集体农庄工人的工资来支付的。至少从外观上看,这两座大楼都十分漂亮且气派,而且都设有观景台。不过,华沙那座大楼的观景台装有围栏,以防有人跳楼。而里加的观景台则完全开放于自然环境之中,从那里可以欣赏到四面八方的城市美景。我早上去过一次,黄昏时又试图再去一次,可惜的是,印有当日日期的门票仅允许进入一次。它位于里加中央市场另一侧,不在主要的旅游区范围内,不过我认为从里加老城步行十分钟前往还是很值得的。