The origins of Kronvalda Park go back to the 15th century, and for most of its existence it has been a closed territory. In the beginning the master of the Park was the so-called Riflemen Society. Nowadays the only witnesses of those old days are the huge trees in the Park. The first and the most important event in the life of Kronvalda Park took place in 1883, when the park territory was extended considerably at the expense of Riga City, according to the project of the outstanding garden master Georg Kuhfalt. The second major reconstruction was made in the first quarter of the 20th century, according to the project of Andrejs Zeidaks. Then great attention was paid to flower beds and the rosarium, where there were 2,000 rosebushes. A.Zeidaks had planned to create a botanical garden here; therefore, many foreign trees and bushes were ordered from Germany. However, in the cold winter of 1939 half of the plantation perished. Kronvalda Park, or Riflemen Garden as it was called then, was opened to the public only around 1930. The park got its current name in the 1930s from Atis Kronvalds, a member of the Neo-Latvian movement. In its lifetime Kronvalda Park has witnessed countless reconstructions and improvements. The dendrologic composition of the Park, is the second richest of any public space in Riga - an expert could find about 104 species and forms of foreign trees and bushes here.* * Information used for this description was taken from the article Ak, kungs, Kronvalda parks! by M.Eglitis, Vides vestis, 02.02.2004
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