A motif of the seal of Riga Town Council (1226) - walls of a medieval town, St. Peter's keys, and a crosier - is featured in the centre of the coin by matting the metal to different degrees. The year 1995, numeral 10 and inscription LATU (lats) are placed beneath the motif.
Reverse
The picture of Bishop Albert as depicted on his seal is featured by matting the metal to different degrees. The inscriptions BISKAPS ALBERTS (Bishop Albert) and XIII GS. (13th century), each arranged in a semicircle, are placed to the left and to the right of the picture, respectively. The inscription RIGA-800 is placed beneath the picture.
Edge
The inscriptions LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA (Republic of Latvia) and LATVIJAS BANKA (Bank of Latvia), separated by rhombic dots.
Riga is the heart of the Baltic, and over the centuries has been a city of many rulers. Desired and acquired, often ravaged and rebuilt, Riga remains the eternal bridge between East and West.
Riga grew dynamically in the 13th century. First mentioned in 1198 as a Liv and Cour settlement on the river Daugava, Riga soon became a significant city: the centre of Livonia and a member of the Hanseatic League in 1282. This rapid change was driven by Bishop Albert (Albrecht von Buxhoevden), the first Bishop of Riga, who arrived in the Baltic with 500 German crusaders. His mission was to unite the Baltic tribes in Christianity. Bishop Albert was the official founder of Riga (1201). In the course of the Bishop's 30 years rule Riga become a major trading centre. Riga's silhouette was defined with the castle of the Livonian Order, churches, monasteries and the Riga Dome, one of the grandest buildings of the medieval Livonia.
The 13th century was marked by the indigenous people's sacrifice: battles against suppression and catastrophic fires. By the end of the century, however, tradesmen's buildings had merged with the local population's villages creating the city Riga is today: ethnically diverse but firmly rooted in Western European culture.
The coin's reverse portrays a likeness of Riga's founder Bishop Albert with his sceptre. The city's wall with its towers is featured in Riga's first coat of arms (1226) on the coin's obverse. St. Peter's keys represent the protection of Papal curia, while the sceptre capped by a cross, the Bishop's power.