Some believe that City 17 is based on Riga, Latvia. This is based again on the strong similarities between the game and the city. Interestingly, part of Riga, known as "Old Riga" is strongly reminiscent of Ravenholm. Riga is also a coastal city with a coastline that closely matches that shown in Raising the Bar. Riga has been strongly influenced by Russian culture and as such features numerous examples of both Latvian and Russian (Cyrillic) languages. Its skyline is dotted with many buildings of a similar style and colour as seen in City 17, and the area is famous for its Art Nouveau influences. Old Riga is an area that is also dotted with tramlines and churches, any of which would fit with Father Grigori's character. Most interestingly, however, is the number of spires on the skyline (especially the suspension bridge) and Riga Castle - all of which cluster around "Citadale Street" - a possible inspiration for the Citadel in Half-Life 2. City 17 could also be based on Vilnius, Lithuania, as the streets in HL2 are similar to the ones in Vilnius. The only difference is the addition of the canals.
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