Bastejkalns, which is on the site of the former Sand Bastion, is a surviving remnant of RigaÕs ramparts, which were leveled in the late 1850s. The beautiful gardens, which opened in 1863, were developed by A. Vendt, the architect of Lubeck City gardens. In 1898 the park was redesigned by Georg Kuphalt, Director of Riga City gardens, who built the stone embankments with small cascades and waterfalls to resemble a mountain river. The canal, which is three kilometers long and two meters deep, was originally part of the town defenses and was some 90 meters wide. Both ends of the canal, which was restored and strengthened in 2001, terminate in the Daugava.