Riga is the largest city in the Baltics, full of Art Nouveau buildings.
House of Blackheads is maybe the most well-known symbol of Riga, but Riga is also known to be Northern Europe’s capital of Art Nouveau.
Riga, the capital of Latvia
Riga might have the finest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe. The City experienced great affluence as Art Noveau became fashionable, and you find examples of this striking style all over the City. Art Nouveau brings such unexpected air to this City’s streets.
The Riga Art Nouveau Centre
The Riga Art Nouveau Centre presents a complete picture of the historical heritage of Art Nouveau and offers an authentic environment for discovering Art Nouveau from the early 20th century. Moreover, the Latvian architect Konstantins Peksens lived and worked in the apartment that houses the museum today.
Visitors can see all the rooms in a flat in this museum – renovated wall and ceiling paintings, stained-glass windows, tile floors in the kitchen, oaken wall panels, furniture, paintings and other artwork, clothing, and authentic period items, and not to forget the beautiful painted staircase.
Mixing of styles
Since Latvia regained independence in 1991, Riga has developed, and change has been rapid and not consistently smooth. Glass and steel buildings have sprung up alongside the old town’s cobbled streets. Riga convinces as a city not stuck in time but a lively metropolis. The UNESCO heritage recognizes the historical center and the Art Nouveau architecture for protection.
The medieval Riga
Riga derived its prosperity in the 13th–15th centuries from trade with central and eastern Europe. Unfortunately, most of the old town burned down or was demolished during the two world wars. For many centuries the City was contained within the city walls. The space was developed into boulevards and parks when the walls were removed in the 19th century. This also made space for all the Art Nouveau architecture.
House of Blackheads
The house of Blackheads is one of Riga’s most impressive reconstruction projects and was initially from 1334. The building’s ground floor housed shops, and the guild hall was on the first floor. The Dutch Renaissance facade dates from the1500s and the clock in 1622. Both buildings were devastated by bombing in 1941, and the Soviet authorities demolished the remnants later—the current building date from 1999 has become a symbol for Riga.
Three Brothers
In Tallinn, they have the Three Sisters; I saw them in 2002. Here in Riga, they have the Three Brothers. Three buildings cover three distinctly different architectural styles. The gray one with the gothic niches dates from the 15th century. This is Rigas’s oldest residential building. The neighboring house dates from 1646. The style of the building shows influences from Dutch Mannerism. The last house of the three is a Baroque building that gained its present look probably during the late 17th century.
Conclusion
In my opinion, Riga has changed quite a lot since I was there first time in 2003. It has a nice atmosphere and a rich cafee lives. And the Art Nouveau buildings in this town are a good reason for going there.
