Latvia

Second World War bombing raids reduced the buildings around Town Hall Square to rubble in 1941. Only... the statue of Roland, the knight who has symbolized north German cities since the 14th century, survived the war almost unscathed. Fortunately, the restoration of Riga's most important square was completed in 2001 in time for the 800th anniversary of the city's foundation. On entering Town Hall Square, the most striking feature is the splendid Renaissance decorated gables of the House of Blackheads. The house was initially used by various fraternities and associations before falling into the hands of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, a group of young unmarried merchants who took as their patron saint an imaginary African black moor (hence their name), in the 17th century. On the opposite side of the square, you will see the reconstructed Town Hall with its facade, which is relatively simple when compared to that of the House of Blackheads. A modern shopping mall was built into the new Town Hall during rebuilding. more

The House of Blackheads is one of Riga's architectural gems. It was badly damaged by bombing on 29 June... 1941 and torn down by the Soviets after the end of the Second World War. However, the House of Blackheads was entirely rebuilt to its original design for Riga's 800th anniversary celebrations in 2001. This reconstruction was undertaken using photographs and details from the few remaining documents. Since then, the building has once again been Riga's pride and joy. The reconstruction also fulfilled one of the wishes of the Blackheads. In the 15th century, they erected a plaque in their house prophetically requesting, "If ever I should fall into ruin, build me up anew". The showpiece of the brick building is its facade with its decorated gables in the style of the Dutch Renaissance. It is decorated with the lion-guarded coats of arms of the Hanseatic cities of Riga, Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck. The front is also adorned by an astronomic clock, St. Mary, St. Mauritius (the Blackheads' imaginary Moorish patron saint from whom they got their name) and St. George fighting the lion. Inside the building, you can visit the wonderful banqueting hall on the top floor and the Blackheads' silver collection. more

From the 14th century onwards, the craftsmen and merchants of Riga organized themselves into guilds.... These were only dissolved in 1935. The splendid guildhalls on Amatu Street can still be admired to this day. The handicraft guild was initially based in the chapel of the former Franciscan monastery. Because it was smaller than the house of the merchants, it was known as the "Small Guildhall". The present guildhall was erected between 1864 and 1866 in the English late Gothic style to match the style of the Large Guildhall. Artistic stained glass was later added to nearly all the windows of the Small Guildhall and the interior was richly decorated. Although they were subsequently whitewashed over, renovation work in the year 2000 managed to bring most of these paintings to light again. The merchants' guild also organized itself around the middle of the 14th century. It gathered in the former refectory of the Franciscan monastery. Reconstruction of their guildhall between 1852 and 1860 saw the addition of a splendid hall with a Gothic vaulted ceiling. Today, the philharmonic orchestra plays in the Large Guildhall, while the Small Guildhall is used as a venue for conferences and cultural events. more