House of Unity (Daugavpils)

• Address: Rīgas iela 22A, Daugavpils, LV-5401, Latvia;
• Phone: +371 65 426 000;
• Website: vienibasnams.lv.

Travelers who have found themselves in Latvia , it is recommended to visit the city of Daugavpils , which is the second largest after the capital of the country of Riga . It has a lot of cultural attractions, one of the most memorable is the Unity House in Daugavpils, which is located on one of the central streets of Riga.

House of Unity in Daugavpils - history

This is a huge building, built in 1936 by the talented architect Varnes Vitands. A huge amount of money was spent on the construction of the house, which was provided by the state budget, and significant donations were also made to build this building. The construction took a year and a half and 600 cars of bricks.

At that time the House of Unity in Daugavpils was considered the largest building in the Baltic States. The building had a style of those times, where there was complete simplicity and rigor from the outside, but at the same time there was a variety of colors inside. The multi-storey building was created for public purposes, and it fully fulfilled this function, the city library, the Latvian society and the dramatic theater are located inside.

In this form, the building did not last long, during the liberation of the city from the Nazis the facades were destroyed, even the inscription on the House of Unity was stolen by the Germans. However, the building was not lost, it continued its work, there appeared a bank, a printing house, a hotel and many other institutions.

Modern House of Unity in Daugavpils

At the beginning of the 21st century, in the Unity House in Daugavpils, reconstruction was started, new features were introduced that should be present in multi-storey buildings:

1. In 2002-2004 the auditorium in Daugavpilssky theater has been improved.
2. In 2004, a memorial plaque was placed on the building, where the genius architect of this building is listed.
3. In 2008, in the Central Library appeared a survey elevator, which operates only up to 4 floors, and later there was another elevator.
4. In 2009, we started greening the territory, which attached to the theater. In addition, there was a restoration of lanterns from cast iron, which from the very beginning of the work of the House of Unity illuminated the entrance to the building, the damaged granite steps were removed from the porch.
5. In 2010, large-scale works began to strengthen the building: reinforcement of the foundation, repair of underground premises, renovation of the facade and the addition of lighting around the building.
6. On September 17, 2010, the reconstructed House of Unity opened in Daugavpils, where the President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis arrived, who introduced his addition - planted an oak near the building.
7. However, the building was not as strong as expected, during the snowy winter of 2010-2011, flooding ceilings and walls. The City Duma did not neglect this fact and contributed money for repair work to restore the roof.
8. In 2011, a memorial plaque was installed on the mayor of the city Andris Shvirkst, who held this post in the period 1938-1940.

How to get to the House of Unity in Daugavpils?

The House of Unity in Daugavpils is located in the central part of the city, therefore it will not be difficult to get to it. It occupies a whole block in the perimeter of Rigas - Gimnaziyas - Saules - Vienibas streets.