- Address: Kaļķu iela 1A, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia;
- Area: 0.005 km²;
- Sightseeing: Blackhead House, Vazhnya, Roland Statue, Town Hall and Steeple of St. Peter's Church.
The most important part of the Old Town of Riga - Town Hall Square, is a true architectural masterpiece. The square takes its beginning in the XIII century as a market place where they sold meat and sausages, wines and beer drinks, bread and fish. Their products and souvenirs exhibited various masters and craftsmen. On the market square there was a shameful pillar for punishments and executions, as well as mass meetings and celebrations, performances and shows, parades and competitions.
Town Hall Square in Riga - sights
Acquaintance with Town Hall Square should begin with visiting the main house on it - the House of Blackheads . This building, like neighboring houses, was completely destroyed in the Second World War by German troops in 1941, only in 1999 it was completely restored and opened to visitors.
The house was built in the second quarter of the 14th century to accommodate the society of the Great Guild . At the end of the XV century it was leased to Chernogolov, and a century later the house became their property. From the original building there were only parts of the destroyed walls, so a tour of the house starts from the basement. It is there that you can literally touch the history of this building. In the basement there is an exposition of the medieval Riga. Here there are not only elements of the facade decoration of the House of Blackheads, but also the original Themis with the Town Hall , and various bronze statues. The collection includes different antiquities, which once belonged to merchants and prosperous townspeople, the original weather vane and the ancient clock tower.
The upper floors of the building are beautifully restored. Here you can see the decoration, inherent in this house in the years of glory and prosperity, until the destruction of the war. Rich decoration, carved furniture, paintings, textiles - everything says that the House of Blackheads was a special place for the rich people.
There are other houses in the Town Hall Square, as well as other monuments that deserve the closest attention of tourists, they include:
- A very interesting architectural structure is the Town Hall building. He is crowned with a statue of Themis, blindfolded and a sword in his hands, and on the other side of the roof there are bells. The modern building of the Town Hall is built on the site of the old building of the Institute, and originally the Town Hall stood on this square from the XIV century. Now in it the Riga Duma sits.
- A large layer of modern history of Latvia is kept in the Museum of Occupation . Here is an exposition dedicated to the life of the Latvian people from 1940 to 1991. Earlier, before 1991, the Town Hall Square in Riga was occupied by the Museum of Red Latvian Riflemen.
- In the central part of the square there is a seven-meter sculpture by Roland . This copy of the statue stands here since 2005, and its original is kept in the church of St. Peter.
- Its permanent recognition of the Town Hall Square was also due to the steeple of St. Peter's Church . The temple was built in the early 13th century and is an example of Gothic architecture. In the Middle Ages, this building was the highest in the city, its height was 123 m. The oldest school operated at the church. After the destruction of the Second World War, the church was restored only by 1984. Restoration work took more than 30 years. Part of the facade was deliberately not restored, in the edification of the descendants of the horrors of the war. In the building of the church of St. Peter there is an observation deck, which offers a fabulous view of the Old Riga. Preliminary it can be studied if you consider the city of Riga, Town Hall Square, in the photo. At the entrance to the site on the first floor is the Petushok, scorched by fascist fire from the tower of the church. Here is the museum of the history of this holy place.
How to get to the Town Hall Square?
Town Hall Square is located in the center of Old Riga , the eastern bank of the Daugava River serves as a landmark. To get to this meta, you can use public transport. Exit follows the stop, which is called Grenieku iela.
If you keep your way from the train station, you can reach your destination on foot in 20 minutes. The nearest attractions that are near the square are the monument to the Red Latvian Riflemen and the Stone Bridge.