Description: Town Hall Square
(Ratslaukums) is the unofficial centre of Riga, located at the place of the original German trading post. The 50m by 50m square leads in the west to
Strelnieku Square, named after the giant Soviet-era statue of the Latvian Riflemen, who fought beside the Russian army against German troops in WWI. From here the Akmens bridge crosses the Daugava to Riga's new town.
In WWII the German bombings heavily damaged the square, followed by a near destruction by rampaging Soviet troops. They rebuilt the houses after the war, but as you can see from this
Communist era Riga picture Stalin did not want to reconstruct the
fascist (i.e. German) buildings. After Latvian independence the new government had them finally rebuilt according their original plans. First of all, the statue in the centre of the square depicts the semi-historical medieval character Roland. In the 15th century many German towns (Riga being one of them) erected a statue of the informal merchantman hero as a symbol of trade being the major source of income these days. The current Roland is a recent copy of the 19th-century statue that was destroyed during WWII.
The northernmost building on the square is the neo-classical Town Hall. The original building dates from the 13th century. During the classical revival in the 17th century, the town council restyled the edifice to its current look. The Soviets tore down the heavily damaged building; only to be reconstructed after Latvia's independence in 1990.
A similar history underwent the impressive red brick building in the southern end. The House of the Blackheads
(Melngalvju Nams), was constructed in the 14th century in early Gothic style by the Merchant's Guild. The name "Blackheads" comes from the banner of the Guild's single member's association, depicting the bust of black Moorish Saint Mauritius. Extensive restoration works during the 16th-17th century left the building with a new facade characteristic for German architecture during this period. The front contained colourful statues, metal forgings and an astronomical clock. The 19th century Schwab House next door houses Riga Tourist Information and displays a similar style.
St. Peter's Church towers over these buildings. The original wooden church burned down often and was finally replaced by a stone church in the 15th century. The current design dates from a restoration in the 17th century. The tower was heavily damaged by Nazi troops and was reconstructed in 1970 by the Soviet authorities. They also added an elevator in the church tower (€2 admission) offering a great view on the Town Hall Square and far beyond.
The building that now houses the
Latvian Occupation Museum has a completely different history. The ugly-looking Soviet building was erected in 1970 to house the Museum of the Latvian Riflemen, a branch of the Soviet Revolution Museum of the
Latvian SSR. Since independence it has been refurbished to display the atrocities of the double occupation from Latvia by Nazi Germany and later Communist USSR.
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