- Address: Rātslaukums 7, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia;
- Opening: 1999;
- Website: melngalvjunams.lv;
- Phone: +371 67 181 800.
The House of Blackheads is one of the most striking architectural landmarks in Latvia . It is a very ancient object, which was built in the 14th century. The building is located on the central street - Town Hall Square , and invariably attracts the attention of tourists who make walks in the city center.
House of the Blackheads in Riga - history
The first mention of the House of Blackheads dates back to the times of the Livonian Order (1334), which conducted military operations on these lands. This building became a place of commerce for a community of merchants who called themselves the "Great Guild". Here they carried out their purchases and conducted retail trade. In this building they waited for deliveries of goods from other countries, which became possible when wandering traders visited the city. It was foreign merchants who decided to create the Blackheads company in Riga , which represented a counterbalance to settled trade.
Later, they were joined by entrepreneurs who saw the benefits in wholesale sales, and so the Order was formed. The brotherhood chose as the patron Saint Mauritius, who was from Ethiopia and was of the origin of black people, so the merchants were subsequently named the Order of the Blackheads.
The Second World War brought destruction to Riga, and the Town Hall Square was completely destroyed. Among the ravaged buildings was the House of Blackheads. He was not only touched from the outside, looters took out of his premises all the legacy of the brotherhood. Subsequently, part of the stolen property was returned, but many precious things were not found. After the end of the war, the building was not started for a long time.
Only when Latvia became independent, it was decided to begin the restoration of the historical object. The builders had to work on the old interior plans, they were very fuzzy photos. However, in 2000, the House of Blackheads in Riga, based on the history of the building, was built in the same place and restored to its original condition.
Architectural features of the building
The modern House of Blackheads ( Latvia ) coincides in size with the historical building, and the foundation of the destroyed building serves as a basement for the new one. The features of the placement of premises were as follows. In the center of the building is a hall, it was the main room, which in turn had several rooms. On the upper floors were warehouses.
The facade of the building was supplemented with years, its first decoration was made in the 17th century in the style of the Middle European early Baroque. Subsequently, it was supplemented with a litho-like decor of stone, artistic forging and a huge clock. In 1886 on the facade were installed four zinced statues - Neptune, Mercury, Unity and Peace.
During the reconstruction in the new building, they tried to recreate the old type of the building as much as possible. To date, you can admire the building not only from the outside, inside there are the Festive Hall and the Lübeck Hall. At one time, the Holiday Hall received distinguished guests from all countries, according to historical data, Peter I and Catherine II visited here. The hall retained its historical interior:
- on the ceilings there are huge crystal chandeliers;
- on the wall there is the emblem of the Order of the Blackheads, other symbols of the brotherhood and the icon of the patron Saint of Mauritius;
- on the walls there are personal portraits of guests at home, these are works of famous artists of the 17th and 18th centuries.
The building contains a huge number of exhibits, purchased with the money of the Order, these are silver items, snuffboxes and paintings. The building of the House of Blackheads can rightly be considered one of the most beautiful architectural sights of Latvia.