- Address: Atgriežu iela, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia;
- Built: in 1698;
- Open: round the clock.
Walking along the Old Riga , it is impossible not to notice an unusual monumental arch decorating a series of houses on the street Tornia. In fact, this is not an arch, but a medieval city gate, which is the only surviving structure of this type in the Old City. In total, only 8 fortress gates remained in the capital, but it is with the Swedish that the most interesting legends and stories are connected.
The Swedish Gates in Riga - History
The Swedish gates appeared in 1698. This time of active development of the city, its borders rapidly expanded, and the population grew rapidly. Even where there used to be a wasteland, more and more new houses appeared every year behind the city wall. And the main fortress wall was constantly "overgrown" with new buildings. After all, it was very profitable - to attach to the finished facade only part of the building, saving on the whole wall.
The population of the quarter grew, but there were still no roads here. It was necessary each time to make a large detour along the street of Jekaba, skirting the Powder Tower. In addition to the usual population, the inhabitants of the quarter were also supplemented by soldiers who were settled in the barracks of Jekaba. The question of the urgent connection of the streets of Tornu and Trokšņu "became an edge."
The chief engineer of the city, having inspected all buildings, stated that the most optimal and economical solution to the problem would be the organization of the gates in the house number 11. The owner of the building first protested, because the new project assumed the demolition of the chimney and stairs, but the authorities promised him to compensate for all the damages, and the landlord agreed.
Construction of the gate was about a year. The width of the inner arch was almost 4 meters, the facade part of the gate was decorated with the Saarema dolomite. Arch vaults adorned stones with the image of lions. Architects approached the design creatively, and depicted a lion, located on the side of the city, with a ring in the mouth, and the predator that was located on the side of the military barracks - with a fierce grin.
Every evening the gates closed on a powerful bolt. If you look closely, you can still see the remnants of ancient hinges from the side of Troshkia Street. At night the watchman was on duty here.
Why are the gates in Latvia called Swedish?
Historians put forth many hypotheses, each of which explains in its own way the origin of the name of the Swedish gate in Riga. We present you the most popular of them:
- from 1621 to 1711 Riga was occupied by the Swedes, and therefore it was decided to name the new city structure in honor of the usurper country;
- some believe that the name came from Swedish soldiers who were quartered in nearby barracks, because the new gate was used not so much by townspeople as the military themselves;
- the lion is one of the main symbols of Sweden, we can assume that thanks to the stone lions that decorated the gate, they were called Swedish;
- Another version links the origin of the name of the famous arch with the bravery of the Swedish troops: when the Russians captured Riga during the Northern War, Peter I was genuinely surprised by the courage and devotion of the Swedes with whom they fought not even for their native lands (he allowed a brave army to leave the city, and the defeated Swedes left precisely through the gate in the street Tornia).
Whatever it was, one of the main attractions of Latvia continues for many centuries to bear the name associated with its historical enemy.
Legends about the Swedish gates in Riga
It so happened that many famous gates, arches and tunnels are associated with some kind of love story. Probably, because such romantic places always attracted the attention of lovers. The Swedish gates were no exception.
One legend says that at a time when there was a severe military order in the country, and soldiers were on duty at the gates day and night, one tragedy happened. Young girl, in love with the Swedish military, in spite of all prohibitions, was looking for a meeting with her beloved. They could only see at the gate, since the soldiers were forbidden to leave the barracks yard, and the citizens were not allowed to enter here. Young people could occasionally see each other, avoiding guards, but one day the irreparable happened. The guards noticed and seized the girl. The situation was aggravated by the fact that she was not Swedish, so the punishment for her was chosen as cruel as possible - she was walled in unhappy living. Since then exactly at midnight under the arches of the Swedish gate in Riga, you can hear the last words of the girl, which she whispered before death - "I love you". But not everyone can do this, but only those whose heart is filled with the most powerful and all-absorbing feeling - love.
There is also a legend about the mysterious executioner who lived right in front of the Swedish gate. He led a double life - he worked as a major city sewer and occasionally provided terrible services to the authorities - he executed people disliked by the government. At the agreed place, the messenger left him a job application - a black glove. The day before the scheduled execution in his window, the executioner always exhibited a bright scarlet rose.
The Swedish gates of Riga in our days
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the house with the Swedish gates was decayed, it was decided to demolish it. But the society of architects zealously stood up for the monument of history and persuaded the authorities to rent them this house for 15 years. During this time, a small reconstruction of the building was carried out, the main bearing structures were reinforced and facades were reconstructed.
Today, the Union of Architects is located in the building with the Swedish Gate, which united 3 houses (No. 11, 13, 15). There is also a creative studio, an exhibition and a concert hall, as well as a library.
How to get there?
Prior to the Swedish gate, the distance from the Riga airport is 9.5 km, from the railway station - 1 km.
Given that the territory of Old Riga is a pedestrian zone, you can only get there on foot. The nearest public transport stop is 500 meters away - Nacionalais teatris - tram stop 5, 6, 7 and 9.