this elegant hat. The crown with a spring arrangement, and silver brooches adorned, the brim is huge, like a wagon wheel. And including a triumphant Smile. It is part of Gunta Megne-Sirma, which leads to this afternoon by the cool rooms, a chandelier made out of opal glass, there is an embroidered curtain. As we are the stucco ceiling, which is decorated with daisies motives, asks us in a room the Mittdreißigerin cheerful: “this Is not the most beautiful apartment in the world?”
Eight rooms, 208 square meters, four-Meter-high Ceilings: The art Nouveau centre, by the us Megne-Sirma is located in a 1903-built apartment building at Alberta iela, Albert – street. Today, the apartment is located in Riga’s old town, a Museum, furnished with Original furniture: Sofas, chairs, and Horn-Gramophones to a wood-paneled icebox.
Alberta is a youth style Palace stands next to the other. In awe of the view of the sky wanders Gables blue facades up to the stone lion masks and Baroque Amazons, to tips Wrong and long cornices.
Surrounded by Art nouveau
Nowhere else in the world have so many art Nouveau houses in Riga. Around 1900, the Hanseatic city has experienced significant growth and quickly developed the style metropolis with more than half a Million inhabitants. Local architects including Mikhail Eisenstein, whose son Sergei in 1930, was the Film “battleship Potemkin” famous, created in a short time, amazingly many, generally five-storey art Nouveau-style houses.
Although Similar was also in Brussels, Paris, Munich and Leipzig. Riga is around 800 Art nouveau buildings, however, were characterised by their especially generous, mostly cheerful and playful decor.
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Gunta Megne-Sirma leads visitors through the art Nouveau centre in a building from 1903.
©Anastasia Shvachko
Today, these style icons in the center at least one-third of all the buildings. The most beautiful facades, almost 30 years after the end of the Soviet Era usually magnificently renovated, you can discover the best foot. Never are you in Riga on the way to achieve a goal. The architectural styles in Latvia’s capital are so versatile, that everyone is going to explore is tour. In the old city with the winding of the Convention and Hanseatic stepped Gables buddenbrooks “- Flair attracts stations”. On the town hall square and the blackheads house is in the Gothic style, once a meeting place of predominantly German-Baltic citizenship.
Not A new library as an attraction
far away, on the other Bank of the river Daugava, rises like a pyramid, the 68-metre-high national library, designed by Latvian-American architect Gunnar Birkerts.
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Rigas-the new landmark of the Latvian national library
©Toms Auzins Picture-Alliance
“Sydney has his great Opera, the Hamburg, the Elbphilharmonie, now we have created with this library, a modern landmark,” says Ieva Zibarte, 46. The architect leads you through a bright Atrium up to the heart of the glassy avant-garde construction: a partially mirrored wall of books, ranging over five floors. The giant shelf was also a Design object, says Zibarte. “In modern libraries we like books, we wanted to counteract.”
For the opening four years ago, the citizens of the city formed a human chain to carry the stock of the old national library across the river Daugava in the new building. An enthusiasm that continues to this day; a day up to 2000 visitors.
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The city the channel is from Riga’s old fortress created
©Anastasia Shvachko
digging For months, Latvia celebrates with great Fanfare and a lot of Folklore its founding 100 years ago. Last weekend, the jubilee sound of the national holiday on 18. November with the festival of light “Staro Riga”, “Riga Shine”. In the city, the mood, already in the summer of the first Biennale took place, with works by more than 100 artists from all over the world.
Old buildings, new life
Many visitors rush from the airport the first in the Miera street. Hardly anyone is there, over 30, popular Bars such as “Autentika”, “Modernist” and “Valmiermuiža”. “Built in 1887 by C. Stritzky” is faded on English at the top of the walls of a former beer factory. In the backyard herring grilled, warm rye bread.
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In the Restorans 3 sous Chef Zanis Behmanis cooking with regional ingredients
©Anastasia Shvachko
Everywhere young chefs tinkering here, a Latvian style. “We are a Nordic country, as the Good of the forests and the gardens, everything,” says Zanis Behmanis, 28, sous Chef at the Restorans 3. For Starters, there is in him, elderflower and deep fried ants on Carrots, then Cod in birch SAP syrup. Drink is a fruity malt Pils, one of over 100 different local Beers. The Brew, say, the Latvians, is part of their DNA.
“was there once a large textile factory,” says Artis Zvirgzdins, 44, and shows an impressive ruin near the Miera. “Now artists set up their studios here.” Zvirgzdins operates a architecture site and lead groups of visitors through Riga. One of his favorite places is the river island of Kipsala. On the shores of idyllic old captain’s houses are made of wood. The views of the old town allows visitors to reverent silence.
the Jewish Museum in Warsaw On a journey through 1000 years
The wooden architecture was once widespread in Riga. Many of the approximately 4000 existing wooden buildings were reconstructed, especially magnificent in the nearby glamorous resort of Jurmala on the 30-Kilometer-long Baltic sea beach. Here, on the Baltic Riviera, was attending already Catherine the Great. Today, the financial aristocracy is more likely, and some of the wooden mansions richly decorated in the Byzantine style – is a Porsche with a Moscow license plate.
On the promenades reigns Russian – Latvian- English language tangle. Quickly you feel that Riga is a bridge city between East and West.
