Town Hall Square
Riga's Old Town is home to the city's historic Town Hall Square. More than 500 years ago, the city's first Christmas tree was placed here and many historical events took place here. Unfortunately, the original buildings were destroyed during the Second World War. But in the post-war years, some of the former buildings were reconstructed and so today the town hall square is once again one of the most beautiful squares in the city.
History of the Town Hall Square
As early as the 13th century, Town Hall Square in Riga was one of the most important squares, as it was the administrative as well as the economic centre of the city. At that time, the square was filled with market stalls, parades, tournaments and performances, and at the same time, the scaffold was located here, where the executioner went about his bloody day's work. There was also a stone of shame in the square in front of the town hall.
Already during the Northern War the buildings from the beginning of the 14th century were destroyed. This led to the construction of a new town hall in 1750. The town hall was designed as a two-storey building with a mansard roof and the gable was decorated with a coat of arms. A bell tower and a porch with Tuscan columns completed the building. Between 1847 and 1850, the building was raised to make room for the town library.
During the Second World War, the town hall and many other buildings around the square were largely destroyed. Accordingly, by 1941 hardly anything of the original buildings was left.
Today's town hall square
In the years after the war, some buildings around the square were built again, because at the end of the 19th century the history of Riga was researched in more detail. During this research, the original construction of the town hall square was also investigated. Today's town hall was built in 2003 in the style of the original building and combines modern architecture with historical flair. The town hall square is also adorned by a Roland column. The granite column, which can be seen today, is an exact copy of the Roland column, which was built in 1897 with donations and which adorned the square until its destruction in the Second World War.
The most impressive building on the town hall square is undoubtedly the Schwarzhäupterhaus. The building was first mentioned in a document in 1334. The building, erected in Gothic style, was rebuilt several times. In the 17th century, the building was given a breathtakingly beautiful Renaissance façade and an astronomical clock. The façade was decorated with numerous coats of arms of Hanseatic cities and allegorical figures served as eye-catchers. Since this building also fell victim to the Second World War, a faithful reconstruction of the house can be found today on Rathausplatz. This was created at the end of the 20th century and still one gets the feeling to stand in front of a historical building that was simply restored very well.
Also the worth seeing occupation museum can be found today at the market place. However, not in a reconstructed building, but rather in a cubic block from the 1970s.
Seen as a whole, however, visitors get an idea of how the square was once laid out and also what important functions the square had. During a city tour of Riga, the Town Hall Square should be visited in any case, because thanks to the reconstructed buildings, the square today again inspires with a special atmosphere.
