Art Nouveau in Riga
The History of Art Nouveau goes back to the late 19th
and early 20th century, with its peak spanning from between the mid 1890′s to
the mid 1900′s. Known within France as Art Nouveau, Jugendstil by German
speakers and Stile Liberty by Italians it swept across Europe as the latest
must have fashion of its time.
Furniture, interior arts, handicrafts, ceramics,
architecture, fabric design, fashion design to name a few were all influenced
by this movement that took influence from the beauty of nature and the world in
which we live. It would eventually spread world wide with some of the
wealthiest of the Global society building ornate buildings and indulging in
this fine export from Europe
The
Historic Centre of Riga boasts the largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings
in Europe. Between 1896 and 1913, the city expanded and a housing boom
followed. In the central part of Riga every third building is Art Nouveau.
There is no other city with such concentration and variety of this style
because of many lucky circumstances were present in Riga when Art Nouveau was
at its peak. The wood buildings constructed after the burning the suburbs in
1812 were worn down and a city by-law no longer permitted wood structures.
Their demolition freed space in the centre of the city for grand new brick and
stone buildings. The city was wealthy, the people educated and prosperous. The
middle class demanded new. Comfortable apartments. 1500 new buildings a year were built at the peak. Art Noeveau developed
as a reaction to previous styles, particularly eclecticism. It stressed
artistic freedom and expressive fantasy transforming traditional building
elements into work of art. The characteristic flowing lines and geometric
shapes of Art Nouveau fell into two distinctive categories in Riga - Decorative and National Romantic. 
Most of
the Art Nouveau buildings were designed and built by Latvian architects.
Buildings in the decorative Art Nouveau style by one of the most famous
architects, Mikhail Eisenstein (father of film director Sergei Eisenstein), can
be found at Elizabetes 10a and 10b, as well as at Alberta 2, 2a, 4, 8 and 13.
On Alberta 13 stands a building from 1904 which now houses the Riga Graduate
School of Law, which is fully restored and publicly accessible. Right around
the corner, Strelnieku Street also features eccentric examples of the style.
Romantic-nationalist Art Nouveau can be seen in the buildings by Latvian
architects E. Laube, K. Peksens, and A. Vanags, such as those on Terbatas
Street 15/17 and Brivibas Street 47, 58, and 62.