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Art Nouveau in Riga


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.