Riga Art Nouveau District, Latvia

Art Nouveau arrived in Riga at the very end of the 19th century but became a real force in the city from about 1901. The design movement was sweeping across Europe at exactly the same time that Riga was going through an economic boom, as industrialisation led much of the Latvian population to move into the city. During the late 19th-century, Riga experienced rapid economic development. It grew by 88% between 1897 and 1913. Between 1910 and 1913, almost 500 new buildings were built in Riga annually.

If there is one street you absolutely have to visit in Riga, is Alberta Street. Named after Bishop Albert who founded Riga more than 800 years ago, the street is a trademark thanks to its Eclectic Art Nouveau buildings. Most of them were designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, and some by Konstantīns Pēkšēns and Eižens Laube, a teacher, and his pupil. The buildings are decorated with sculptures, ornamented balconies, columns, and other Art Nouveau elements.

There are three general styles of art nouveau architecture to be found. Alberta Street harbors some of the finest samples of the Eclectic Art Nouveau Style in Riga, but there are three other styles you can uncover in the city: the Perpendicular Art Nouveau, National Romantic Art Nouveau, and the Neo-Classical Art Nouveau. For exploring the Perpendicular Art Nouveau category, which is commonly referred to as “department store style” or Warenhausstil (in German), head over to Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela (Krišjānis Valdemārs Street) number 37, which is home to a multi-story building designed by Eižens Laube. A good Neo-Classical example is the former Commercial Bank of Riga, which sits in the very center of the Old Riga, right opposite the Doms Cathedral.