Riga Castle

The Riga Castle has been the residence of the President of Latvia since 1922 when the authority of the presidency was established.

The Castle is situated in the very centre of Old Riga on the bank of River Daugava.

The Riga Castle is an important part of the historical and cultural heritage of Latvia as one of the greatest medieval castles in Latvia. Its foundation stone was laid on 15 June 1330. The Castle was destroyed several times; it also underwent significant redevelopment and extension. The last large-scale renovation was carried out on the eve of Latvia’s centenary. All rooms have been restored to their historical appearance and adapted to modern requirements and intended use.

After extensive reconstruction and restoration work, President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis resumed his work in the Riga Castle on 22 August 2016.

The foundation stone and construction
The foundation stone of the Castle was laid on 15 June 1330. Over the centuries, the Castle was destroyed several times; it also underwent significant redevelopment and extension. Whereas in the result of the renovation works carried out before the upcoming Centenary of the Republic of Latvia, the Riga Castle has regained its original splendour.

Presidential residence
The Soviet regime was an exception when the Castle was given over to the communist children’s organisation, the pioneers.

President of Latvia Jānis Čakste, Gustavs Zemgals, Alberts Kviesis, and Kārlis Ulmanis both worked and lived in the Castle.

After the restoration of independence, President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis returned to work in the Riga Castle in June 1995. However, some official visits of presidents from countries like Poland, USA, and Portugal were received in the Riga Castle before that.

Premises and interior
Residence of the President of Latvia in the Riga Castle occupies the major part of the building block that had been built instead of the former castle-front and is situated on four floors. The interiors of the premises depict centuries-long formation and historical periods of the Castle.

president.lv

One of the dominants of Old Riga is also one of the largest medieval castles in Latvia - Riga Order castle built in the end of 1340ies and then again somewhere around year 1515. This is not the only Order castle in Riga and by far not the only medieval castle in Riga - but it's history is the longest and most interesting one because this building has served as a centre of power for larger or smaller area. Nowadays it is also a residence of Latvian President. Castle has been rebuilt numerous times thus loosing numerous values of art and architecture and getting other ones instead. Special value of the castle is also values of art from 1920ies - 1930ies.

ambermarks.com

Riga Castle (Latvian: Rīgas pils) is a castle on the banks of River Daugava in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The castle was founded in 1330. Its structure was thoroughly rebuilt between 1497 and 1515. Upon the castle's seizure by the Swedes, they constructed spacious annexes in 1641. The fortress was continually augmented and reconstructed between the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometime in the 1930s, some renovation work was done by architect Eižens Laube. The Latvian government declared the castle its residence in 1938. Today it is the official residence of the President of Latvia as well as home to several museums.

History
The castle was built on the basis of a treaty between Riga and the Livonian Order – in the 13th century Rigans had rebelled against the Order and demolished its original castle in the centre of the town. Due to constant conflict with Rigans the Order chose to build a new castle beyond the borders of the town rather than to rebuild the original castle. The site occupied by Convent of the Saint Spirit – a hospital and shelter for the poor – was chosen and the convent moved to the location of the original castle. The castle served as the residence of the Master of the Livonian Order, but due to continuous conflicts with Rigans the residence was moved to Castle of Cēsis sometime before the castle was destroyed by Rigans in 1484. The Rigans eventually lost the fight and were forced to rebuild the castle – the restoration was finished in 1515. After the Union of Wilno order ceased to exist in 1561 the Castle became Lithuanian and in 1569 - Polish-Lithuanian stronghold. In 1621. Riga came under Swedish rule and the Castle was used to house Swedish administration.

After the city came under the Russian Empire in the early 18th century, the castle housed administration and courts of Riga Governorate (which included most of present Latvia and Estonia) and served as residence of Governors General.

Since 1922 the castle became residence of the President of Latvia. After Soviet occupation the castle housed Council of People Commissars of Latvian SSR in 1940–1941. In 1941 the Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union moved into northern part of the castle, which therefore became known as the Pioneer Castle. Several museums are housed in the southern part of the castle. After the independence of Latvia was restored the northern part of the Castle again became the residence of the President of Latvia.

Architecture
The original Castle was a three-floor building which enclosed a rectangular courtyard and had four rectangular towers in its corners. After the Castle was demolished in 1484 it was rebuilt with two towers replaced by round towers following the latest developments of military technologies. The Castle experienced vast development during 17th century when it was almost constantly under construction. In 1682 Arsenal was attached to the castle, it was torn down about one hundred years later, in 1783 to build a court/house.

2013 fire incident
The builders who worked on the reconstruction of the Riga Castle, which began in December 2012,left work at 18:45. Around 22:21 on the night of 20 June 2013, fire broke out in the castle and the firefighters were called in. The castle was guarded by the military police.

After midnight authorities declared the fire reached the highest level, being seen across the Daugava river . Around 1 a.m., the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported that 79 rescuers, 11 tanks, 3 ladders, 1 platform and 3 specialized vehicles were involved in the operation, and that one firefighter, who was poisoned by the smoke, had been hospitalized. Shortly before 2 a.m, the roof of the castle was no longer visible, engulfed by the flames. At 3:53 in the morning the source of the fire was spotted, and at 4:45 a.m. the traffic was restored on the embankment 11. Novembra, between Akmens and Vanšu bridges.

The Riga agency of State Fire and Rescue Service gathered all resources available, including aid from the Jūrmala fire department. The military police Corporal Alvis Brūveris lowered the Latvian flag in the castle, to be raised back on Friday by the senior military policeman First Class Officer Aldis Dortāns. Latvian President Andris Bērziņš described the fire as a "national disaster" during a morning visit to inspect the damage.

Damage
Riga Castle on the day after the fire emergency service firefighters estimate that around 3,200 square meters of the castle was destroyed, being 2,400 square meters of the palace roof and the attic, 600 square meters on the fourth floor and 200 square meters on the third. The Red Hall was almost completely burnt, the White Hall was severely damaged, and the State Festival, Ambassador Accreditation and Coats of Arms halls have all been damaged. The most solid part of the castle, which housed the Chancellery of the President, and the Latvian Art Museum have also been affected, with exception of the National History Museum. Riga Castle is insured for a total of 27.3 million Lats.

During the fire there were wide concerns spreading on social media about the status of unique museum collections located at the Castle. None of the collections were destroyed by the fire, however parts of them were damaged by water.

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