house of blackheads

We went to see this based on reviews on TripAdvisor. Yes, it's a pretty building, buts that's about it.You can't go inside and we didn't see any information nearby about the place either.

This place shouldn't be missed on any trip to Riga! We went back to view it at night, also. Although it has been rebuilt, it's still amazing.

Starting point for our tour of the old town, easy to find and where the City bus tours start from.Took some good photos.

We visited all of the buildings / areas marked out as places of interest on the Riga map. House of the blackheads is one worth a visit, it's a very impressive building - we didn't go inside though, not sure if it's possible for the public to go in?

The House of the Blackheads, as well as the Town Hall Square, has been rebuilt (several times; the last one after World War II) over the centuries.It was named like that after the execution by decapitation of one of the leaders of the traders association which occupied the building. It is probably the most beautiful building in Riga.When the Chancery of the President of Latvia moved here, in recent years, unfortunately the Blackheads House has been closed to visitors.

worth visiting, beautiful colorful building with a big square in from of it and a statue in the middle

A very nice place which is well known in the whole city so it's a very good meeting place ;) except of this it's the most beautiful place.

As we visited at Christmas, we were lucky enough to have snow. The buildings around the House of Blackheads were lit up and looked fabulous. They are also lovelyin the daylight.

A key landmark in the Old City.The house has been rebuilt as it was destroyed in the war.Currently in use as the Presidential Residence - But still worth seeing the facade : impressive at night when floodlit.

its one of those sights that you pass by anyway, its not really necessary to go there if you are not in the surroundins.

You have to see it.It is the most beautiful sightseeing spot in Riga.In front of it stands the city hall which is also very nice.

The Architecture is fabulous! I do not think you can go inside, but it is worth picture and visit. I liked the way how it is near the centre though the small streets are like a maze!

One of the architectural treasures of Riga. Its renaissance façade dominates Town Hall square. It was built in 1344 and housed then members of merchants guilds.Totally destroyed in World War II was rebuilt in the 1990's. The main Tourist Information Centre is just "next door". Most walking city tours depart from here. Don´t loose it!

The House of Blackheads is one of the architectural treasures of Riga. Its towering Dutch renaissance façade dominates Town Hall square and looks particularly good when floodlit after dark. It was originally built in 1344 and housed members of merchants guilds. Beside it is the equally elaborate Schwab House dating to the 19th C. Both were totally destroyed in WW2 and meticulously rebuilt in the 1990's, hence their rather clinically clean appearance. There is no public access to the House of Blackheads, but the main Tourist Information Centre is sited next door. Most walking tours of the city depart from here and spend a lot of time talking about Town Hall square before heading off.

This was constructed by the city authorities in the early 14th Cent. as a Gothic Building to which subsequently an “extension”, better described as a “protrusion”, with a façade in the Dutch Renaissance style was added. Facing it from a distance ( as well as in photographs), it gives the illusion of being two quite distinct structures. It is a stunning building that more than any other makes the Town Hall Sq., where it is located with a statue (copy) of Roland in front, such a lovely and exciting urban space. The Blackheads, so called for their adoption of the black African St Mauritius as their patron saint ( he lost his head to Roman Legionnaires), was a guild of German merchants who ---- being unmarried ----- required an ostentatious home for their revelry and carousing. Between them, the German and Russian armies managed to destroy it during WWll and its aftermath, but is was brilliantly restored during the last 5 years of the Millenium to its original glory, that included a huge ballroom occupying the entire 2nd floor. Alas, it is now in the hands of the Office of the President who has been displaced from Riga Castle for renovations, and is closed to visitors. But the exterior offers a feast to the eye, with splendid decorations in the form of carvings, reliefs, and embedded statues that include 4 individual figures vertically arranged on white pediments high up on the building to the right. Below these statues is a charming arched entrance flanked on the left by a Virgin and Child, and on the right by a Moorish soldier ( perhaps the Saint himself). Above each of the 4 statues is a coat of arms, and above them, centrally situated just below the apex of the triangular façade, is a large blue metal disc with two hands, clearly functioning as a clock, but with a series of numbered concentric circles pointing to functions other than TIME that I could not comprehend, and for which I could not obtain a satisfactory explanation.