Page 152 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

150  LA T VIA REGION B Y REGION

Street-by-Street: Around Town Hall Square

Until a local government reform in 1877, the Town Hall Square
was Rīga’s administrative centre. Built in 1334, the Town Hall
was one of three focuses of power alongside Dome Cathedral
and Rīga Castle, representing the interests of the city’s
residents. The square has functioned as a marketplace and
a site where festivials were held and executions carried out.
The impressive step-gabled House of Blackheads has been
completely rebuilt, while the Town Hall is a modern building
behind a Neo-Classical façade. Out of place at the square’s Locator Map
edge is a Soviet-era building housing the Museum of the See Street Finder Map pp164–5
Occupation of Latvia.

Town Hall

Town Hall Square
Many of the square’s elaborate
buildings, destroyed by German
bombs during World War II, have
benefited from a restoration
project tied to the city’s 800th
anniversary in 2001.

Statue of Roland G R Ē C I N I E K U I E L A
A legendary medieval figure and
one of Charlemagne’s knights,
Roland became a symbol of
the inde pendence of cities
from the local nobility.

i. Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Covering the Soviet and Nazi occupations of the 20th century, Key
the exhibitions of this museum are housed in the former
US Embassy while the building undergoes reconstruction. Suggested route
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp300–301 and pp320–22

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