Riga Castle has been standing on the banks of the Western Dvina (Daugava) river for many centuries. During its long and complicated history, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt more than once, it has survived many wars and has had more than one ruler. Riga Castle is currently the residence of the President of Latvia.
Erection of the castle on the bank of the Daugava River began in 1330 on the site of the former St. Spirit Hospital. The construction of the castle began after the destruction of the old one during the Livonian conquest of the city. Moreover, the residents of Riga, who were responsible for the destruction of the old castle, themselves had to build a new order castle. The castle that was built became the residence of the Livonian Order masters. The Order's castle was built over 20 years. The project was led by the master Dietrich Kreige, who also built the House of Blackheads in Riga.
A new war between the Livonian Order and Riga took place in 1481. In 1484, the Order's castle was again ravaged by the Rigaers. As such skirmishes occurred repeatedly, the Master of the Livonian Order moved his throne to a another town: first Vilande and then Cesis.
When the order again found itself in a more advantageous position, the Valmiera Agreement was concluded, according to which the people of Riga were obliged to restore the order's castle within 6 years. But the rebuilding was delayed until 1515. Until the very last moment of the existence of the Livonian Order (until 1562), the castle was the residence of the knights belonging to the order and their ruler.
From the second half of the 16th century, the owners of the castle were the Polish (1578-1621), Swedish (1621-1710) and Russian (1710-1917) rulers, as well as the and the structures close to them. Since 1922 the Riga Castle has been the residence of the President of Latvia. the residence of the President of Latvia. During the World War I, as well as during the years of the Soviet occupation, the castle was occupied by a number of Latvian citizens. Soviet occupation, the castle was occupied by various organisations. From 1940 to February 1941, the castle was the seat of the Council of People's Commissars of the Latvian SSR. In 1941 the northern part of the castle was home to the Palace of Pioneers. And later on museums were established here, and sculpture exhibitions were held in the castle park. The residence The castle became the residence of the President again on 12 June 1995. In addition, in the southern part of the castle Southern part of the castle houses the exposition of the Museum of Foreign Art, the Museum of Latvian History etc.
The castle was originally built as an enclosed quadrangular block with an inner courtyard. inner courtyard. Towers were erected at the corners of the castle, the main of these towers are considered to be 2, located at the centre of the castle. towers are considered to be the 2 diagonally located towers, the St Spirit's Tower and the Lead Tower.
The first floor of the castle played a defensive function; in addition, there were service and utility rooms here. The first floor was the main living quarters, here were the rooms of the master of the order, the bedrooms of the knights, as well as a dining room, a church and a hall for the knights. dining room, church and assembly hall. The third floor of the armoury was the firing range. The upper floor had no partitions or ceilings.
The structure of the Riga Castle is quite simple, which, first of all, is explained by the military significance of the building; in addition, the residence of the leaders of the Livonian Order was built by the residents of Riga forcibly, which also left its mark on the structure of the Riga Castle. Over the years, underground passages have been found in the castle cellars, partially filled in the middle of the 19th century during the demolition of Riga's ramparts.
The first, most global reconstruction of the castle dates back to the middle of the 17th century, when the castle was occupied by the Swedes. At that time, a residential general's residence was built in the northern part of the Riga Castle. Riga Castle, the governor-general's dwelling was built. Towards the end of the 17th century, a warehouse for large ammunition was added to the castle, which during Russian rule was converted into a 3-storey building for provincial institutions (1783-1789 years). The first floor was divided into two, the windows were enlarged, and partitions were used to divide the large rooms into smaller rooms. The church in its original form church in its original form was preserved until 1870.
In 1816, a large garden was built on the site of destroyed wooden buildings located in the northern part of the castle. A year later, an observatory was built in the tower of St. Spiritus An observatory was built in St. Spirit's Tower a year later, and the pointed roof of the tower had to be demolished. The last major reconstruction of the castle took place between 1938 and 1939. At that time the works was led by the architect Eugen Laube. During this period, the entrance hall was modernised, and created a large, luxurious hall for banquets. During these years the Riga Castle acquired a modern appearance.
Today the Riga Castle, which is an important cultural and historical monument of the city, is in a rather poor condition. According to the approved programme "Heritage-2018" programme, the castle government is going to carry out restoration of the most important cultural monuments of the city, including the Rīga Castle.
