Lifelong Learning Multirateral School Project

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Olaine Secondary School No 1Latvia2010

Architectural Monuments in Latvia

Latvia in short Brief :• The Republic of

Latvia was founded on November 18, 1918.

• Occupations by the Soviet Union (1940-1941, 1945-1991) and Naczi Germany (1941-1945).

• Latvia is in the WTO from 1998. and in 2004 became a member of the European Union and NATO.

Symbol of Independence - Freedom Monument

• Designed by Kārlis Zāle and built entirely from public donations.

• Brīvības piemineklis, was completed in the nation’s capital of Rīga in 1935.

• At the top of the column there is a figure of Liberty, lifting three gilded stars, symbolizing the three historical districts of Latvia.

• It’s height is 42 m.

• At the base of the monument there are several sculptural groups, that depict Latvian culture and history.

Architecture since Christianity was the primary form of art, and this was the case also in Latvia. As Christianity spread, all styles of architecture were seen here. But we have our own national characteristics and features honed by the often harsh and traumatic

ages.

Ethnographic Open Air Museum

• It consists of 100 wooden dwelling houses, windmills, churches and various other buildings.

• The Open air museum contains no less than 140.000 items from Latvia's rich past.

• The museum was founded in 1924 and is one of the oldest open-air museums in Europe.

• The castle was founded and built on the basis of a treaty between Riga and the Livonian Order in 1330.

Riga Castle

• Today it is the official residence of the President of Latvia.

• This structure was thoroughly rebuilt between 1497 and 1515.

• The Order of Livonian Knights built the fortress near the confluence of the Mūsa and the Mēmele

in about 1443.

Bauska Castle

• At the end of the 16th century the first Duke of Courland, Gothard Kettler, rebuilt the fortress as the

fortified residence.

• During the big Northern war in 1706 Russian army destroyed Bauska Castle.

Turaida Castle

• Restoration began in the 1970s and the castle is now the centrepiece of the Turaida Museum Reserve.

• The castle was constructed in the Brick Gothic style in 1214 under Albert, archibishop of Riga.

• It was badly damaged by the fire in 1776 and not reconstructed, and in the course of time fell into a ruin.

Rundale Palace

• The Rundale Palace is one of the most outstanding monuments in Latvia of Baroque and Rococo art.

Rundale Palace• It was built in 1736-40 as the summer residence of Ernst Johann Biron, the Duke of Courland, by the Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

Jelgava Palace

• At the end of the 16th century the first Duke of Curland, Gothard Kettler, rebuilt the fortress as the

fortified residence.

• Jelgava Palace or Mitava Palace is the largest Baroque style palace in the Baltic States.

• The palace was founded by Ernst Johann von Biron on the island between the Lielupe and the Driksa rivers.

• It was built in 1738, based on the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a residence for the Duke of Courland in their capital Mītava.

• Now it is the home of Latvia University of Agriculture.

• Riga has more than 800 Art Nouveau buildings.

Art Nouveau (Jugendstil)in Riga

• Famous Latvian architects Mikhail Eisenstein, Konstantin Peksne, Eugene Laube designed most of these buildings.

• The main streets of Riga’s Art Nouveau district are Elizabetes and Alberta.

• The Art Nouveau movement started in the late of 19th century, reached its peak in the early 20th century.

• The historic centre of Riga, Latvia, with "the finest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe", was inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 1997 because of the "quality and the quantity of its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture“.

• The cemetery contains more than 2,000 burials.

Riga Brothers’ Cemetery

• Memorial of Latvian soldiers who were killed between 1915 and 1920 in the World War I.

• It was built as an integrated combination of sculpture and landscaping between 1924 and 1936 by the sculptore Karlis Zale.

• One of the most famous sculptures is Mother Latvia and her dead sons.

Riga St. Peter's Church

• Since 1991 St. Peter's Church is the home of Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Riga.

• Mentioned for the first time in 1209.

• It is the highest church in Riga. It was built in three periods: Gothic, Romanesque and late Baroque. Burried down 2 times.

The House of Blackheads

• After the Republic of Latvia regained its independence, the restoration of the House of Blackheads started, which was completed in 2000.

• First mentioned in 1334 as the New House of the Large Guild.

• The building was destroyed by the Naczi on June 28, 1941. During the Soviet occupation in 1948 the rest the building was completely blown up.

Aglona Basilica

• It attracts thousands of pilgrims every year on the day of the Assumption of Mary on August 15.

• In 1980 the Church celebrated its 200th anniversary and was officially given the status of a Basilica by Pope John Paul II.

• The church was built from the wood together with a monastery in 1700.

The Bridge over the Venta

• During the long lifetime, the bridge didn’t have a lot of damages that could influence the further service life.

• The bridge consists of seven 17 m long arcs with total length of 164 m.

• The Bridge over the Venta River in Kuldiga was built in 1874 and it is the third longest clay brick masonry highway bridge in Europe.

The National Opera of Latvia

• The official history of Latvian opera began in 1912, when it was established in Riga by Pāvuls Jurjāns.

• On January 23, 1919, the Latvian National Opera staged its debut performance: Richard Wagner’s opera Der fliegende Holländer.

• The city’s German Theatre in Duchy of Courland, which offered dramatic theatre, opera, and ballet productions, was opened in 1782.

• Today the Opera building is a home of Latvian National Ballet, Latvian National Opera Chorus and Latvian National Opera Orchestra.

There are about 3412 architectural monuments in Latvia and they also include manors, monuments, parks, windmills etc.

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