PL

Riga Castle restoration complete

Architecture and urban planning
LATVIA After a renovation, Riga Castle has regained its historic glory. The castle front has been restored and the East wing extended. State real estate company Valsts Nekustamie Īpašumi commissioned the work, which took five years to complete, from SBRE, a general partnership of Re&Re and Skonto Būve.

The 10,000 sqm property has been fully restored including the fittings and artistic elements. Both the foundations and the load bearing structures of the building have been reconstructed, while the furniture, paintings chandeliers and wall and ceiling paintings have been restored throughout the castle.

The Riga Castle complex arose as a result of a number of extensions of what was originally the a castle of the Livonian order that was transformed into the residence of the President of Latvia. The presidential chancellery in the eastern extension has been modernised while retaining its historic appearance including meeting rooms, offices and the presidential office.

“Eight presidents of Latvia have called Riga Castle as their office, and in a few months I will also have the honour of doing so. For me personally, starting work in Riga Castle will be an emotional experience: the history of Latvia has been written in these walls for a period that can already be counted in centuries,” commented Raimonds Vējonis, the president of Latvia.

“The renovations and changes made in each century have each contributed to the art and architecture. The Festival Hall, where we are now, has seen moments of joy and drama. In 1938, president Ulmanis was able to receive 1,038 guests here, and in 1940, the paintings appeared on the ceiling, which were later banned. It is one of the beauty aspects of this castle – ideologically, it is not complete and could never be completed. The work that has been done up to now has been a huge collective effort, performed with admirable selflessness and commitment. I hope this building will bring happiness to all of us,” said Imants Lancmanis, the chairman of the Council for the Restoration of Riga Castle.

“During renovation work on the castle, a previously unseen work of art was discovered – a relief of Walter von Plettenberg, the master of the Livonian Order, created in around 1515, copies of which are today now being given out to those who have made significant contributions to the project,” said Didzis Putniņš the director general of Re&Re. “The Festival Hall has not been used for a long time and used to serve as a storage room, therefore, we have had to put in a lot of effort to bring back the historical appearance of 1938 interior designed by Eižens Laube including the ceiling paintings, the furniture, the wooden details and the chandeliers. A huge amount of work was put in to renovate the White Hall, which involved reconstruction of the interior, and of the finishings. As a result, interior of the hall created in the 19th century has been regilded over 68 sqm of the entire area of the walls and the ceiling, while additionally the ceiling’s beams and roof structure has been strengthened,” he explained.





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