Go back to routeFrom the press of that time: “Our construction work has to consolidate the national spirit of Latvia” (President Kārlis Ulmanis, 1936).
Palace of the Senate and the Ministry of Justice (currently, Saeima of the Republic of Latvia). Houses, designed by the most prominent Latvian architect Eižens Laube. Apartment buildings of unusual volume with offices and shops.
Riga became the capital of Latvia for the first time in 1918 when Latvia declared its independence. The largest and most modern of the Baltic capitals was called Northern Paris.
Architect Fridrihs Skujiņš received the highest state award for the monumental project of the Palace of the Senate and the Ministry of Justice. Karolis Zmedega, the author of the sculpture Truth in the front lobby, collected the marble in Italy by himself. At the beginning of the 20th century, Jugendstil flourished in Riga. Entire streets have blossomed into gorgeous Art Nouveau style homes that may probably be seen only in Paris and Prague. Architects such as Paul Mandelstadt and Eižens Laube dedicated their early years of art to the Art Nouveau style.
The Freedom Monument. Riga Polytechnical Institute (University of Latvia since 1919). Primary School. Mežaparks. Christ the King Church (similar to Christ’s Resurrection Basilica in Kaunas). People’s house (currently, Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia), the cornerstone of which was put by the poet Janis Rainis – “the father of the Latvians’ spirit” and the co-author of the Latvian constitution.
Riga Polytechnicum is closely related to the education of Lithuanian designers. At the end of the 19th century, still in the times of the tsarist Russian Empire, Feliksas Vizbaras and Romanas Steikūnas graduated from this Polytechnikum and Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis was studying there for several years too. The author of the Freedom Monument in Riga was born in Mažeikiai. Mežaparks is one of the first ‘city-garden’ ideas implemented in Europe. More than 100 modernist villas were built here during the interwar period. Here we will see the house of construction engineer Kārlis Jansons which was designed in 1932. Song Festivals are held in the open stage of the park. We will find out that an architect Kārlis Reisons, who is better known in Lithuania than in Latvia, participated in the design project of Christ the King Church in Riga. The tower of Riga’s church was built only 15 years ago. Architectural historian Jolita Kančienė “I like simple, laconic forms, without any decor. The beautiful shape is beautiful in itself. That’s the main feature of modernity, and that fascinates me.” 
