The Corner House () is a historic building in the city center of

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, Latvia. It was known as the headquarters of the Soviet KGB in Latvia from 1940 to 1941 and from 1944 to 1991. The official address is 61 Brīvības iela (Freedom Street). Designed by architect Aleksandrs Vanags, the construction of the house was started in 1910, and was built in 1912 as apartments and shops. It housed the music school of the Imperial Russian Society of Music, a library and a bookstore, sweets and fruit, dairy products, flower shops, and a pharmacy of the Ministry of National Welfare. During the

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence (), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invade ...

, the Latvian Revolutionary War Committee used the building briefly in 1919. In 1920, the new government of independent Latvia took over the building for government use, including the Ministry of the Interior and other offices. The Interior Affairs Ministry of Latvia used the building in the 1920s and 1930s. At different times the building was owned by the Public Affairs Ministry, State Statistical Bureau, and Forestry Department. It was home to the Latvian Anti-Alcohol Society, different publishing houses, as well as Education and Culture Directorate, Art and Public Affairs Department, Church and Confessions Department, as well as other institutions. In 1940, during the

Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany and its Secret Additional Protocol signed i ...

, the house was converted into KGB offices and dozens of cells. In 1941–1944, during most of the German occupation of Latvia during World War II, a youth group called “National Watch” occupied the building, as well as Latvia's puppet government, appointed by the Nazis. With the

Soviet re-occupation of Latvia in 1944 The Soviet re-occupation of Latvia in 1944 refers to the military occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union in 1944. During World War II Latvia was first Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940, then was occ ...

, the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

took over the house once again. After the restoration of Latvia's independence, State Police occupied this building from the beginning of 1990 until mid-July 2008. In 2014, the house was opened as part of Riga's tenure as a

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

. From 2015 the house is used by the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia for an exposition about the history of the KGB in Latvia. In 2015, the house underwent a facade renovation. In 2020, the house was offered at auction by the government.

Gallery

File:Tetera nams.jpg, Old Postcard File:Рыжскія замалёўкі 40.jpg, Before renovation in 2014 File:Stūra māja (Wide Shot) 2021.jpg, After renovation in 2021 File:Stūra māja - Corner House 2021.jpg, Stūra māja 2021

References

{{coord, 56.9582, 24.1238, type:landmark_region:LV, display=title Buildings and structures in Riga KGB