Riga Castle () is a

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

on the banks of River

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source 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 ...

, the capital of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. The castle was founded in 1330. Its structure was thoroughly rebuilt between 1497 and 1515. Upon the castle's seizure by the Swedes, they constructed spacious annexes in 1641. The fortress was continually augmented and reconstructed between the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometime in the 1930s, some renovation work was done by architect

Eižens Laube Eižens Laube (May 25, 1880 – July 21, 1967) was a Latvian architect. He was responsible for some of the reconstruction work of Riga Castle in the 1930s and designed more than 200 houses in Riga. Biography Eižens Laube was born in Riga as ...

. The Latvian government declared the castle its residence in 1938. Today it is the official residence of the

President of Latvia The president of Latvia ( ) is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces, National Armed Forces of the Latvia, Republic of Latvia. The term of this office is four years. Before 1999, it was three years. The presi ...

as well as home to several museums.

History

The castle was built based on a treaty between

and the

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

, who consisted of the remainders of the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword (; ) was a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (monastic society), military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert of Riga, Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theode ...

and were by then part of the German Order – in the 13th century Rigans had rebelled against the Order and demolished its original castle in the centre of the town. Due to constant conflict with Rigans the Order chose to build a new castle beyond the borders of the town rather than to rebuild the original castle. The site occupied by Convent of the Saint Spirit – a hospital and shelter for the poor – was chosen and the convent moved to the location of the original castle. The castle served as the residence of the Master of the Livonian Order, but due to continuous conflicts with Rigans the residence was moved to the Castle of Cēsis sometime before the castle was destroyed by Rigans in 1484. The Rigans eventually lost the fight and were forced to rebuild the castle – the restoration was finished in 1515. After the 1561 Treaty of Vilnius, the order ceased to exist and the castle became a

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

, and in 1569 a Polish-Lithuanian stronghold. In 1621 Riga came under

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

rule and the castle was used to house the Swedish administration. After the city came under the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in the early 18th century, the castle housed the administration and courts of the

Riga Governorate Riga Governorate (, ) was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1713 to 1783. The Province of Riga was formed to replace the Eastern Provinces of the Kin ...

(which included most of present Latvia and Estonia) and served as residence of Governors General. Since 1922 the castle became residence of the

. After

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

, the castle housed the Council of People Commissars of the

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation of the Bal ...

in 1940–1941. In 1941, the

Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union The Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization, abbreviated as the Young Pioneers, was a youth organization of the Soviet Union for children and adolescents ages 9–14 that existed between 1922 and 1991. History After the October Revol ...

established a

Pioneers Palace Young Pioneer Palaces or Palaces of Young Pioneers and Schoolchildren were youth centers designated for the creative work, sport training and extracurricular activities of Pioneer movement, Young Pioneers (primarily in the Young Pioneers (Sovi ...

in the northern part of the castle. Several museums are housed in the southern part of the castle. After the independence of Latvia was restored the northern part of the Castle became the residence of the President of Latvia.

Architecture

The original Castle was a three-floor building which enclosed a rectangular courtyard and had four rectangular towers in its corners. After the Castle was demolished in 1484 it was rebuilt with two towers replaced by round towers following the latest developments of military technologies. The Castle experienced vast development during 17th century when it was almost constantly under construction. In 1682

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

was attached to the castle, it was torn down about one hundred years later, in 1783 to build a court/house.

2013 fire incident

The builders who worked on the reconstruction of the Riga Castle, which began in December 2012, left work at 18:45. Around 22:21 on the night of 20 June 2013, fire broke out in the castle and the firefighters were called in. The castle was guarded by the military police. After midnight authorities declared the fire reached the highest level, being seen across the

Daugava river The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

. Around 1 a.m., the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) reported that 79 rescuers, 11 tanks, 3 ladders, 1 platform and 3 specialized vehicles were involved in the operation, and that one firefighter, who was poisoned by the smoke, had been hospitalized. Shortly before 2 a.m, the roof of the castle was no longer visible, engulfed by the flames. At 3:53 in the morning the source of the fire was spotted, and at 4:45 a.m. the traffic was restored on the , between

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and Vanšu bridges. The Riga agency of State Fire and Rescue Service gathered all resources available, including aid from the

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and is sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach and is the ...

fire department. The military police Corporal Alvis Brūveris lowered the Latvian flag in the castle, to be raised back on Friday by the senior military policeman First Class Officer Aldis Dortāns. Latvian President Andris Bērziņš described the fire as a "national tragedy" during a morning visit to inspect the damage.

Damage

Riga Castle on the day after the fire emergency service firefighters estimate that around 3,200 square meters of the castle was destroyed,Deg Rīgas pils; liesmas iet mazumā
Diena, 20 June 2013. being 2,400 square meters of the palace roof and the attic, 600 square meters on the fourth floor and 200 square meters on the third. The Red Hall was almost completely burnt, the White Hall was severely damaged, and the State Festival, Ambassador Accreditation and Coats of Arms halls have all been damaged. The most solid part of the castle, which housed the Chancellery of the President, and the Latvian Art Museum have also been affected, with exception of the National History Museum. Riga Castle is insured for a total of 27.3 million

Lats Lats or LATS may refer to: * Latvian lats, a currency (1922–1940, 1993–2014) * Latissimus dorsi muscles, of the back * Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, in UK waste law * Lawton Area Transit System Lawton Area Transit System, or LATS, is t ...

. During the fire there were wide concerns spreading on social media about the status of unique museum collections located at the Castle. None of the collections were destroyed by the fire, however parts of them were damaged by water.

References

External links

*
Riga Castle
– on the website of President's Chancery {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1515

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Castles in Vidzeme Castles of the Livonian Order Presidential residences