Art Nouveau and Haunted Riga

Riga, Latvian capital, famous not only with its UNESCO World Heritage Site historical center, but also with its exquisite Art Nouveau buildings covering almost one third of the buildings in the city.  Why? Why there are so many examples of such short-term movement that was almost immediately criticized to be too form based and superficial? Simply because when the movement had its peak, so did Riga’s economy. As a result, today you can witness most of the fine examples of the time while walking on Alberta Ieala, Elizabetes Iela, Blaumaņa Iela, Brīvības iela, Ģertrūdes iela, Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela, Smilšu iela or Vīlandes iela. If you have a limited time, Alberta and Elizabetes Ielas will be your best chance, on which you will experience a deep sorrow for not having chance to enter most of them. The Elizabetes Ieala 10b, designed by talented Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein, will take you to an example of a series of compositions of smiling, laughing or crying women’s masks of the city.  Watch out…

On a rainy day, dreadfully shivering suspended expressions of the art nouveau women will haunt the cloudy skies of Riga.