Riga's Architecture: The World’s Art Nouveau Capital

(136 reviews)

Riga audio tour: Riga's Architecture: The World’s Art Nouveau Capital

This is a 0.5mi walking tour

It takes an average of 30 mins to complete.

Riga

Latvia

$4.99

Access all 12 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

Riga is a true Art Nouveau metropolis with over 800 buildings in this unique architectural style. In fact, it has the world’s highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture. On this tour, we’ll explore Art Nouveau’s history, visit the city’s most iconic examples of the style and hear about its architects – like Mikhail Eisenstein, whose son Sergei became a legendary Soviet filmmaker. .

I’ve always felt that when approaching a niche subject like this, it’s important to make it understandable and relatable, without watering it down. With so many great examples, Riga gives us a perfect opportunity to dive into the subject of Art Nouveau and find out more about its relevance not just as an architectural style, but also for what it reveals about Riga.

On this tour you’ll discover:

How to identify an Art Nouveau building
The incredibly decorative work of Michael Eisenstein
The courtyard of one of Riga's most impressive residential buildings
How Riga’s architects developed a unique Latvian style called National Romanticism

This 30 minute tour is a must for anybody interested in architecture and its links to society, as well as how ideas spread and evolve.
A walk through Old Riga from

Tour Producer

Edvards Rutkis

2 tours

Hi, I'm Edvards and I am a professional tour guide in Riga.

I’ve spent the last ten years helping people look past the postcards to see the real Riga—from the grit of the Soviet era to the vibrant energy of the modern Baltics. My background in Political Science means I’m always ready to dive into the "how" and "why" of current events, but my life in improv theatre keeps the conversation light, spontaneous, and far from a dry history lecture.
Beyond the city , I’m deeply connected to the quiet beauty of Latvian nature and the quirky stories that make this place home. My goal is to give you an honest, unvarnished, and witty look at Latvia that stays with you long after the tour ends.
Having travelled extensively I've come to appreciate the unique charm of my home region and hope to share it with you!

Hope you like my tours and enjoy Riga!

Preview Location

Location 1

National Art Gallery

Good day everyone and welcome to the tour.

My name is Edvards, I have been a professional tour guide for the past 5 years, and I will be your guide in this exploration of Art Nouveau in Riga.

Now, we are attempting to cover a rather complex and niche subject here so, to... Good day everyone and welcome to the tour.

My name is Edvards, I have been a professional tour guide for the past 5 years, and I will be your guide in this exploration of Art Nouveau in Riga.

Now, we are attempting to cover a rather complex and niche subject here so, to set the stage, I feel it is absolutely necessary to have a brief introduction during which I will answer 3 key questions: What is Art Nouveau, why does it arise and, crucially, why does Riga have so much of it. So, with the National Art Gallery as a backdrop, relax and let’s dive in.

So, let’s start with the basics. Art Nouveau is a movement in the arts that took over pretty much all of Europe in the very late 19th century until the first world war. What's important to understand is that AN is not just about architecture as many people assume. AN influences pretty much every branch of arts from painting - Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” is probably the most famous example, to interior design - you may have heard, for example, of Tiffany lamps - to sculpture to vases, to chairs to gates to stained glass, to prints to anything, really; all of it is influenced by this new style.

The second thing to note is how short the time period is - the first AN build - the Tassel hotel designed by Victor Horta dates from 1893 and AN is officially dead by WW1. So that's max 20 years. A very brief, bright explosion of change that vanishes completely in less than 20 years. And these 20 years will be the entire focus of this tour.

Secondly, Why does it arise? In one sentence AN arises because people were tired of buildings like the one in front of you right now.

Let’s take a look at it - what do we see? Greek looking columns, symmetry, apart from the very top - very few decorations. This is Neo Classicism - essentially an attempt to revive Greek and Roman architecture, and this style was dominant just before Art Nouveau.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with the Greeks and the Romans but copying their style is very unoriginal and does not in any way reflect the local circumstances and society. And, by the late 19th century people were growing increasingly tired of this stale, “been there done that” style. They wanted something new. That something new was AN - in essence - the exact opposite of this. NeoClassicism looks to the past, AN as the name suggests is “New Art” - it takes its inspiration from natural forms - curved lines, plants, flowers, mythology all of that and the result is something completely different - a truly original, functional style that engulfs all of Europe.

So, let's get going.

With your back to the National Gallery, turn right and walk to the corner.

While you walk, I'll explain how VoiceMap works.

It uses your location to play audio automatically, at just the right moment. This means that you can put your phone away. Don’t worry if I stop talking from time to time as we move from place to place. This is quite normal. If you unsure where to go, there's an on-screen map, and if you stray too far from the path, VoiceMap will let you know.

Continue to the corner. I'll meet you there. Read More

View locations and route

How VoiceMap Works

Focus on your surroundings, not the screen

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Major Landmarks

Elizabetes iela
Albert Street
Latvian National Museum of Art

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1010, Latvia
Total distance

744m
Final location
Alberta iela 12, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1010, Latvia
Distance back to start location

499.65m

Directions to Starting Point

The start point is the front of the Latvian National Museum of Art located on Jāņa Rozentāla laukums 1. If you choose to take public transport, Trolleybuses nr 12. and 25 will take you right up to it. Get off at "Elizabetes iela". There are many other public transport options.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Latvian National Museum of Art, the Art Nouveau buildings along the route.

Best time of day

Any time of the day.

Precautions

Please be careful when crossing streets and use common sense.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”