House of the Blackheads

The House of the Blackheads

A highlight of the Riga audio-guided tour, the House of the Blackheads is spotted from afar by its magnificent orange facade. Its richly decorated Northern Mannerist style, its sculptures, its clocks and its mythological figures such as Neptune and Mercury evoke the prosperity of the city's maritime merchants.

The Brotherhood of the Blackheads

Built in 1334 as a warehouse and meeting place for merchants, it became in the fifteenth century the seat of the prestigious Brotherhood of the Blackheads, a guild reserved for young unmarried merchants, shipowners and foreigners settled in the city. Its name comes from their patron saint, Saint Maurice, a third-century African Christian knight, whose head appeared on their emblem.

What to see

Very influential, the brotherhood held banquets there, received distinguished guests and even took part in the defence of the city. Destroyed in the 1941 bombings and then razed, the house was entirely reconstructed identically in the late 1990s. Admire its sumptuous facade, one of the most famous in Riga.

Practical information

The House of the Blackheads is on Town Hall Square, in the heart of Riga's old town. Days, hours and access conditions should be checked depending on the season.

Who occupied the House of the Blackheads ?

The Brotherhood of the Blackheads, a guild of young unmarried and foreign merchants.

Is the current house the original ?

No, destroyed in 1941, it was entirely reconstructed identically in the late 1990s.