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EN
The building at 10 Audeju Street in Riga is an example of how much valuable material can be discovered during the study of a single edifice. Research on this building has been carried out over several periods from 1970 to 1990. However, as findings were not exhibited during reconstruction, the building has not received the exceptional place in the overall picture of Riga's architectural history it deserves. The building in Audeju Street was built in 1855, combining two adjacent plots and two constructions that stood separately till the 1840s. So they are described as separate entities, marked as those of plot A and plot B. Both plots existed already in the mid-14th century. Construction on plot A has not survived but the semi-basement of the 'Hans Smelte's Small House' mentioned in documents on plot B is one of the best preserved fragments of Riga's oldest stone buildings. Construction of a stone house on plot A took place in the mid or late 1540s. In 1544 Vyth Dosstede bought an empty building plot, but by 1552 the now deceased Dosstede's house had already been sold. Fragments of Dosstede's stone house have survived. The last third of the 17th century began with several fires, the most damaging of which broke out in 1677. This proved fatal to Dosstede's house and the nearest buildings. During the reconstruction of the building on plot A, the old walls of Dosstede's house were used to their maximum. The interior features painted decorations in almost all the rooms on both floors. A fragment of the wall painting of the stone-carved winding staircase has survived depicting a convolution of acanthus leaves in black, white and grey tones. Rooms with painted plafonds have a restrained wall finish - a dark base with contrasting splashes on the light wall background.
EN
The house at 8 Miesnieku Street is among Riga’s most outstanding late 17th – early 18th century monuments that have come down to us. This house has fortunately retained its initial basic volume despite several reconstructions and changes of interior layout. Several periods stand out in the construction history of the house at 8 Miesnieku Street. Marten Kröger (also Kruger) acquired the building plot in September 1700 and built a house there the same year. After Kröger’s death in 1702, it was inherited by his son-in-law, Small Guild craft member Christian von der Heyde. There is information that the builder was the city master mason Hinrich Hänicke (also Hönnicke). The house had three floors of dwelling space with office premises on the ground floor, ceremonial and living quarters on the first and second floor as well as two attic floors for the storage of goods and a basement. Both façades feature four pilasters in the Tuscan colossal order along the first and second floor, supporting a very protruding, profiled cornice. The decorative finish of the façades is enhanced by corner rustication. The limestone portal initially faced the main Miesnieku Street but in the early 19th century, it was relocated to the Mūku Street façade. The portal represents the so-called decorative group in which the interpretation of order elements is decorative rather than tectonic. The Miesnieku Street façade has a pompous two-level gable with a rich cascade of volutes and smooth pilasters. This design represents the most lavish type of Riga’s volute gables in the Baroque period architecture. Such an array of elements pointed towards Northern Dutch innovations in residential houses introduced by the noted architect Philips Vingboons around the mid-17th century. Initially the interior could boast of an opulent finish that was subsequently lost in numerous reconstructions and repairs during the later centuries. The plafond painting from the first floor ceremonial room, dismantled during the reconstruction of 1931, is one of the best preserved monuments of Riga’s Baroque interiors, demonstrating the period’s typical local striving towards luxury based on French examples adapted via Sweden and Northern Germany.
EN
The town of Varaklani in Latgale stands out with its several significant monuments of Classicist architecture. These are the manor palace, Catholic Church and the Borch family vault. The spacious manor park is also one of the town’s highlights. The Borch family was known in the Baltics already in the 2nd half of the 15th century. Varaklani Palace construction was initiated by M. J. Borch and designed by Italian architect Vincenzo Mazotti. The Palace is an outstanding early example of Classicism in the architecture of Latvia. The building that was constructed from 1783 to 1789 has an elongated appearance - it consists of three two-storey blocks linked by single-storey blocks. The central part of the Palace is much larger than the side blocks having just one gallery axis. The middle part of the building has very protruding risalites on the park side and the centre is emphasised by an impressive four-column portico. The courtyard façade is less splendid and plastically subdued; central risalites protrude slightly and are capped by a raised part identical to the wing blocks. Peculiar porches are still visible by all three entrances; a balcony with metalwork railings is placed over the main entrance. The façades are decorated with Tuscan order pilasters; the first floor has rustication but the friezes contain inscriptions in Latin. The Palace layout is unique in Latvia. Staircases to the second floor are located on both sides of the main block. Opposite the vestibule there is a quite small premise leading towards the terrace on the park side. The single-storey connecting parts are interesting with their small, light, rubble-decked yards. The appearance of Varaklani Palace has changed over time. In Poland there are several manor palaces similar to Varaklani with regard to the architectonic and spatial solution for instance, in Kustyn (last third of the 18th century), Walewice (1783) and in Szczawin. Murals discovered in the 1990s and later testify to the artistic finish inside the Varaklani Palace.
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