Video: Magnificent Riga: the city with the world's largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Jugendstil or Art Nouveau or Art Nouveau was popular in Europe in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. As an architectural style, Art Nouveau is quite heterogeneous - it varies from city to city. The entrance pavilions of the Paris Metro, Gaudí's Casa Batlló in Barcelona, the Metropol Hotel in Moscow are all examples of Art Nouveau. But Riga is famous for the greatest concentration of architecture in this style - the central streets of Riga are simply dotted with buildings with bizarre floral decors, masks of women and stucco moldings in the form of dragons and other mythical creatures.
The Art Nouveau movement originated in the 1890s. The main principle of this style was the idea that art should be a part of everything around.
Inspired by nature and its forms, the revolutionary art style began to be applied in painting, sculpture, illustrations, jewelry, interior design, and, above all, in architecture. The style first appeared in England and soon spread throughout Europe and the United States. Although this style was called by different names in different countries, the names were mostly accepted as modern, art nouveau or art nouveau.
The building on Albert Street, designed by Mikhail Eisenstein. Although very popular with tourists, this highly ornate Art Nouveau variety is not typical of Riga. A good example of Riga Art Nouveau architecture, which combines rationality and decor. The project of this building on Smilšu Street was developed by Constantin Pekshens.
Art Nouveau's popularity began to decline in 1910, but examples of this beautiful architectural form are still some of the most popular with tourists throughout Europe. Brussels, Barcelona, Paris, Vienna … all these cities have many famous Art Nouveau buildings. However, there is a city in Europe where the world's largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings can be found. This is Riga.
The capital of Latvia was founded in 1201 and is the largest city in the Baltic States. Riga is home to about one third of Latvia's population, and the center of this beautiful city has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Literally packed with Art Nouveau and examples of 19th century wooden architecture, Riga attracts more and more visitors every year, mainly due to cheap flights to Latvia from other European cities.
In total, there are about 800 Art Nouveau buildings in Riga. Such an impressive number is the result of the economic and demographic boom that Riga experienced in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. And it was at this time that the Art Nouveau style was at the peak of popularity.
The expansion of Riga led to the demolition of old buildings that surrounded the medieval city center and the construction of new buildings, boulevards and gardens. The wealthy residents of Riga used their savings to build stately buildings, while local architects adopted the European style that was popular at the time.
In this case, it was the Art Nouveau style. Most of the buildings were built in the central part of the city, and several examples of Art Nouveau appeared in the Old Town of Riga. Almost half of the Art Nouveau buildings in the city were created thanks to architects Mikhail Eisenstein and Konstantin Pekshens.
Continuing our journey through Europe, we publish 15 colorful photos from a trip to Prague.
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