
Art Deco Architecture Style. Albert Street, 4, Riga, Latvia.
Do you know why the small capital of Latvia is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List? It is not because of the medieval center of old Riga with its bright and impressive House of Blackheads, and not even because of the Dome with one of Europe’s best organs, and certainly not because of the famous Riga Black Balsam. The capital of Latvia has a trump card, which not every tourist knows about.
It so happened that at the end of the 19th century, almost the whole of Europe watched the birth of a new architectural style—it would be called Modern. In France it is known as Art Nouveau, in Germany as Jugendstil, in Italy as Liberty, and in the USA as Tiffany.
The new style had the following specific features: refusal of strict symmetry, right angles, and straight lines, in favor of harmonic “natural” elements reproducing flora and fauna.
I know whose name you are ready to call: the name of the great modernist Antoni Gaudi. It is thought that the sensational Spaniard deviated from the classical concept of architecture to a greater degree than other architects. In his beloved Barcelona, he created only twelve buildings; however, they looked so organic that they more closely resembled the work of nature than that of a human.
But Gaudi had some worthy competitors. The small city of Riga preserved the whole modernistic quarter. I am afraid there are no other places on Earth with such a concentration of amazingly beautiful buildings. Their author, Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein, was a national of the Russian Empire and later of Germany. Thanks to his Jugendstil buildings, Riga was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Jugendstil building by Mikhail Eisenstein. Elizabetes Street, 10b, Riga, Latvia.

Art Nouveau Style. Albert Street, 13, Riga Latvia.

Albert Street, 2a, Riga, Latvia.
I watched many times as guests of the Latvian capital stood in amazement on their first glance at Eisenstein buildings. Then they raised their cameras and started take numerous photos trying to capture every single detail. After that, they stood, letting their eyes to travel over the, unusual for northern countries, emotional décor of the facades. I also could admire them for hours and always left with the feeling of some unsolved mystery.

Albert Street, 2a, Riga, Latvia.

Strelnieku Street, 4, Riga, Latvia.

Albert Street, 8, Riga, Latvia.
The irony of it is that Mikhail Eisenstein went down in history for his leisure-time activity. Architecture was just a hobby of the high-ranking official, who managed to serve in the rank of state councilor—which is equal to an army generalship—just for ten years. Talented people are talented in everything.
In Riga, he projected 19 houses, radically contradicting the style of the strict classicism accepted in those times.
In the mornings, in any kind of weather and any season, you find yourselves in the Eisenstein quarter of Riga together with capitally-equipped professional photographers and real fans of architecture. A little later, starting from 10 a.m., tourist buses start to bring tourists.
Splendid houses along Albert Street, which are so attractive for the tourists nowadays, have sprung up not such a long time ago by historical standards. Only 130 years ago, there was no street at all; only gardens and wastelands. Then, it was decided to turn the outskirts of Riga into an urbanized territory with high multi-storey stone houses.
A rich Riga lawyer, Lebedinskij, was one of the main developers of the new district. As a friend, he proposed to Mikhail Eisenstein to contract three houses, “Experience is a minor point. The main thing is to create facades and interiors capable of impressing the future inhabitants with their vivid beauty.”

Albert Street, 8, Riga, Latvia.

Albert Street, 4, Riga, Latvia.
Probably, nowadays Mikhail Eisenstein might be called a perfectionist, because no matter what he was doing, he always tried to provide a faultless result. He succeeded in his career, but it was the hobby that brought him fame. Obviously, he was not only talented, but ambitious, and—above all–hardworking as well. Generally, he was a very original personality and, beyond any doubt, an artistically endowed man.
In his pursuit of something new, Eisenstein preferred the Austrian and the Bavarian variations of the Jugendstil, having surpassed his teachers in décor intensity. If in southern Europe, the distinctive feature of Art Nouveau was a décor with the use of floral elements, insects, and reptiles, the center of Jugendstil esthetics was the femme fatale, seductive, and at the same time dangerous, offering the experience of pleasure at the cost of a life.
The demonic cult of femme fatale was popular in the Bohemian theatric community. It is known for sure that the young architect was reputed to be one of the most inveterate theatergoers of Riga. He was wild about the opera and literature, and spoke perfect German and French. Many meticulous journalists tried to distinguish the faces of the popular opera divas among the feminine images decorating the facades of his buildings.
However, the rise of Eisenstein as an architect was a short one. The genial houses on Albert and Elizabetes streets were projected and built by Mikhail Eisenstein in a relatively short time span. It was the period of his rapid career progress and birth of his only son in the background of a very complicated relationship with his wife.
They both had their own love story. It is more likely, Mikhail wedded out of pique. Young Mikhail Eisenstein was in love with a daughter of the Riga moneybag, Mertens, and asked for her hand, but the rich merchant rejected him being skeptical about the opportunities of the young man.
In St. Petersburg, Mikhail’s relatives gladly supported his aspirations for family life and introduced him to a nice girl, the daughter of an influential merchant. Her name was Julia Konetskaya. Julia was in love with another young man, but the stern father rejected her choice. Instead he blessed her marriage with Mikhail Eisenstein. Thus, they became a couple without mutual love.
Mikhail and Julia Eisenstein
The career of Eisenstein was successful, but as for his family life–the scandals at home never stopped. The private life of Eisenstein was the permanent topic of Riga’s society.
Later, Mikhail’s son, Sergey Eisenstein, wrote in the memoirs recalling his childhood, “With some people father dueled, with some not. I clearly remember the day when my mother hysterically ran out of the apartments to jump into the flight of steps. I also remember as father brought her back.”
Eisenstein created his best houses on Albert and Elizabetes streets in Riga during the period of these stormy relations with his wife.
The facades of his houses are full of femme masks, mysterious and sad, tender and seductive. For example, let’s take the unusual sculpture décor of house number two on Albert Street: Valkyries dancing on the mascarons. Mascarons are the masculine masks. Their faces are drawn with pain.
It is safe to say that every house of Mikhail Eisenstein is crying.

Albert Street, 13, Riga, Latvia.

Albert Street, 2a, Riga, Latvia.
In 1909, the couple finally divorced, which returned peace and quiet to the soul of the not yet old architect, but the architectural muse no longer visited him. After Julia’s return to St. Petersburg, and because of the debunking of his architectural experiments in the press, Eisenstein left architecture and never returned to it.
Despite criticism from the local architectural community, rich citizens of Riga and international diplomats promptly occupied all the Eisenstein houses. The orders from rich property developers kept coming, but Mikhail Eisenstein had left architecture forever.
Now, it’s hard to imagine that a hundred years ago, antagonists and haters harshly criticized Eisenstein, suggesting that the buildings constructed on his projects spoil the new district and some even “disgraced” Riga. They called his buildings “raunch” and “epatage.”
Even in the beginning of the 1930s, several years after Eisenstein’s death, the passions continued to rage. Architect G. Pirang wrote about Jugendstil, “This style lasted for a short while and did not leave a proper mark in Riga. Only the piteous Albert Street has completely fallen victim to it.”
If Pirang had only known that many years later, Riga would become famous not because of the local Black Balsam, but for the treasure of Art Nouveau, and the “piteous Albert Street” would become the pride of the Latvian capital. Nowadays, the architecture of Riga is a gem of Art Nouveau style.
The First World War separated the father and the son. Eisenstein the Elder, unlike his son, strongly denied the Russian Revolution, and immigrated to Germany where he died in 1921.
He is buried in Berlin. Rows of memorial stones on that cemetery contain the names of famed Russian noble families: ministers, academics, writers, and officers. Mikhail Eisenstein’s tombstone has the original construction: it is made of bronze and has the form of a stub with stylized plants growing from it, imitating the decorative elements of the architect’s buildings in Riga.
The facades of the Jugendstil houses in Riga have windows of different shapes and sizes, decorated with carved railings and lacy balconies; wrought iron torches and cast-iron fences; strange animals on the roofs and human faces on the edges.
Every house in the Art Nouveau quarter of Riga is decorated with some original composition: clocks, spires, or lion with raised tail. The front doors are framed by the sculptures of chimeras, satires, and sphinxes. Beautiful and unusual!
The houses of Albert Street are peculiar and inimitable. I have never seen such an impressive leap of architectural imagination anywhere in Europe. These buildings could only be put on par with Hundervasserta homes in Vienna, creations of Gaudi in Barcelona and, I suppose, the House with Chimeras in Kiev.

Albert Street, 8, Riga, Latvia.

Albert Street, 6, Riga, Latvia.
Here are the houses included in the architecture’s textbooks: the city of Riga, Albert Street, 2, 2а, 4, 6, 8, 10а, 10b, 11, 12, and 13. Don’t miss the plate on the house № 4 with the modest inscription, “Mikhail Eisenstein lived here.”
Nowadays, Albert Street is a prestigious area. Almost all the houses have been reconstructed; the valuable architectural facades were left. The inner premises are modernized: from the separation walls to the underground parking area, bathroom fixtures, and elevators.
The cost of one square meter here starts from 3-6 thousand Euros, and local guides often emphasize that such a price does not deter the customers at all. Apartments in this district of Riga are rarely offered for sale.

Art Nouvea Museum. Albert Street, 12, Riga, Latvia.

The flight of steps in the Art Nouvea Museum.
During the period from 1897 until 1911, Mikhail Eisenstein designed 19 buildings. They are all sensational and acknowledged to be architectural masterpieces! Six of them are presented on Albert Street: three of them were built by order of Lebedinskij, among them Eisenstein’s own house in Riga.
Here I would like to present the whole list of Mikhail Eisenstein’s works in Riga with their addresses and the constructional date:
1. Strelnieku Street, 19 (1897).
2. Krishyan Baron Street, 39 (1898).
3. Margrietas Street, 16 (1900).
4. Dzirnavu Street, 18 (1901).
5. Elizabetes Street, 33 (1901).
6. Elizabetes Street, 10a (1903).
7. Elizabetes Street, 10b (1903).
8. Albert Street, 8 (1903).
9. Albert Street, 4 (1904).
10. Albert Streett, 6 (1904).
11. Albert Street, 13 (1904).
12. Dzirnavu Street, 18 (1904), building in the garden.
13. Albert Street, 2 (1906).
14. Albert Street, 2a (1906).
15. Brivibas Street 99 (1905) .
16. Sterlnieku Street, 4a (1905).
17. Lomonosova Street 3 (1911).
18. Lomonosova Street 5 (1911).
19. Strugu Street, 3 (1911).
Pay attention to the dates: Mikhail Eisenstein designed his first house at the age of 29, deliberately to gain architectural experience, and suddenly, within only five years, from 1901 till 1906, produced his best houses in an incredible creative surge.
If you are a fan of modern architecture, Barcelona and Riga must be your next destinations.

The old town of Riga
More about Latvia:
Weekend in Riga: Hundred-Percent Europe for a Very Reasonable Price
May 29, 2014 at 9:54 am
Exceptional – and lovely perspective as well
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May 29, 2014 at 11:30 pm
Thank you very much. Riga likes to pose for photographers 🙂
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May 29, 2014 at 11:13 am
Ah, this is another place on my extensive list of places to see – thanks for the informative post…
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May 29, 2014 at 11:33 pm
I wrote this blog post for future visitors of Riga.
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May 30, 2014 at 2:32 am
🙂
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May 29, 2014 at 11:13 am
Fabulous photos, Victor, and the accompanying article is a real education. Now these buildings will have meaning for anyone who goes to see them.
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May 29, 2014 at 11:36 pm
I feel it is more interesting to look at any attraction knowing its history.
Thank you very much.
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May 30, 2014 at 12:15 am
I agree. It adds meaning and keeps the images in our minds longer with all the attached associations.
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May 29, 2014 at 11:56 am
Nice article!
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May 29, 2014 at 11:37 pm
Many thanks.
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May 29, 2014 at 12:53 pm
Fascinating 🙂 I hope I can see it all on my own one day 🙂
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May 29, 2014 at 11:38 pm
I hope too. Riga is so close to you.
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May 29, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Good post Victor. I went to Riga in 2005 and a lot of these buildings remained in a sad state of disrepair. I returned in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and the speed of refurbishment and restoration was breathtaking. My favourite has to be the Jugendstil building.
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May 29, 2014 at 11:41 pm
Great. Have you tried their coffee liqueur Moka?
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May 29, 2014 at 6:13 pm
Really amazing!
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May 29, 2014 at 11:42 pm
Thank you, Pam.
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May 29, 2014 at 6:16 pm
Victor, enjoyed your wonderful style of writing again and photos of buildings I saw many times. Thank you.
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May 29, 2014 at 11:43 pm
Many times? Seems almost every my reader have been to Riga. 🙂
Thanks a lot, JF.
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May 30, 2014 at 12:49 am
Victor, I lived in the USSR 40 years. My aunt lived in Riga.
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May 30, 2014 at 7:58 am
Your aunt is lucky.
JF, in what city of the world you would like to live, if you could live where you want?
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May 30, 2014 at 10:24 am
In Rego Park, Queens. At my age I want to live close to my family and friends.
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May 30, 2014 at 12:58 pm
I understand. Thank you.
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May 31, 2014 at 3:07 pm
Beautiful! Love the architectural designs!
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May 31, 2014 at 9:48 pm
Latvia is very different from Bosnia.
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June 2, 2014 at 7:05 am
Thank you Victor for a very informative article. My interest in seeing these wonderful buildings has been sparked. The buildings are like having life sized Wedgewood! The artisans who actually did the carvings must have been wonderful.
Look forward to receiving your weekly blog here downunder.
Peter and Christine Witton
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June 2, 2014 at 9:24 am
Thank you very much Peter and Christine. I will be very glad to see you among my followers.
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June 3, 2014 at 3:32 pm
This is so amazing… So beautiful… Thanks for sharing.
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June 3, 2014 at 10:39 pm
Thank you for the visit.
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June 4, 2014 at 5:22 am
Thanks for your post. Riga is high on my bucket list!
Have you paid a visit to Osijek yet? It needs a few years (people with a vision, and money) to restore all the Art Nouveau houses, but I am sure one day is will also be as beautiful as Riga: http://aboutartnouveau.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/osijek-croatia/
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June 4, 2014 at 7:44 am
We have not been there precisely because of the war.
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June 6, 2014 at 7:55 am
Wow! I love it. Love it. Love it. Barcelona is already one of my favourite cities Victor but I haven’t been to Riga yet. Have you ever been in the winter?
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June 6, 2014 at 12:24 pm
No; only in the autumn and spring.
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June 7, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Wow, I’m really impressed by the architecture! Beautifully done.
Frank (bbqboy)
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June 7, 2014 at 11:54 pm
Thank you, Frank. I hope one day you will see it yourself. Riga is worth of visit.
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June 20, 2014 at 5:27 am
Simply outstanding architecture and decoration, and so many more than I thought I’d ever see so concentrated together.
I can’t say that I’d really given Riga much thought as a possible destination for our future travels, but to see this work I’d really be prepared to add it to the list for this year.
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June 22, 2014 at 10:07 am
Thank you, Dale.
If you like narrow medieval streets and old building, good cuisine and beer, intelligent and polite people, you will like Riga.
P.S. Dale, I am sorry about that letter in StumbleUpon. I was in a bad mood on that day.
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July 8, 2014 at 10:29 am
My Mother, Marga Sveilis, was born in this city. Thanks for this article!
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July 8, 2014 at 12:55 pm
I hope she spoke with you about this city.
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December 11, 2018 at 9:31 am
Gorgeous! Reblogging to my sister site Timeless Wisdoms
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April 28, 2019 at 5:42 pm
May I use a couple of your photos in my book about architects?
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May 2, 2019 at 6:18 am
Yes, you may.
If you mention my website VictorTravelBlog.com in your book, I will be grateful.
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August 5, 2019 at 12:05 pm
These buildings alone would make Riga a worthwhile destination. Thanks!
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August 5, 2019 at 12:11 pm
Undoubtedly. Thank you, David.
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August 6, 2019 at 4:57 am
We visited Riga and were delighted by the architecture beyond all expectations and hopes. Thanks for this great post giving the background of the architect. Beautifully written!
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August 6, 2019 at 5:30 am
Thank you, Jadi. To hear it from a novelist is especially nice.
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August 6, 2019 at 11:47 pm
Jadi, I try to comment your blog post about frogs, but can’t. Your site tries to upload a file instead.
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September 17, 2019 at 9:15 am
Beautiful pictures and interesting story!
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September 19, 2019 at 5:04 am
Thank you.
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