Arsenal building on Republic Square in Old Town of Riga, Latvia. October 29, 2022
The former Riga customs warehouse was built on the site of the demolished Swedish Arsenal, from which it takes its name. The huge 135 m long building alone forms the entire southern edge of the square. The monotonous façade rhythmically alternates between grand, round-arched warehouse doors and smaller shutters, while the central bay is mechanically emphasised in the middle part of the façade without any relation to the spatial structure of the building. It is crowned by a frieze in the standard manner of an amphitheatre, and above it, in the middle part of the bay, rises a pendant attic. In fact, it is a typical introduction to Riga of the Russian Empire, which is alien to the character of its environment in the scale and volume of its details. The rear of the building incorporates the remains of the city's medieval fortification wall and the Maiden Tower.
The building was designed by St.Petersburg architects Alexander Nellinger (1789-1840) and possibly Giovanni (Ivan) Lukin (1784-1853), with the participation of Julius Adolf Spazier. The building was constructed between 1828 and 1832 under the direction of the master builder Gottfried Johann Daniel (1768-1831). From 1920 to 1930, the building was a warehouse for the Latvian army.
Arsenal building on Republic Square in Old Town of Riga, Latvia. October 29, 2022
The former Riga customs warehouse was built on the site of the demolished Swedish Arsenal, from which it takes its name. The huge 135 m long building alone forms the entire southern edge of the square. The monotonous façade rhythmically alternates between grand, round-arched warehouse doors and smaller shutters, while the central bay is mechanically emphasised in the middle part of the façade without any relation to the spatial structure of the building. It is crowned by a frieze in the standard manner of an amphitheatre, and above it, in the middle part of the bay, rises a pendant attic. In fact, it is a typical introduction to Riga of the Russian Empire, which is alien to the character of its environment in the scale and volume of its details. The rear of the building incorporates the remains of the city's medieval fortification wall and the Maiden Tower.
The building was designed by St.Petersburg architects Alexander Nellinger (1789-1840) and possibly Giovanni (Ivan) Lukin (1784-1853), with the participation of Julius Adolf Spazier. The building was constructed between 1828 and 1832 under the direction of the master builder Gottfried Johann Daniel (1768-1831). From 1920 to 1930, the building was a warehouse for the Latvian army.