Small & Great Guild Hall, Riga, Latvia

During the centuries of German economic domination, the guilds were Riga's power brokers. The former, dating from 1384, was the home of the merchants, while the latter held the city's artisans. These slightly different audiences are reflected in the respective usage of the buildings today: while the Great Guild is home to the Latvian Symphony Orchestra, its smaller cousin hosts conferences and the occasional disco. The Small Guild is now also open to the public during the day for a small admission fee of 1Ls.

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User Reviews

Fjodors Koldovs (15 months ago)
Visited several times, a nice looking building and inside historical things You can find

Valters Dāvids Ostrovskis (2 years ago)
Very fancy and appropriate place for political events. Service was one of the best I’ve seen

Sintija Kipluka (2 years ago)
Great place for concerts or balls. Well restored architecture.

Baiba Berzina (2 years ago)
Very beautiful place. Looks renovated with all small details that give some insights about history of Riga and place itself. Could not take eyes away from beautiful interior decorations and paintings.

Matt Pierson (2 years ago)
In and of itself this building is beautiful but a little understated. However, as part of a larger scene of the whole square it fits in beautifully. That square was gorgeous and they must see if you are traveling through Riga.

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Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

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In 1922, it was decided to transfer here the contents of the National Library. The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

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