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

Ra Mie (8 months ago)
Great architecture. There's also a legend about the cat on the roof protecting the owner.

Artūrs Laizāns (8 months ago)
Nice place for concerts. A bit cold in winter. I believe it is not weelchair accessable.

Netanel Pollak (9 months ago)
Fantastic concert hall. Great sound. Very much recommended.

Dagmar Neves (12 months ago)
Exquisite interior. The choral concert competition was outstanding. This is a magical place.

Kristians Luhaers (14 months ago)
A Neo Gothic pearl of Old Town of Riga! Johann Felsko masterpiece. Marvelous! Take the tour of the building, (NB! you have to check it in advance, would it be possible to have a guided tour there, but they do that during the summer) and you will have some unforgettable glimpses of 19th century interiors, terrazzo mosaics and mesmerising stained glass windows. You won't regret! Picture courtesy of Mr. Romualds Pipars a director and cameraman who running a small film studio there.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Natxus

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St. Stephen"s Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c. 975–1038), whose supposed right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. Today, it is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary.

The basilica was completed in 1905 after 54 years of construction, according to the plans of Miklós Ybl, and was completed by József Kauser. Much of this delay can be attributed to the collapse of the dome in 1868 which required complete demolition of the completed works and rebuilding from the ground up.

The architectural style is Neo-Classical; it has a Greek cross ground plan. The façade is anchored by two large bell towers. In the southern tower is Hungary"s biggest bell, weighing over 9 tonnes. Its predecessor had a weight of almost 8 tonnes, but it was used for military purposes during World War II. Visitors may access the dome by elevators or by climbing 364 stairs for a 360° view overlooking Budapest.

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The Saint Stephen Basilica has played an active role in the musical community since its consecration in 1905. The head organists of the church have always been very highly regarded musicians. In the past century the Basilica has been home to choral music, classical music as well as contemporary musical performances. The Basilica choir performs often in different parts of Europe as well as at home. In the summer months they perform every Sunday. During these months you can see performances from many distinguished Hungarian and foreign organ players alike.

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