Latvian Academy of Sciences

Riga, Latvia

The Academy of Sciences edifice was built after World War II, between 1951 and 1961, collecting the necessary financing from the newly established kolkhozes in Latvia and - as further expenses increased, collecting the finances as 'voluntary donations' deducted from the salaries of the Latvian rural population.

The building is decorated with several hammers and sickles as well as Latvian folk ornaments and motifs. The spire originally was decorated with a wreath and a five pointed star, which was removed after Latvia regained independence in 1991. Being 108 metres tall, it was the first skyscraper in the republic and was the tallest building until the construction of the Swedbank Headquarters in Latvia.

The building, designed by Osvalds Tīlmanis, Vaidelotis Apsītis, and Kārlis Plūksne, is a cousin to similar Stalin-era skyscrapers, which were representative of what became known as Stalinist architecture (sometimes referred to as Socialist Classicism). The architecture of the skyscraper resembles many others built in the Soviet Union at the time, most notably the main building of Moscow State University. Local nicknames for this building include Stalin's birthday cake and the Kremlin.

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Address

Elijas iela 2-6, Riga, Latvia
See all sites in Riga

Details

Founded: 1951-1961
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Latvia
Historical period: Soviet Era (Latvia)

More Information

www.latvia.travel
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Riga Old Town (1 km)
House of Blackheads (1 km)
St. Peter's Church (0,9 km)
Mentzendorff House (0,9 km)
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (1 km)
Small & Great Guild Hall (1,1 km)
Riga Cathedral (1,2 km)
St. John's Church (0,9 km)
St. James's Cathedral (1,4 km)


Salaspils Concentration Camp (13,3 km)
Jelgava Palace (39,8 km)
St. Simeon’s and St. Anna’s Orthodox Cathedral (40,5 km)
Ikskile Church Ruins (27 km)
St. Anne's Church (40,8 km)
Vecdole Castle Ruins (12,1 km)
Daugavgriva Castle Ruins (12,6 km)

User Reviews

Eija Risen (16 months ago)
For anyone interested in USSR culture, the most representative style of socrealist tower. Reminiscent of buildings like the University of Moscow and Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.
Paul Vm King (16 months ago)
It's a bit of a walk from the old town area but very close to Jewish district and little moscow area,worth a visit to see the less tourist part of Riga.
Martin Saraz (17 months ago)
Good weather is definitely a key here, but if visibility is decent, it's absolutely amazing and certainty worth a visit. Structure itself is from the peak of a commie era, but for some reason I loved it. Reminds me of some buildings decades older in the US. 5€ admission is a fair price.
Benedikt T (17 months ago)
Kind of worth a visit, but for 5€ it's overpriced in my opinion. The view is good and you can see basically the whole city. The deck itself is spacious and you can stay how long you want to. However, there is no protection against the elements and historical or other information is scarce.
Tim Michael Vesper (17 months ago)
One of the coolest viewing platforms I've ever been to! 5€ is a decent price and the place is not really crowded. In fact we've been alone on the majority of the 30 minutes we spend up there. Informative signs in German, Latvian, Russian and English are appreciated too!
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Cochem Castle

The original Cochem Castle, perched prominently on a hill above the Moselle River, served to collect tolls from passing ships. Modern research dates its origins to around 1100. Before its destruction by the French in 1689, the castle had a long and fascinating history. It changed hands numerous times and, like most castles, also changed its form over the centuries.

In 1151 King Konrad III ended a dispute over who should inherit Cochem Castle by laying siege to it and taking possession of it himself. That same year it became an official Imperial Castle (Reichsburg) subject to imperial authority. In 1282 it was Habsburg King Rudolf’s turn, when he conquered the Reichsburg Cochem and took it over. But just 12 years later, in 1294, the newest owner, King Adolf of Nassau pawned the castle, the town of Cochem and the surrounding region in order to finance his coronation. Adolf’s successor, Albrecht I, was unable to redeem the pledge and was forced to grant the castle to the archbishop in nearby Trier and the Electorate of Trier, which then administered the Reichsburg continuously, except for a brief interruption when Trier’s Archbishop Balduin of Luxembourg had to pawn the castle to a countess. But he got it back a year later.

The Electorate of Trier and its nobility became wealthy and powerful in large part due to the income from Cochem Castle and the rights to shipping tolls on the Moselle. Not until 1419 did the castle and its tolls come under the administration of civil bailiffs (Amtsmänner). While under the control of the bishops and electors in Trier from the 14th to the 16th century, the castle was expanded several times.

In 1688 the French invaded the Rhine and Moselle regions of the Palatinate, which included Cochem and its castle. French troops conquered the Reichsburg and then laid waste not only to the castle but also to Cochem and most of the other surrounding towns in a scorched-earth campaign. Between that time and the Congress of Vienna, the Palatinate and Cochem went back and forth between France and Prussia. In 1815 the western Palatinate and Cochem finally became part of Prussia once and for all.

Louis Jacques Ravené (1823-1879) did not live to see the completion of his renovated castle, but it was completed by his son Louis Auguste Ravené (1866-1944). Louis Auguste was only two years old when construction work at the old ruins above Cochem began in 1868, but most of the new castle took shape from 1874 to 1877, based on designs by Berlin architects. After the death of his father in 1879, Louis Auguste supervised the final stages of construction, mostly involving work on the castle’s interior. The castle was finally completed in 1890. Louis Auguste, like his father, a lover of art, filled the castle with an extensive art collection, most of which was lost during the Second World War.

In 1942, during the Nazi years, Ravené was forced to sell the family castle to the Prussian Ministry of Justice, which turned it into a law school run by the Nazi government. Following the end of the war, the castle became the property of the new state of Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate). In 1978 the city of Cochem bought the castle for 664,000 marks.

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