Latvian capital wows visitors

A Reuters
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report says that the Latvian capital of Riga has been called the Bangkok of the Baltic for its mix of cheap beer, sex clubs and stag party visitors.

But a quiet corner just outside the very centre of the city draws a steady stream of tourists to another feast.

Rows of beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, some restored and others still bearing the marks of decades of neglect during the Soviet era, sit proudly in this tiny architectural niche.

“We were not expecting anything quite as spectacular, it’s the detail they have managed to achieve,” said John O’Keefe, 61, one of the many tourists who come to visit Alberta iela, where some of the most stunning Art Nouveau buildings are found.

The cobbled street, about 200 meters (650 ft) long, is flanked by five-storey buildings developed during the hey-day of Riga’s Art Nouveau period at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th, when Latvia was part of the Russian empire.

The city is dotted with prime examples of Art Nouveau, leading it to claim a leading place in Europe for enthusiasts of the style.

On Alberta iela, some buildings have been renovated, others are blackened with the grime of more than 100 years of life, or have paint peeling off their exteriors.

Nevertheless, the street and area around it now have Riga’s highest property prices.

“You can just look at the ravages of time, they have taken their toll,” said Doug Needham, another British visitor.

“When you look at the buildings that have been renovated and completed and then look at the ones that have not been touched yet, there is an awful lot of work to be done,” he said.

One name most associated with Riga’s Art Nouveau is Mikhail Eisenstein, father of the Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein.

Several of the most spectacular buildings on Alberta iela are Eisenstein’s work and are very decorative.

The facades abound in masks, human figures, lions, monsters, curlicues, flowers and decorative wrought iron balconies.

One of the buildings has thin red tile columns leading up to a balustrade of masks staring down into the street below.

The entrance to the building, which was a childhood home to philosopher Isaiah Berlin between 1909 and 1915, is flanked by two small sphinxes on pedestals. Berlin was born in Riga to Jewish parents, but left for Russia and later went to Britain.

Further along, another of Eisenstein’s buildings has been renovated and is painted a light peach color.

Just around the corner on Strelnieku iela is the building of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, another classic Art Nouveau example restored to a light blue and white facade.

As well as Eisenstein’s flamboyant style, there is also National Romanticism Art Nouveau, which adds in traditional Latvian motifs. One of the main exponents was Latvian architect Konstantin Pekshens.

The attraction of Art Nouveau vies with that of Riga’s hectic nightlife, for some people the main draw of the city. A Latvian group last year launched a campaign against sex tourism, saying the city had become a Baltic Bangkok.

The heart of such beer tourism is the medieval Old Town, where, particularly in the summer, bars do a roaring trade.

“Quite a few Web sites were selling the stag party side of it, there are obviously a lot of pubs as well,” said Scotsman Joe Kincaid, when asked if he was aware of Riga’s reputation.

About Art Nouveau he was certain: “(I am) very, very impressed by it, very high quality.”

A Report by The Mole from Reuters