Instawalk: Riga’s Amazing Art Nouveau Architecture

i’d always heard that Riga was famous for its permeating Art Nouveau, but i certainly did not expect it to be everywhere. i found a list of highlights, although i think it’s quite subjective because there is (almost) literally an exemplar on every corner.

i organized that list into a Google Map that starts in the east and circles counterclockwise, since that worked best due to where my airbnb is located, but of course you could start anywhere (click the “View Larger Map” link below and drag and drop the addresses on the left to reorder). places F through J are located in the old town.

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Blauma%C5%86a+28&daddr=10a+Elizabetes+iela,+Riga,+R%C4%ABgas+pils%C4%93ta,+Latvia+to:Alberta+iela,+Riga,+R%C4%ABgas+pils%C4%93ta,+Latvia+to:Str%C4%93lnieku+4a+to:V%C4%ABlandes+iela+to:Smil%C5%A1u+8+to:2+Smil%C5%A1u+iela,+Riga,+R%C4%ABgas+pils%C4%93ta,+Latvia+to:Jauniela+25+to:%C5%A0%C4%B7%C5%AB%C5%86u+10%2F12+to:Kal%C4%93ju+23&geocode=Ff8GZQMdmB1wASmBYr1ezc_uRjEGsrucy5r5MQ%3BFdkaZQMdS-dvASlLMVqHz8_uRjEQU9ykNQcXjQ%3BFUweZQMduOpvASmziCiYxc_uRjG_rK6IoJuqvw%3BFYwgZQMdd9lvASn_152rxc_uRjHxfz3gIJhqIw%3BFfYoZQMdjsRvASkJE82aw8_uRjE5M0okaavevg%3BFa7-ZAMdz9ZvASnHwaLJ0M_uRjENdn6halBQkQ%3BFSX-ZAMdKNNvASmBg4200M_uRjFvRu1sXV5SdQ%3BFd72ZAMdttFvASm5mzER18_uRjG-dPpQjBUU_Q%3BFRT5ZAMd1NhvASkzU0Ym18_uRjFyBaFSiJLKTQ%3BFT70ZAMd4OlvASkh576g1s_uRjETZj0bJBNcRA&aq=&sll=56.954102,24.113445&sspn=0.020009,0.066047&hl=en&dirflg=w&mra=ps&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=56.954102,24.113445&spn=0.022466,0.054932&z=14&output=embed&w=640&h=480]

it seems that the Art Nouveau as expressed here is different from the more traditional (at least in my eyes) Mucha-esque found in Prague (less vines and women), and in general you see fewer whirls and perhaps even designs that hint at Art Deco to come.