Rīgas pils

Riga Castle, called Rīgas pils in Latvian, sits on the projecting northwest corner of the Old Town and is now the official residence of the President of Latvia. The history of the building goes back to 1201, when the Livonian Brothers of the Sword built a first convent house opposite the Bishop's Palace. This predecessor, the so-called St. George's Castle, was destroyed by the city's rebellious citizens. After the Order reconquered Riga in the 14th century, work on the new fortress began in 1330. It was built on the grounds of the former Holy Spirit Hospital and designed as a four-towered complex in the convent-house style. To secure its strategic independence, the castle was separated from the city wall by a deep moat filled with water.

Over the centuries, the building served various rulers and was rebuilt or damaged several times. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it underwent extensive renovation for the provincial government. After Latvia regained its independence, a president took up residence in the building for the first time in 1938; during the Soviet era, it had been used as a Palace of Pioneers. A severe fire in 2013 badly damaged the building, but it was carefully restored in the following years. Today, the spatial structure of the Late Gothic chapel and the refectory is still partly preserved in its original state, while the other medieval rooms have been converted into offices.

A significant part of the castle houses the Museum of the History of Latvia, which was redesigned in 1991. The collection comprises one million objects documenting the nation's history. Although the 2013 fire spared the museum wing, the museum had to move to temporary premises on Brīvības bulvāris for a long time. Visitors can experience the castle's historic atmosphere and trace Latvia's eventful history through the exhibitions, while the museum's reopening in its original castle premises is planned for spring 2026.