The House of the Blackheads is situated in the Old Town of Riga, Latvia. The original building was erected in 1334 and financed by Riga City Council and the Great Guild of merchants, an association of wealthy, established mostly German merchants who dominated politics in the city at that time, it was then known as the “New House”. It was built in the aftermath of ongoing issues and conflict between the Livonian Order and the Teutonic Knights to celebrate the end of the conflict and reboot international trade. The bottom floors were to serve as a warehouse and the upper ones for meeting places and rooms for entertainment. In 1478 another guild known as the Blackheads took a lease out of the upper floor of the building as Riga City Council needed money to repair the building. The Brotherhood of the Blackheads was a guild of unmarried merchants, shop-owners and ‘foreigners’ in Riga, the Brotherhood were known for having wild and extravagant parties. The name derives from the patron saint of the Brotherhood Saint Maurice, who was a Moorish Knight and a 3rd century Christian Roman legion. Due to his north African original he was typically depicted as a black man in full knights armour. The guild officially adopted the saint as their patron in 1416 and his profile of a dark-skinned Moor’s head, wearing a white headband, was placed on their official coat of arms. This would also explain a lot of the ornamentation around the building! The Brotherhood continued to use the ‘House’ for meetings and events and it was also the setting for the first documented decorated Christmas Tree in 1510! Members of the Brotherhood, decorated and evergreen tree with artificial roses, danced around it and then ceremoniously burned it. Extensive renovation work was done in the early 17th century adding Mannerist ornamentation.
The building and most of the old town of Riga was bombed to ruins on 29th June 1941 as a battle raged between the Soviet armies and the Nazis. After the war the remains were demolished by the then Soviet Government in 1948. The building was rebuilt between 1996 and 1999. The only remaining part of the original building is the cellar which survived the bombings of WWII and its one of the few places in Riga where one can walk through the authentic underground of old Riga, with wall fragments, the floor, and the wooden stairs dating back as far as the 14th century.
Though the House of the Blackheads is essentially a modern building it is still a very ornate and beautiful structure much loved by the people of Riga and is certainly worth a visit if passing through the city.
GPS: 56.94725, 24.10699