House of the Blackheads, Riga, Latvia

· Latvia Riga
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The House of Blackheads was originally constructed in 1334 and was used as a venue for meetings and banquets hosted by the Brotherhood of Blackheads; a guild of unmarried merchants, shipowners, and foreigners residing in Riga. The house was known for its wild parties and the Brotherhood is credited with displaying the first public Christmas tree in 1510.

This building was one of the town’s many structures damaged or destroyed during World War II bombardments. The only surviving section was a medieval cellar discovered during the building’s reconstruction in the mid-1990’s. The House of the Blackheads was fully restored in 1999.

We started our day with a tour of the museum. We visited the underground cellars, the lovely celebration halls and enjoyed looking through the various cabinets that house the vast silver collection. The building is amazing, both inside and out.

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