The Large Guild ( lv, Lielā ģilde) is a building in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. It is located near Livonian Square on 6 Amatu Street. The Large Guild was erected in the years 1854–1859 and built in

English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

style with Gothic forms. It is one of the oldest public buildings in the Baltic states. The building is currently used as the

Latvian National Symphony Orchestra The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO; lv, Latvijas Nacionālais simfoniskais orķestris) is a Latvian orchestra based in Riga. Its primary performance venue is the Great Guild Hall in Riga. In addition to regular symphonic concert ...

concert hall.

History

Large Guild was Riga

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

organization. Its roots begin with Holy Spirit guild in the 13th century as Riga's first new established brotherhood. The Guild accepted traders and craftsmen, except for weavers and sauna operators. Later the Holy Spirit guild was split in two parts. According to historical sources, the two parts were named for the two rooms: the Minster and Zoste Rooms. The two room names were brought from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

traders. Later on, the two guild organizations were split by economic and social interests: the Large Guild brought together German traders and the Small Guild brought together German craftsmen. In 1353, in the Minster Room, traders were recognized by statute, and that it is treated as the year of Large Guild establishment. The current look of the Large Guild was made by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s Karl Beine and Heinrich Shelle between 1853 and 1859. Large Guild was rebuilt in the Tudor

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style. The concert hall in the Guild was made after 1963 because of a fire. In 1965. the Guild was reconstructed by

Modris Gelz and the interior was customized for concert hall needs. The Large Guild currently houses the

. Its rooms are also suitable for a wide range of cultural events and conferences.

Interior

The most known Large Guild rooms are the minster room and bride's chamber. The minster room is famous because it is the only room in Latvia who is preserved from the Middle Ages as a secular society building indoor room. The bride's chamber was meant as a Guild gathering place and also was meant for wedding needs. In 1888 there was made

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

in the Large guilds staircase (master A. Frieshtatle), expressing the greatness of united German merchants.

Stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

depicts the events of 1353, when the master of the Order of the city handed over Large guilds building to the representatives of the guild. Modern day

depicts most important business areas of

. In 1936,

was made by Ansis Cīrulis.

References

Commercial buildings completed in 1857 Buildings and structures in Riga Large Guild 1857 establishments in the Russian Empire {{Latvia-struct-stub