The Palace of Justice ( lv, Latvijas Tiesu pils) is a set of courthouses and administrative buildings in
Riga. It is the location of sittings of the
Supreme Court of Latvia, of the
Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia
200px, Meeting room of the Government of Latvia in the Palace of Justice
The Government of Latvia is the central government of the Republic of Latvia. The Constitution of Latvia ( lv, Satversme) outlines the nation as a parliamentary republic
...
and the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice.
History
Senate
Between 1918 and 1940 the highest judicial power in Latvia was the
Senate of Latvia (''
Latvijas Senāts''). The first section of the building was constructed between 1936 and 1938 as a new home for the Senate and the Ministry of Justice under the authoritarian regime of
Kārlis Ulmanis
Kārlis Augusts Vilhelms Ulmanis (; 4 September 1877 – 20 September 1942) was a Latvian politician. He was one of the most prominent Latvian politicians of pre-World War II Latvia during the Interwar period of independence from November 1918 to ...
. The foundation stone was laid by War Minister
Jānis Balodis
Jānis Balodis (20 February 1881 – 8 August 1965) was an army general, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Latvia (1919–1921), Minister of War (1931–1940) and politician who was one of the principal figures during the Latvian War of ...
and it was officially opened by Justice Minister
Hermanis Apsītis
Hermanis is a Latvian masculine given name and surname and may refer to:
Given name
*Hermanis Matisons (1894–1932), Latvian chess player
*Hermanis Saltups (1901–1968), Latvian footballer
Surname
*Alvis Hermanis
Alvis Hermanis is a ...
. The building was not completed in full before the Second World War. The wing which today accommodates the Supreme Court was constructed during the Stalinist era.
Executive building
During the alternating Nazi and Soviet occupations the building was home to the Reich Commissariat and the Latvian SSR Council of Ministers. Since the 1990s the usual meeting place of the Cabinet of Latvia has been the old Senate chamber.
Location
The building is located on
Brīvības bulvāris (''Freedom Boulevard'') at the triangular intersection of Elizabetes iela, Tērbatas iela (''
Tartu street'') and Brīvības. Next door is the Riga Regional Court (''Rīgas apgabaltiesa'').
External links
Palace of Justice at the Supreme Court of Latvia website
References
{{Riga Cityscape
Neoclassical architecture in Latvia
Buildings and structures in Riga
Neoclassical palaces in Latvia
Government buildings completed in 1938