Albert Street () is a street in central
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
known for its
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
buildings.
It was built in 1901 and named after
Bishop Albert, who founded Riga in 1201.
Many of the apartment buildings along the street were designed by the architect
Mikhail Eisenstein
Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein (, ; – 2 July 1920) was a civil engineer and architect working in Riga, the present-day capital of Latvia, when the city was part of the Russian Empire. He was active as an architect in the city at a time of great ...
, who was particularly active in Riga at the beginning of the twentieth century. His creativity is reflected through the various atypical, decorative buildings along Albert street. The architectural style makes use of structural and decorative elements of romantic nationalism common to northern Europe at the time.
Konstantīns Pēkšēns
Konstantīns Pēkšēns (born 3 March 1859, Mazsalaca parish, Russian Empire — died 23 June 1928, Bad Kissingen, Weimar Republic) is one of the most prominent Latvian people, Latvian architects of all times. After Jānis Baumanis he is the epito ...
and
Eižens Laube, a teacher and his pupil respectively, were prominent in building design on the street at the same time. Other authors of buildings of Alberta iela include Baltic and
Baltic German
Baltic Germans ( or , later ) are Germans, ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), their resettlement in 1945 after the end ...
architects
Paul Mandelstamm,
Hermann Hilbig and
Heinrich Scheel.
Since April 2009 Pēkšēns' former residence at number 12 has housed the
Riga Art Nouveau Museum.
[ A number of institutions of higher education are located on the street or adjacent; the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, the Riga Graduate School of Law and the . The embassies of ]Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and Ireland are also located on Alberta iela.
Notable buildings
File:Alberta ielā 1 20120728-2.JPG, Alberta iela 1 - living house by Heinrich Scheel and August Friedrich Scheffel built in 1901. The writer Zenta Mauriņa lived here.
Image:Edificio modernista en Alberta iela 2a, Riga, Letonia, 2012-08-07, DD 02.JPG, Alberta iela 2a - living house by Mikhail Eisenstein
Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein (, ; – 2 July 1920) was a civil engineer and architect working in Riga, the present-day capital of Latvia, when the city was part of the Russian Empire. He was active as an architect in the city at a time of great ...
built in 1906. Isaiah Berlin
Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...
spent the first years of his life there.
Image:Immeuble art nouveau (Riga) (7567163020).jpg, Alberta iela 4 - living house by Mikhail Eisenstein
Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein (, ; – 2 July 1920) was a civil engineer and architect working in Riga, the present-day capital of Latvia, when the city was part of the Russian Empire. He was active as an architect in the city at a time of great ...
built in 1904.
File:Riga, Alberta 7 (1) M7936 2014-03-12.jpg, Alberta iela 7 - neo-baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
building by Hermann Hilbig.
Image:Immeuble art nouveau (Riga) (7582914046).jpg, Alberta iela 8 - living house by Mikhail Eisenstein
Mikhail Osipovich Eisenstein (, ; – 2 July 1920) was a civil engineer and architect working in Riga, the present-day capital of Latvia, when the city was part of the Russian Empire. He was active as an architect in the city at a time of great ...
built in 1903.
File:Alberta ielā 12 20120728-10.JPG, Alberta iela 12 - Art nouveau building by Konstantīns Pēkšēns
Konstantīns Pēkšēns (born 3 March 1859, Mazsalaca parish, Russian Empire — died 23 June 1928, Bad Kissingen, Weimar Republic) is one of the most prominent Latvian people, Latvian architects of all times. After Jānis Baumanis he is the epito ...
and Eižens Laube. The Riga Art Nouveau Museum is located there.
See also
* Art Nouveau architecture in Riga
References
External links
*
Buildings and structures in Riga
Art Nouveau architecture in Riga
Streets in Riga
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