Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Art Nouveau or Modern is the German name for the Art Nouveau style.

Speaking about Riga, locals usually use the term “art nouveau” rather than “modern”. Modern is one of the branches of the Art Nouveau style, its German variety. Translated from German, Jugendstil means “young style.” It got its name from the popular German magazine “Jugend” (“Youth”), which began to be published in Germany in 1896.

From 1902 to 1914, all Riga architects used the techniques of modernity and, of course, its decorative forms in their work. It is almost impossible to find a building in the Riga buildings of this time, in which the style of modernity has not manifested itself in one way or another. This applies even to buildings that are created in the spirit of other concepts.

Modern is characterized by simple geometric lines and shapes. Architects sought to make the facade elements as decorative as possible: stylized ornaments, garlands of flowers, sculptures of various animals, statues of women, winding bindings of balconies and staircases, faces. The facade of buildings in the style of Art Nouveau could even judge the owner and history of the house.

One of the most prominent architect in Riga was Mikhail Eisenstein, who worked in the Baltic State Property Management, and was engaged in private architecture. According to the son of Sergei, the famous filmmaker, Mikhail Eisenstein built about 53 houses in the Modern style.

The architecture of Riga.

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