“The improvement works of the Daugavas gāte and the forecourt square initiated by the SJSC “State Real Estate” (SRE) are being implemented in accordance with the coordination of the National Cultural Heritage Board (NCHB) and the Riga City Council departments. The aim of the project is to prevent the harmful effects of water on the castle walls by improving the rainwater collection and drainage system. The construction will use solutions that are included in the financing allocated by the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA) from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), reducing risks and with minor adjustments, can be adapted to the initial project vision,” informs Jānis Ivanovskis – Pigits, Director of the Real Estate Development Development Project Department of SRE.
In the initial developed construction project solution PS “Rigas Castle convent (castellum) project” ( SIA “Sudraba arhitektūra” (Ltd.) and SIA “Mark arhitekti” (Ltd.)), it was proposed that the rainwater of Riga Castle could be discharged into the Daugava River, which is complicated and expensive. During the development of the idea, the preliminary costs were planned to be 1.3 million euros (including VAT), but when announcing the proposal of construction works, it was revealed that the project had a high risk that it would not be possible to implement it on time and within the specified budget (there was an impact on the adjacent church, the Horn bastion). In addition, the costs offered by the construction companies were twice as high as those planned in the construction project. In order to implement the initial project, additional tests and research would have had to be carried out, which would delay the start of work and require additional financial resources.
“Within the implementation of each project, it is important to take into account the possibilities of implementing the project within the specified time frame and budget, implementation risks and state priorities. In order to preserve the cultural and historical heritage, the microclimate in the basement of the convent (castellum) must be improved primarily. The SRE team is creating a solution that allows achieving the required microclimate without additional expenses. The planned solution can be adjusted to the initial project with minor adjustments, if the necessary financing is found for it,” says J. Ivanovskis – Pigits.
“The National Cultural Heritage Board already informed on Friday, February 21, that the project carried out on the Daugavas gāte has been coordinated with the National Cultural Heritage Board - it is intended to prevent water infiltration into the walls of the Riga Castle, which is an urgent issue from the point of view of monument protection,” informs Anna Ancāne, Head of the Architecture and Art Department of the NCHB.
“The Latvian National Museum of History will welcome visitors to its home after the completion of Phases I and II of the reconstruction of Riga Castle in the palace block with an entrance from the Daugavas gāte. Therefore, it is very important to complete the upkeep of the Daugavas gāte before the museum sets up the new exhibitions and opens them to visitors in the fall of this year,” indicates Juris Šumeiko, Head of the Investment and Projects Division of the Ministry of Culture.
The alternative solution will replace the underground tunneling works of the street with rainwater drainage into adjacent plots of land (infiltration boxes in the ground), significantly reducing construction costs, technological risks of construction works, as well as reducing the impact on adjacent buildings and other risks. As part of the project, the climate of the basement rooms of the building will be improved, household sewage pipes will be replaced and the yard will be cleaned up. Archaeological works will be supervised by archaeologists from the Latvian National History Museum. It is planned to build lighting on the facade of the Daugavas gāte of Riga Castle, as well as to install a digital information board. At the end of last year, household sewage repair works in the courtyard of the Riga Castle convent (castellum) were already implemented.
In mid-2024, SRE repeatedly announced the tender of design, author supervision and construction works and concluded a contract with SIA “Hagberg” (Ltd.). In October 2024, the NKMP approved the construction project “Storm water drainage networks for Daugavas gāte and Forecourt Square in Riga, Pils Square 3” with the coordination conditions. At the beginning of 2025, the SRE also received a note from the Riga City Development Department (Riga City Construction Board) on the fulfillment of the conditions for the commencement of construction work, and at the same time, a permit to conduct archaeological research works was issued by the NCHB. Excavation works at the Horn Bastion began in February of this year.
The project is planned to be completed by the end of summer 2025. The funding, totalling €1.69 million (including VAT), has been raised by the Ministry of Culture through the ERDF funding under Measure 5.1.1.5 " Restoring Unique European Cultural Heritage to Enhance Accessibility Through the Development of Cultural Services", as well as from the national budget. When applying for ERDF co-financing, all project documentation was submitted, indicating the works to be carried out, which are included in the contract concluded with the construction contractor.
About SRE
Currently, 110 projects with total investments of 410 million euros are being implemented under the management of SJSC “State Real Estate”. SRE provides professional real estate management and administration for 411 building and structure properties, which include buildings with an area of 979 thousand square meters, as well as land under buildings with an area of 6.27 million square meters, and 3,203 land properties with a total area of 8.94 million square meters. In 2024, SRE received the “Sustainability Index” platinum award of the Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Institute for the fourth time, confirming the consistently high sustainability of management and the company's operations. The company was founded in 1996, its 100% shareholder is the Ministry of Finance.
Additional information for the media:
SJSC "State Real Estate"
Corporate Communications and Sustainability Department
Tel.: +371 20235301
E-mail: komunikacija@vni.lv
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
