The history of the Great Guild began in the 13th century with a room located in the basement under the current Minster Hall. The Great Guild acquired its current size during the reconstruction of the building carried out in 1853-1861, but the history of the building does not end there. A new page will also be turned in it by the ongoing renovation and reconstruction project implemented by the SJSC “State Real Estate” (SRE).
A year ago, in July 2024, the Great Guild closed its doors to visitors, and its long-awaited reconstruction began. This year, Ilmārs Dirveika carried out architectural and artistic supervision to record new information about the construction history of the building. It is known that major renovations of the building took place at the end of the 17th century and in the middle of the 18th century. The specific dates of these events can be seen in the oldest known drawing of the Great Guild Hall, made in 1786 by J.K. Broce.
The vision of reconstruction as a sign of respect
The vision of reconstruction created by architect Zane Koroļa in the 21st century is a tribute to Kārlis Beine's 19th century plan - looking at the Gothic town halls in Germany and Belgium, where ancient forms were implemented in new contemporary materials. The architect wanted to combine the historical with the modern, planning a luxurious metal Gothic roof/ceiling for the building, however, due to financial constraints, it was built entirely of wood.
“Today, this vision is taking on new life. The interior of the Great Hall, designed as a metal mesh roof, embodies a long-dormant idea — the sense of the 19th century and the beauty lost in the fire are being revived. Modern materials become a bridge between the past and the present, allowing the idea to return — this time in a real and long-lasting form,” says Zane Koroļa, Head of the Architecture Department of CMB.
Fragments of history in a modern light
In the Great Hall, the 1965 structures were uncovered to reveal the remains of the hall's mid-19th century neo-Gothic interior, the display of which is currently being decided with acoustic solutions. In the middle of the Great Hall, a longitudinal boundary between the eastern wall of the 13th-19th century building and the 1853-1861 extension is exposed. The upper part of the oldest wall had partly preserved parts of the cornice brickwork. During the removal of the subfloor fill, structures built in the mid-19th century were exposed. During the new reconstruction, the new and old structures above the vaults of the Minster Hall are being consolidated. During the previous reconstruction, the old Guild building had stone slab floors of various sizes. There were so many of them that some of them were used in an unusual way – as insulation for the ends of floor beams, by covering the ends of the wooden edge in the masonry with dolomite tiles.
Head of the Architecture Department and Author Supervision of the Architecture Department Kārlis Frīdenbergs: “The historical elements and artifacts discovered during the construction work provide a significant addition to our understanding of the history of the development of the Great Guild. Although the basic solutions of the project will not be significantly changed, we are committed to preserving and, where possible, exhibiting the most significant finds. In certain cases, these discoveries may affect the interior decoration solutions, adapting them to the integration of historical evidence. Considering the quantity and cultural and historical value of the finds, the possibility of creating a permanent exhibition space where future visitors to the Great Guild will be able to see this evidence is being considered."
Following the trail of the mystery
An interesting novelty in the construction history of the building is a medieval niche with a pointed lintel arch in the wall of the Minster Hall. The 1964 research reports do not mention anything about a peculiar space in the partition between the Minster Hall and the Bride's Chamber, although it is depicted in the hall plan survey. The current research suggests that the arch may mark an original entrance to the hall from the outside. In the first half of the 19th century, the opening was bricked up as extensions were built outside. The small alcove with the furnace can be seen on 19th-century plans and drawings of the interior of Munster Hall. In the middle of the 19th century, a wall cupboard was built in the Munster Hall to replace the furnace.
Veldze Liepa, CEO of SIA Livland group (Ltd.), said: “Working with cultural and historical values is an essential part of our company’s mission. The artifacts discovered during the reconstruction of the Great Guild are a significant contribution to the understanding of Latvia’s cultural and historical heritage. We continue our work with full responsibility, ensuring that the Great Guild will continue to serve as an important center for cultural, social and representational events in the future, while reflecting and preserving its rich historical layering!”
Looking ahead
The dismantling works have been completed in the Great Guild so far. The dismantling and insulation of the roof above the Great Hall, the restoration of windows and doors, and the reconstruction of the internal engineering networks have started. The project will continue with energy efficiency improvement measures, the construction of internal engineering networks and the reconstruction of the Great Hall.
During the reconstruction and restoration, it is planned to rebuild the Great Hall stage, audience seating and ceiling structures, and to implement environmental accessibility activities. As part of the project, historical wooden windows and doors will be restored, as well as roof insulation will be carried out, improving the energy efficiency of the building. The reconstruction will also affect internal engineering networks, including water, heating, ventilation, electricity and low-voltage networks. The basement area of the building will also be transformed, with the reconstruction of the visitor facilities and the cloakroom area. In addition, some rooms will be converted to meet the needs of the administration and musicians.
A total of around EUR 16.2 million (VAT included) is planned to be invested in the development of the Great Guild. The Ministry of Culture has attracted programme funding of EUR 10.08 million from the activity 5.1.1.5 ‘Renovation of unique European cultural heritage to improve its accessibility and develop cultural services’ of Specific Assistance Goal 5.1.1 ‘Work towards integrated social, economic, and environmental development, and improvement in cultural heritage, tourism, and security in local areas’ of the EU Cohesion Policy Programme for 2021–2027. Of this, ERDF funding amounts to EUR 8.5 million and state budget funding to EUR 1.5 million. The Ministry of Economics has, in turn, mobilised funding of EUR 6.18 million to increase the energy efficiency of the Great Guild from the investment 1.2.1.4.i ‘Improving energy efficiency in the buildings of the public sector, incl. historic buildings’ of the reform and investment direction 1.2 ‘Improving energy efficiency’ of the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility; of which the funding of the Recovery Fund is EUR 5.18 million and the state budget funding is EUR 995 thousand. The project is planned to be completed by the end of 2026.
About SRE
SRE provides professional real estate management and administration for a total of 3,580 real estate properties, including 397 building and structure properties, which include 1,066 buildings with an area of 975 thousand square meters, as well as land under buildings with an area of 625 hectares, and 3,183 land properties with a total area of 886 hectares. 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 company operations. The company was founded in 1996, its 100% shareholder is the Ministry of Finance.
Additional information for the media:
SRE "State Real Estate"
E-mail: komunikacija@vni.lv
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
