The Latvian National Theatre stands beside Riga’s canal in a building opened in 1902. Latvia’s independence was proclaimed on its stage in 1918; the building remains home to a national repertory company.
Guide preview
A theatre stage can be a place where a country announces itself. On 18 November 1918, the Latvian People’s Council met in the building now known as the Latvian National Theatre and proclaimed the Republic of Latvia. The theatre was already a working performance venue, and it remains one today: its civic significance and its life as a stage occupy the same building.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- The building opened as Riga’s Second City Theatre in 1902.
- Latvia’s independence was proclaimed in the building on 18 November 1918.
- The theatre was expanded with workshop and storage space in 2002–04.
More places in Riga
10b Elizabetes Street
Elizabetes iela 10b is a 1903 Riga apartment building designed by Mikhail Eisenstein. Its blue upper façade, enormous sculpted faces and ornamental patterns show how published European design ideas were adapted into a distinctive Art Nouveau street front.
11 November Embankment
Riga’s 11 November Embankment follows the right bank of the Daugava beside Old Riga, combining a busy riverside route with a long history of trade and public gatherings.
1991 Barricades Museum
The 1991 Barricades Museum preserves objects, photographs and testimony from Latvia’s independence struggle. In Old Riga, its collection traces the volunteers who defended important sites and remembers those killed or injured during the January and August events.
4a Strēlnieku Street
The richly ornamented 1905 design at Strēlnieku iela 4a is associated with architect Mikhail Eisenstein. Originally combining a school and residences, it later housed a dormitory and now serves the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.
AB Jetty
AB Jetty extends from the left bank of the Daugava in Riga, offering a walking route and views across the river towards the towers of the Old Town.
Āgenskalns Market
Āgenskalns Market is a neighbourhood food market on Riga’s left bank, centred on a red-brick hall designed by Reinhold Georg Schmaeling. Established at this site in 1898, it reopened its restored pavilion in 2022 with food sellers, cafés and community activities.