Dome Square is a broad public space in Riga’s Old Town, shaped by deliberate clearance around the cathedral. It became a gathering place during Latvia’s 1991 barricades, when people defended nearby institutions and warmed themselves at fires.
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Dome Square is unusually wide for Riga’s Old Town. Streets converge around an open space bordered by the cathedral, the former Bourse and the Latvian Radio building. Its breadth was deliberately created: buildings once stood closer to the cathedral, and their removal opened views of its entrances. The square is a later urban composition around a much older church.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The square was enlarged through successive clearance around the cathedral.
- It was a gathering point for defenders of the 1991 barricades.
- Its historic name Doma laukums was restored in 1987.
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