Peitav Synagogue is an active Jewish house of worship in Riga’s Old Town. Consecrated in 1905, its Art Nouveau building survived the destruction of Riga’s synagogues during the Holocaust and was restored by the community and its supporters.
Guide preview
On a narrow Old Riga street, Peitav Synagogue is a living Jewish house of prayer and a witness to a community devastated by the Holocaust. Its Art Nouveau decoration invites attention, but the building’s survival must be understood alongside the destruction of Riga’s other synagogues and the murder of their congregants.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- The synagogue was consecrated in 1905 after designs by Wilhelm Neumann and Hermann Seuberlich.
- The building survived the Nazi destruction of Riga’s synagogues and was used as a warehouse during the occupation.
- Worship resumed after the Second World War; the building was renovated in 2007–2008.
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.