The Latvian Academy of Sciences occupies a high-rise near Riga Central Market. Originally conceived as a house for collective farmers, the Soviet-era tower later became a scientific institution and a prominent, contested part of the city skyline.
Guide preview
The stepped tower of the Latvian Academy of Sciences rises above the neighbourhood near Riga Central Market. Its pointed silhouette entered a skyline previously dominated by church spires. To understand it, look beyond its height: the building began as one Soviet-era project and became something quite different before its completion.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- The tower was originally planned as accommodation for collective farmers.
- Architects included Osvalds Tīlmanis, Kārlis Plūksne and Vaidelotis Apsītis.
- A Soviet star was removed from the spire after Latvia regained independence.
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.