Riga’s Small Guild is a Gothic Revival hall built for the city’s master craftspeople in the 1860s. Its stained glass, mosaics and gathering rooms connect the guild’s older traditions with its present use as a cultural venue.
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The Small Guild’s pointed windows and Gothic-inspired details face the Great Guild across a narrow Old Riga street. Its name refers to an organisation of master craftspeople, not a small scale of ambition. Inside, stained glass, patterned floors and a large festive hall tell how artisans wanted to represent their work and gather as a community.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The Small Guild was an organisation of master craftspeople, also known as the Guild of St. John.
- Johann Daniel Felsko designed the current building, which opened in 1866.
- The building’s stained glass and other decoration were restored around 1998–2000.
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