Riga Central Market brings food sellers and shoppers together beneath five vast halls built using the upper structures of former Zeppelin hangars. Opened in 1930, the complex combines a striking architectural landmark with the city’s continuing market life.
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The great curved roofs of Riga Central Market began with a different cargo in mind: airships. The five food halls reuse steel from German military Zeppelin hangars left at Vaiņode in western Latvia after the First World War. Look at the span of a roof, then at the brick and concrete below it. The contrast tells the story of a city adapting a vast military structure to the ordinary business of feeding itself.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The five market halls reuse upper steel structures from former German airship hangars at Vaiņode.
- The market opened in 1930 after Riga outgrew its older market on the Daugava embankment.
- A 337-metre passage connected the underground storage system beneath the pavilions.
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