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.
Guide preview
Look above the windows of Strēlnieku iela 4a and the façade becomes crowded with figures: women, eagles, rams’ heads and helmeted faces. At the top, figures called atlantes appear to carry the cornice on raised arms. The building’s present occupant, the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, identifies these details in its account of its home.
Unlock the full guide with a travel pass.
Quick facts
- Eisenstein’s design for the building was approved in 1905.
- The building served educational and residential uses before becoming a student dormitory.
- It was adapted for the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga in 1993–94.
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.
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.
Alberta Street
Alberta Street brings Riga’s Art Nouveau architecture together in a short residential street. Its elaborate façades, designed by several architects, reward close looking; the former home of artist Janis Rozentāls adds a story of everyday creative life.