Riga’s Latvian National Opera and Ballet occupies a nineteenth-century theatre beside the city canal. Its columned façade, restored auditorium and later additions reflect a history of fire, rebuilding and the development of Latvian opera and ballet.
Guide preview
Six Ionic columns give Riga’s opera house the appearance of a classical temple, but behind them is a working theatre repeatedly adapted to new audiences and new art. The Latvian National Opera and Ballet stands beside the city canal on ground once occupied by a defensive bastion. Its history connects the changing city to generations of singers, dancers and theatre workers.
Continue exploring
Discover the full story
Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.
UpgradeQuick facts
- The theatre opened in 1863 on the site of a former city bastion.
- After a major fire in 1882, architect Reinhold Schmaeling oversaw its reconstruction.
- The opera ensemble returned to the restored building in 1995.
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.