Communities of interest or occupation accompany the entire history of mankind. To defend and protect your rights is easier in a group of like-minded people, where you can always find all kinds of support. If the guild, order, cooperative successfully coped with their tasks, then success was inevitable. In a period of growth and prosperity, the united communities are actively working for the good of the place where the center of their interests is located. So ennobled, overgrown with legends and stories of Malta, thanks to the knights of the Order of Malta, the whole of Europe gained rapid development, where there were no communities.
Brotherhood
The Order of the Blackheads made a great contribution to the development and prosperity of Riga. Despite the strange name, members of the community were united in the interests of trade, which, as you know, moved and moves everything. In Riga, every traveler inevitably gets to the Town Hall Square, where the building of unique architecture - the House of the Blackheads - flaunts.
In the 14th century, a community of merchants united in the Great Guild already existed in Riga. It included the bigwigs of his time, leading a sedentary lifestyle, the trade was mediated: procurement was carried out from large wholesalers, and then organized retail trade was conducted. The time was turbulent, and traveling to other countries for goods was unsafe, for a long time, without a guarantee, even life would be saved, not to mention the profit from the goods. But there will always be those who want and will be able to take risks, since the profit from wholesale sales was many times greater.
So, the settled community of merchants was joined by a community of entrepreneurs who organized a successful, albeit risky, business. They united in the Order, taking Saint Mauritius as their patron. By tradition, the saint was portrayed as black. Legend has it that the warrior of Mauritius came from Ethiopia, adopted Christianity and preached it, for which he suffered. The canonized Saint was written on the icons, guided by the true color of his skin, the images were unusual for the European eye - a dark image on a light background. So the order of stray merchants got its name, which later became the official name of the brotherhood - the Order of the Blackheads.
House for the Order
The fraternity in the conditions of its time was more like a military organization with a clear charter, hierarchy and risky cargo transportation operations. Only unmarried young men, mainly foreigners by origin, could become members of the fraternity. Gradually, they assimilated in Riga society and acquired their families and homes. The order had its own fleet, successfully fighting off pirates, caravans traveled to distant exotic countries, bringing rare and expensive goods. A place was needed to conduct trade operations and meetings, and in 1477 the blackheads rented the upper floors of the New House, built by the Guild of Artisans.
Growing ties, capital and gaining influence in society, blackheads invested heavily in the arrangement of the building, gradually becoming the main tenants. This gave them a lot of preferences and freedom to use all the premises. After a short time, the house at the Riga Magistrate received a new name - the House of the Blackheads in Riga. During the day, the stock exchange worked in the upper floors, and in the evening balls, concerts, ceremonial city and order events were held.
Vigorous activity
The residence of Riga was the main one for the fraternity, but trading activity required one more representation. So, in 1517, the House of the Blackheads fraternity was opened in Tallinn. Over the centuries of its existence, the building was rebuilt, reconstructed, neighboring buildings joined. But even today it is named after the best owners - the House of the Blackheads. Tallinn carefully preserves a monument of architecture. Currently, the building holds chamber concerts and excursions.
But the main outpost, from where the whole community policy was conducted, remained the Riga House of the Blackheads (Riga, Latvia). Making big donations to the city’s temples, developing the culture and infrastructure of the city, the blackheads worked hard on their residence, strengthening their position in society. Together with the Great Guild, until the middle of the 16th century, the order played a leading role in the life of the city. Neither defense from the invaders, nor political transformations of the time of the Reformation did without his participation. In the 19th century, class communities lose their significance, and the order is reformatted into a German merchant club, which lasted until 1939.
Devastating war
The House of the Blackheads was completely destroyed during World War II. The museum’s exposition houses several watercolors of 1945, which depicts the destroyed Riga Town Hall Square. The approximate time is known when the shell hit the building - the dial of the big clock of the House, on which the time was 8:30, remained. On the morning of June 29, 1941, an employee of the House tried to save part of the historical heritage of Riga and carried out the dial of antique watches.
The House of the Blackheads was not only destroyed, but also plundered by numerous looters. The property that once belonged to the fraternity, and now Riga, is still scattered throughout Europe, but part of the collection was returned. So, in the halls of the museum exhibited a collection of snuffboxes, 118 pieces made of different materials: gold, silver, bone. Exhibits at different times were made in Russia, Germany, England and donated to the fraternity.
Recovery
After 1945, the House of the Blackheads was not rebuilt. There is no accurate information on how he looked before his destruction. The place was empty for quite some time, they decided to restore the building after Latvia gained independence in 1996. Fortunately, the interior plans, not too clear photographs, drawings of architects and artists of the 19-20 centuries were preserved. Archaeological surveys have made it possible to determine the exact location of the building and restoration work has begun.
The modern House of the Blackheads coincides in size with its historical area, which is confirmed by the foundation of the old house and the basement floor, preserved from the original construction. The masonry in this room matches the masonry samples of the 14th century found in Latvia.
Unique facade architecture
According to the reviews of tourists visiting Riga, the House of the Blackheads makes a great impression. The whole composition of the Town Hall Square sets off the main city attraction - the House of the once powerful brotherhood. The building has long become one of the symbols of the city and the pride of Riga. The restored facade of the House invites you to recall the early Gothic architecture of Europe. In the evening, the skilfully illuminated facade invites you to look into the secrets of history and the depth of centuries, and also invites you to go inside to plunge into the world of another era.
The sculptural composition on the pediment includes four figures: Neptune - the ruler of the seas, Mercury - the patron saint of merchants and travelers, Unity and Peace. A clock is installed in the upper part of the facade; they, like sculptures, appeared on the facade until 1941. Now the clock is electronic, but this does not detract from the value of the lovingly restored architectural monument. The sculptures on the facade of the building represent not only deities - they combine time and values; the big clock counts not only minutes, they circle the planets and zodiac signs, and the inscriptions keep a secret meaning, which only experts in the language of hermetic bondage can recognize. Many secrets are hidden in the signs on the sculptures, the coats of arms of the facade, all of them are kept by the House of the Blackheads. The city of Riga invites you to take a closer look and solve each of them.
Internal arrangement
It is impossible to see the magnificent facade of the House and not go inside, all visitors say this. There, inside, new knowledge opens: the past and present, woven together, give a complete picture of what the House of the Blackheads is, the role of the brotherhood in the development of Riga. The decoration of each hall is unique and restored with maximum accuracy.
There are administration rooms on the ground floor, and several spacious rooms on the second floor. One of them is the Lübeck Hall, the name of the building was received during the celebration of the 800th anniversary of Riga. Here you can admire the placed four-meter canvas with a panorama of Lübeck, it is to him that the hall owes its name. There, on the second floor, you can visit the Small Salon, the Latvian Hall with ethnic exhibits, walk up the stairs connecting the lobby and the second floor with access to the Festive Hall. According to visitors' reviews, everyone is drawn to return again to the House of the Blackheads in Riga. The history of the building is unique and attracts you to come here for a new portion of secrets.
Party hall
The most extensive room in the House is the Festive Hall. In it, dance balls were held, eminent guests, sovereigns of all countries of Europe were received. Here Peter I visited with His Grace Prince Alexander Menshikov, a magnificent carnival was given in honor of Catherine II. King of Prussia William III and his wife Louise were received with honors in the Festive Hall.
The decoration of the hall is magnificent today, it repeats the historic interior. Heavy crystal chandeliers add solemnity and scatter sparks on the walls of a large hall. On the southern wall, it is impossible not to notice the large coat of arms of the Order of the Blackheads, it also flaunts on the ceiling composition. The painted ceiling, made in the spirit of Rococo, includes the symbols of fraternity, the image of St. Mauritius, receiving a laurel wreath of eternal glory. Furniture items are exact copies of models of past centuries, when concerts of world celebrities of their time were given in the Festive Hall.
