Three brothers (Riga)

The houses forming the architectural complex are located on the picturesque street of the Old Town, opposite the building of the former Charles Lyceum . These three buildings are located at Maza Pils, 17, 19, 21 (“White Brother”, “Middle Brother” and “Green Brother”, respectively). Residential buildings of this quarter are so dense that each of the houses is a continuation of the neighboring one.

In front of the oldest of the Three Brothers, there is a small platform with a porch and stone steps. It has a stone signpost with a forged property right that served as the address of the house. The “Middle” and “Green” “brothers” were built later than the “White”, and there is no platform in front of them.

In the “Three brothers” complex, each of the buildings shows different periods of development of residential houses construction in medieval Latvia. Today there are: the State Inspectorate for the Protection of Monuments of Culture, the Union of Architects of Latvia, the Latvian Museum of Architecture and the editorial board of the journal Latvijas Architektūra (Latvian Architecture).

The Three Brothers were restored in 1955-1957 by the project of Peteris Saulitis, with the help of G. Janson. The stone portal of the lost House of Blackheads , a fragment of the portal of a residential building in the Old City and dated to 1554 by the forged coat of arms, were embedded in the united courtyard of the architectural complex.

White Brother

The oldest building of the complex (“White Brother”) was built around 1490. The building has a characteristic stepped gable with gothic niches, the facade has some details of the Renaissance style . There are still characteristic features of the late Middle Ages - stone benches that stand on both sides of the entrance to the building.

According to the reconstruction of Andris Caune, a large living space in the lower floor occupied the whole area of ​​the house. In the middle of the ceiling were hatches that pass through all the attic floors. The house was heated by an open hearth with a chimney, in a large hearth cooked food. A separate room was intended for the owner of the house, in the great hall, subordinate people worked and lived.

“Middle Brother”

The date of construction of this house, which has the features of Dutch Mannerism - 1646, is indicated on the facade of the building, restored according to the drawing by I. H. Brotte . It should not be forgotten that each of the houses had predecessors. Specialists restorers consist of three to five generations, preceding each of the buildings.

The inscription Ano Soli Delo Gloria 1746 is clearly visible on the portico.

Green Brother

The Green Brother was built later than the others, at the end of the 17th century. The first written certificate of construction site indicates the year 1718. The masters of the house were craftsmen who occupied the first two floors of workshops and used the upper third floor for housing. At the end of the XIX century, after reconstruction, the building lost its original look. The building was restored during the restoration of Peteris Saulitis (1955), which restored the lost baroque curved gable to the building. ^[one]

The name “Three brothers” ( Latvian Trīs brāļi ) received the buildings by analogy with the “Three Sisters” located in Tallinn .

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  Maza Pils, 21

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  Maza Pils, 19

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  Maza Pils, 17

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  Masked carpets embedded in a firewall wall

A.V. Caune Riga near Riga. Riga, Zinatne, 1989. ISBN 5-7966-0015-X

• Sights of Riga
• Three Sisters (Tallinn)

• Trīs brāļi Three brothers. (Latvian.)
• Another Riga. City from a different perspective . (Rus.)
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