Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

Latvian National LibrarySpīķeri – a quarter for creative industriesLatvian National LibraryRiga Concert HallContemporary Art MuseumThe construction of the Latvian National Library is the most significant and large-scalenational initiative of the 21 st century in Latvia. The library building, which is figurativelyknown as the ‘Castle of Light’ will become both a centre for information, culture andsocial life, and a striking feature of the urban environment and a symbol of Riga. TheLatvian National Library project is supported by UNESCO, which in 1999 adopted a resolutioninviting Member States and the international society to provide as much supportas possible to implement the project. Construction of the building commenced in 2008.The ‘Castle of Light’ should be open to visitors in 2013. For more information about theproject: www.gaismaspils.lv.Riga Concert HallRiga Concert Hall and the Latvian National Library will be situated next to each other,forming a new group of cultural facilities on the left bank of the River Daugava. TheUNESCO World Heritage Centre has recognised Riga Concert Hall as an example ofquality architecture that will elegantly enhance the new centre of the city. Riga ConcertHall will not only be a prominent example of architecture and a symbol of the city, but willalso give its visitors the opportunity of enjoying an unrepeatable combination of acousticsand technical quality. The building will contain three halls – a Grand Hall for performancesof academic music, as well as a Small Hall and an Experimental Hall that may beadapted for different genres of music. Spacious rooms for the public and rooms for thedaily work of musicians, including rehearsals, will be provided in Riga Concert Hall. Formore information about the project: www.koncertzale.lv.Contemporary Art MuseumThe Contemporary Art Museum will be established in a historic building – in the formerpower plant on Andrejsala. Over the next few years this former port area will becomea modern and attractive neighbourhood, just as Soho in New York, or Notting Hill inLondon. The Contemporary Art Museum will be a multifunctional cultural centre withexhibition rooms occupying 4 000 m2, a conference and cinema hall, a computerisedinformation centre, a library and archive, as well as rooms for art pedagogy and projectworkshops. The museum will not only reflect the symbols of national identity that confirmthe rich Latvian heritage of visual art, but will also become a testimony to the significantrole of Riga in the cultural processes of Europe in the 21 st century. At the sametime as developing the construction project of the building, the collection for the LatvianContemporary Art Museum is being established – works are being selected by an internationalexpert commission, approved by the Ministry of Culture. For more informationabout the project: www.camriga.lv.Based on the development plan for the city of Riga, which envisages the developmentof cultural and recreational functions in the historic warehouse area, Spīķeri, involving theterritory in the social and business infrastructure of the city, Spīķeri is becoming a cityquarter for creative industries, developing a cluster of high added value. Spīķeri alreadyhouses the unique Doll Art Museum, avant-garde theatre for adults and children, andcontemporary music and cinema events take place in the Dirty Deal Café. Every week,notable festivals and unique concerts make Spīķeri a significant centre for contemporaryculture. It is one of the epicentres for events during the city’s most noticeable cultural festivals– “White Nights”, “Poetry Days”, “Radiant Riga”. The newly opened boat transportsystem has provided a basis for rejuvenating the Spīķeri embankment.Spīķeri is a complex of buildings between Maskava, Turgeņeva and Krasta Streets, andthe Spīķeri embankment, from the old pier of the Railway Bridge to Sala Bridge. The industrialaesthetics of the territory of Spīķeri included in the UNESCO World Heritage listserve as inspiration for developing the quarter.It is hoped that the territory of Spīķeri will be transformed into a contemporary, modernand publicly accessible urban environment. Spīķeri will be the home for creative culturalorganisations, contemporary music and cinema events, art galleries, offices, cosyrestaurants and cafés. Spīķeri will be the location for the most outstanding College ofGastronomic Arts in the Baltic region and an organic market for Latvian farmers.The future of Spīķeri embankment is in high quality designer objects and as a locationfor cultural events, wide options for water sports for all the family, with pedestrian andcyclist-friendly access and as the central hub for Riga’s water transport. It is planned thatreconstruction of the Spīķeri quarter will finish in 2012, and the improvement of Spīķeriembankment will conclude in 2009–2010.Wooden building complex on Kalnciema Street –a commune of creative industriesImplementation of the private initiative model was commenced in 2004 by Kārlis andMārtiņš Dambergs, in collaboration with architect Liene Griezīte, renovating the ensembleof wooden buildings on Kalnciema Street. The Dambergs began their business activitiesby producing recycled wooden floors and this grew into the purchasing and restoringof the wooden houses. The NGO Latvia Nostra proposed the street renewal projectto Riga City Council in 2002, but a positive turning point in the delayed renewal stagnationprocess took place thanks to the NATO Summit in Riga, in November 2006. Prior to thisimportant event, significant government funding was granted, because convoys of distinguishedguests could not be taken to the city centre from the international airport withoutpassing the wooden houses on Kalnciema Street, which, at the time, were in a very poorcondition. Today, the commune of Kalnciema Street is a lifestyle that has a magnetic attraction,involves people with similar views and brings together like-minded people forinhabiting the houses. The agenda of the “Green House Commune” includes a canteenproject, of which an organic component will be green markets that will offer locally grownseasonal products.SpīķeriWooden building complex on Kalnciema Street154 155