Riga's White House

Riga Castle The president of the country of Latvia lives about three blocks from our house in a castle that doesn't look anything like the US White House. His house is called Riga Castle or Rīgas pils in Latvian. The castle is located on Pils Iela - Castle Street which runs past our street. Walkway inside castle walls The Riga Castle is a bit older than the White House in Washington. In 1515, the current castle was finished being built. It had another part added to it in 1641. The previous castle was burned down in the late 1400s. The castle today also holds a museum of Latvian history. Riga has been governed by several countries during these centuries: including the Lithuanians, Poles, Swedes, Russians and Latvians while this castle stood. It has seen many changes as the rulers changed from one country to the next. The president of Latvia has lived in the castle since 1922. Of course, during the Soviet era, the government administration was located here, but th