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DARNIOJI ARCHITEKTŪRA IR STATYBA
2013. No. 1(2) 

JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
ISSN 2029–9990

Buildings of Performing Arts in Latvia’s Modern Movement

Agate Eniņa*

Riga Technical University, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Āzenes Street 16/20–420, LV-1048, Riga, Latvia. 

* corresponding author: E-mail: agate.enina@inbox.lv 

http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.1.2.2840

After WWII, the Soviet Iron Curtain impeded sharing of knowledge between the Baltic socialist republics and other 
European states. It was necessary to find roundabout ways of introducing the innovative-minded global spirit, combined 
with the local architectural traditions and the actual possibilities established already in the 1920s and the 1930s.

The aim of the article is to recognize the cultural and historic significance of buildings of performing arts, i.e. concert 
halls, cinemas and theatres, and determine their role in the history of Latvian architecture. In order to achieve this, it is 
necessary to evaluate architectural qualities of performing arts buildings both in the context of stylistic trends of the epoch 
and in the broader geographical context. Uncertain understanding of the place of the Latvian cultural heritage on a European 
level prompted an in-depth analysis of buildings of performing arts in Latvia’s Modern Movement.

Keywords: cultural heritage, history, Latvia’s architecture, performing arts, Soviet period.

1. Introduction

After WWII, the Soviet Iron Curtain impeded sharing 
of knowledge between the Baltic socialist republics and 
other European states. It was necessary to find roundabout 
ways of introducing the innovative-minded global spirit, 
combined with the local architectural traditions and the 
actual possibilities established already in the 1920s and 
1930s.

During World War II, several cities like Jelgava 
and Gulbene were almost leveled to the ground; the 
new principles of land management policy changed the 
traditional rural landscape. In the post-war period though, a 
number of significant public buildings, new housing estates, 
grand civil engineering structures and other buildings 
were constructed in Latvia. Today the Soviet relics have 
become part of Latvia’s scenery and their preservation and 
development should be a responsibility of new generations 
of architects and historians and the general public as well.

It is quite important to perform the inventory of 
buildings of cultural establishments ascertaining their 
typology and stylistic features. It would allow defining 
more objectively the place of Latvian architecture in the 
European context, and determining further guidelines for 
development of cultural heritage.

The aim of the study is to make an inventory of 
buildings of performing arts and their stylistic and functional 

features, and analyzing an overall development process 
of various types of buildings in the second half of the 20th 
century, to determine how the prevailing stylistic trends in 
the world, having blended with the local building traditions, 
had influenced and defined the place of Latvian architecture 
and cultural heritage in the European context.

2. Methods

Several research methods have been applied. The study 
is based on the analysis of the architecture of performing 
arts buildings. Basic information about the buildings has 
been collected, systematized and classified. A number 
of unpublished sources and archival materials have been 
discovered and a method of monographic and historical 
approach has been used. The buildings have been identified, 
surveyed and photographed, and a comparative visual 
analysis has been performed.

3. Results

In the late 1950s, when construction of large-scale 
residential districts began in the cities of Latvia using pre-
fabricated building constructions (Krastiņš et al. 1998), 
the same degree of industrialisation was also applied to 
the architecture of public buildings. Designing institutes 
developed several standard designs for movie theaters, 
rural clubs, community centers and other establishments. 
Designing of the most significant public buildings received 



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wide coverage. Numerous sketch design competitions were 
held, which fostered development of a talented generation 
of Latvian architects. Buildings of performing arts were 
constructed according to individual designs. Until the early 
1990s, architects’ contribution to Modern Movement was 
considerable, and its influence is still present today both in 
the capital city and in towns.

The structural principle of the analytical part is 
typological. Buildings of performing arts are divided in 
three typological groups – open air stages, which include 
summer concert halls, movie theatres and theatre buildings. 

Some prominent personalities like architects Modris 
Ģelzis and Marta Staņa played a significant role in 
introduction of modernist traditions. One of the most well-
known public buildings outside Riga is the summer concert 
hall in Jūrmala (architects M. Ģelzis and Alberts Vecsīlis, 
1959–1960). The architects took into consideration the 
picturesque environment creating an open inner space in 
the wonderful landscape of seaside dunes. The successful 
setting in the environment allowed avoiding external 
walls that are usually necessary for acoustic needs. The 
surrounding dunes are used for relaxation and walks during 
intermissions. Also today this place has still retained the 
sense of spatial continuity.

In the early 1960s, light music had taken centre stage 
encompassing also art and cinema. In 1965, the popular and 
beloved composer Raimonds Pauls became manager of Riga 
Light Music Orchestra. In 1967, the joint concert of light 
music bands in Liepāja on the stage “Pūt vējiņi” (“Blow, 
wind, blow”) was given the name “Amber of Liepāja”. It was 
attended by about 30,000 spectators (Kreituse 2010). The 
stage “Pūt vējiņi” in Liepāja was designed in 1961. Today, 
however, it is in a very poor condition and requires extensive 
modification for its further development. Several proposals 
for transformation were submitted at the open sketch design 
competition which ended in 2011. All architects mostly 
used a considerate approach offering to retain the existing 
stage structure, preserving spatial qualities and a relation 
with the coastal scenery, creating a new roof construction 
(Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).

Fig. 1. A remodelling proposal for the concert garden “Pūt vējiņi” 
in Liepāja. “Kokin Idea” LTD, 2011 (Reconstruction…, 2011) 

Fig. 2. A remodelling proposal for the concert garden “Pūt vējiņi” 
in Liepāja. “Mark arhitekti” LTD, 2010 (“Mark arhitekti” LTD, 
2010)

The architecture of open-air stages of Jūrmala and 
Liepāja tended to retain the relation with the surrounding 
scenic environment. The main concept was based on 
transparency of massing and organic continuation of the 
scenery in the interior. Their concepts seem to be inspired by 
the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and his humane treatment 
of landscape transformation. 

Already in the pre-war period, the relationship 
between the traditions of local building craft and European 
architecture was quite close in Latvia. In order to expand 
their knowledge, architects travelled around northern 
Europe and visited also largest Italian and German cities 
(Kampe 1929). The Iron Curtain put paid to those trips, 
however, there were a number of magazines available 
in Russian, which analyzed the works of Alvar Aalto, Le 
Corbusier, Niemeyer and other world-renowned architects 
(Современная архитектура 1964–1974, Савицкий 1972). 
Assimilation of the traditions of local schools of architecture 
and the latest trends in Modern Movement in the world most 
boldly manifested in several competition entries. 

The competition entry developed by architect Marta 
Staņa in 1968 for an open-air stage in Jelgava (“Mark 
arhitekti” LTD, 2009) illustrates the blending of deep-rooted 
folk traditions and aesthetic principles of Modern Movement 
into a single architectural image (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4).

Fig. 3. A competition entry for an open-air stage in Jelgava, 1968. 
Architect Marta Staņa. Authors of visualisation “Mark arhitekti” 
LTD, 2009 (“Mark arhitekti” LTD, 2009)



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Fig. 4. A competition entry for an open-air stage in Jelgava, 1968. 
Architect Marta Staņa. Authors of visualisation “Mark arhitekti” 
LTD, 2009 (“Mark arhitekti” LTD, 2009)

Aesthetic qualities of the exposed reinforced concrete 
structures of the open-air stage and juxtaposition of curves 
and straight lines bespeak the plastic forms used by Le 
Corbusier and Niemeyer. The architect had avoided any 
decorations, using instead a technologically sophisticated 
structure within a proportionate and well-balanced 
composition. Exposition of structures was a trendy feature. 
However, such bold ideas could not be implemented in the 
Soviet Union because of bureaucratic hurdles, and very 
often, like in this case, the ideas did not materialize.

The design for one of the most well-known buildings 
in the Soviet Union, which was designed by Latvian 
architects, was also selected as a result of a competition. In 
1956, the State Committee for Cinematography organized 
a competition for an architectural solution of the Panorama 
movie theater in Riga. First prize was not awarded, but 
second prize was given to the design elaborated by architects 
Oļģerts Krauklis and Daina Dannenberga. The design was 
not implemented in Latvia. However, after its exhibition in 
Moscow, the movie theater was built in Celinograd (now 
Astana in Kazakhstan). In 1962, Krauklis and Dannenberga 
worked on location in Celinograd. According to the architect, 
it was a real “school of life” (Dannenberga 2011) and its 
outcome was the movie theater with 2500 tiered seats. The 
building can be used not only for exhibition of films but 
also as a venue for congresses, conferences and concerts. 
The acoustic solution was developed by Latvian architect 
Alberts Vecsīlis. Perhaps the high quality of acoustics is the 
reason allowing using the movie theatre to the present day. 
The architecture of the building displays features of Modern 
Movement. Huge expanses of glass alternate with sections 
of rendered walls. The building has a harmonious image and 
a clear center of the spatial composition.

The ideas of open plan and Modern Movement rapidly 
spread in the mid-1960s. Movies were acknowledged to 
be folk art, and movie theatres were built extensively. 
Open design principles have been applied in construction 
of several movie theatres in the historic centre of Riga, 
e.g. the movie theatre “Palladium” and the movie theatre 
“Pionieris”. 

Fig. 5. The foyer of the movie theatre “Pionieris”, architect Juris 
Pētersons, 1962 (Foyer…, 2012) 

The construction of the movie theatre “Palladium” was 
begun already in 1913. The round shaped auditorium was 
built in the courtyard of the “Perpendicular” Art Nouveau 
apartment house (architects Edgar Friesendorff and Otto 
Lantzky, 1910). The existing structures at the back of the 
plot were remodelled in 1925 in remarkable style of Art 
Deco (architect Pavils Drejmanis). The movie theatre 
was renovated twice after the fires in 1957 (architects 
Modris Ģelzis and Artūrs Reinfelds) and in 1965 (architect 
Ojārs Dombrovskis), each time in up-to-date formal and 
spatial expression. “Palladium” opened its doors again in 
2011. It was renovated by an architect office “Arhitekti 
Argali” LTD. The auditorium’s powerful and elegantly 
balanced architecture is retained. Nowadays it could seat 
more than 2000 visitors.

In the architecture of the movie theatre “Pionieris” 
(architect Juris Pētersons, 1962) an attempt has been made 
to create relative boundaries that would spatially organize 
the visitors but would not separate the interior spaces from 
the architectural saturation of the adjacent historic buildings 
and the greenery of Esplanade – one of the central parks of 
Riga – on the opposite side of the street (Fig. 5).

Discussions about the implementation of modernist 
ideas in the relatively dense urban environment have been 
initiated in Latvia several times. A glass parallelepiped of 
the new building of the movie theatre “Spartaks” (architect 
Marta Staņa, 1967) creates a transparent curtain which covers 
from view the lavishly decorated portal of another movie 
theatre “Splendid Palace” (architect Fridrihs Skujiņš, 1923). 
Perhaps the squalid surroundings, controversial conversion 
and inappropriate function (the building currently houses 
a casino) are the reasons preventing local inhabitants from 
enjoying the architectural qualities of the building. The 
architecture of the movie theatre seems to be inspired by 
the works of Mies van der Rohe who liked multiplication 
of one structural element. The result is a pure, geometric 
shape which emphasizes and highlights the basic values of 
Modern Movement   – asceticism and simplicity (Fig. 6). 



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Fig. 6. The movie theatre “Spartaks”, architect Marta Staņa, 
1967. Photography of 1970-ties (Movie…, 2012)

In ten years Modern Movement spread to the other 
cities of Latvia as well. The building of the movie theater 
in Daugavpils (architects Oļģerts Krauklis and Maija 
Skalberga, 1981) displays the principles of Modern 
Movement and the use of local building materials and 
building traditions established during the pre-war period 
(Fig. 7 and Fig. 10). Having resemblance to the House of 
Culture in Helsinki, built in 1959 to the design by Alvar 
Aalto, the streamlined external contour of the building and 
a monumental brick wall highlight the expressiveness of the 
Daugavpils movie theater (Fig. 9). 

Fig. 7. The movie theatre in Daugavpils, architects Oļģerts 
Krauklis, M. Skalberga, 1981 

Along with the development of cinema, Latvian theatre 
had great success in the Soviet Union. The performances of 
the Daile Theatre on tour received much acclaim in Moscow. 

Fig. 8. A sketch of the Daile Theatre in Riga including a prospective 
vision of a high-rise, architect Marta Staņa, 1960-ies 

Fig. 9. House of Culture in Helsinki, architect Alvar Aalto, 1958 
(Krastiņš, 1992a)

Fig. 10. The movie theatre in Daugavpils, architects Oļģerts 
Krauklis, M. Skalberga, 1981

In 1959, the competition was held, where the design 
with the motto “1111” by Marta Staņa and Tekla Ieviņa won 
first prize being the best among 26 entries (Banga 2012). The 
complicated designing and construction process lasted 17 
years, and architects Imants Jākobsons and Haralds Kanders 
completed the project already after Marta Staņa’s death. The 
building of the Daile Theatre was part of the main urban 
planning axis of Riga or development concept for Brīvības 
iela, with its basic element being “a two-storey pavilion-
type building raised on pillars at a ground-floor height” 
(Krastiņš 2010). To make the two-storey glass structure 
appear more effective it was intended to accentuate it with 
the towers. In the sketch drawn by Marta Staņa in the 1960s, 
next to the theatre building there is a high-rise, which was 
never built (Fig. 8).

Fig. 11. The Daile Theatre in Riga, architects Marta Staņa, 
Imants Jākobsons, Haralds Kanders, 1959–1976. Photography of 
1970-ties (Daile…, 2012)



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Fig. 12. Finlandia Concert Hall in Helsinki, architect Alvar Aalto, 
1962–1975 (Krastiņš, 1992b)

Although in the course of designing the massing of 
the Daile Theatre was altered several times, the completed 
building generally reflects the concept of the original 
competition entry. A two-storey glass foyer with an 
integrated auditorium and stage is complemented with a 
strong dynamic accent. It is enlivened by a relief boasting 
a dramatic motif of flames by sculptor Ojārs Feldbergs. 
The flame motif, the widely used logotype of the theatre, 
was successfully interpreted by the sculptor, becoming the 
impressive part of the architectural composition. The theatre 
building is well perceived from several adjacent streets. Its 
peculiar massing provides interesting views from all sides – 
the main entrance, the actors’ entrance and the nearby public 
garden what is very important for such significant public 
objects.

The architecture of the Daile Theatre relies heavily on 
reinforced concrete structures and finish materials. Concrete 
columns stand exposed in the interior creating a contrast 
with the large expanses of glass. The finish of exterior 
spaces creates a harmonious overall image through the 
application of reinforced concrete, brown textured bricks, 
dark anodized aluminium and granite.

The architecture of the Daile Theatre bespeaks national 
self-confidence through excellence in performing arts and 
Modern Movement, which Marta Staņa explored studying 
at the Faculty of Architecture of Latvian University under 
the guidance of Ernests Štālbergs. She was the first woman 
who graduated the faculty after the war in 1945. Like many 
other talented architects, in 1951 lecturer Marta Staņa had 
to leave the university as “an unwanted follower of rational 
architecture” (Banga 2012). However, difficulties only 
strengthened architect’s character and today her works 
can be compared to Alvar Aalto’s great masterpieces. Like 
Finlandia Concert Hall and Convention Center in Helsinki 
(Weston, 1995) built between 1962 and 1975, the Daile 
Theatre is the landmark of the capital city and a unique 
example of Modern Movement (Fig. 11 and Fig. 12).

After World War II, a strong school of architecture 
with distinctive national features and accents had formed 
in Latvia. The singularity revealed itself directly only 
occasionally, most often it was indirect and defined by the 
nature of the materials and structures used, the relation to 
cultural traditions and folk art, the surrounding environment 

etc. At the same time architecture became international and 
it was determined by several factors, namely, the synthesis 
of values and mass production requirements, standardization 
of designs and emphasis on functionality at the expense of 
aesthetic qualities. Therefore, the architecture of Soviet 
Latvia can be compared to the works of those European 
architects which reflected a similar understanding of values.

Quite often the neglected area around the buildings 
of performing arts hinders perception and understanding of 
modernist architecture. A larger attention should be paid to 
the lack of quality of the exterior spaces surrounding the 
buildings. It is also necessary to explain the ideological 
role of monumental and decorative arts, the importance of 
decorative sculpture in organization of interior and exterior 
spaces and the need of street furniture in the public open 
space. Sometimes as a result of present-day conversions the 
works of fine arts are lost. A particular attention should be 
paid to the problems of regeneration of the architecture of 
the performing arts buildings of the Soviet period.

4. Discussion

Several issues arise in the context of preservation and 
development of the Soviet heritage:

 ▪ The prevailing psychological and political 
prejudices hinder an objective assessment of 
the buildings constructed during the respective 
period. For quite a long time, the architecture of 
the respective period was associated with the worst 
manifestations of the regime; therefore the public 
was not prepared to accept the architecture of these 
buildings as part of unique cultural heritage.

 ▪ The role of performing arts buildings constructed 
during the Soviet period in the world cultural 
heritage of the respective period has not been 
defined.

 ▪ Today the evaluation of the legacy of the Soviet 
period changes and the attention is paid to individual 
architects and their creative achievements.

 ▪ The quality of construction is not always 
satisfactory and structures are not always durable. 

 ▪ No attention was paid to accessibility of buildings 
because the Soviet statement was “there are no 
disabled people at all”. It is our task today to find 
a solution to this problem. In Riga, these problems 
concern several conceptually open design examples, 
e.g. the State Philharmonic (reconstructed after 
the fire in 1963 by architects Modris Ģelzis, 
Vera Savisko) and the Daile Theatre.

 ▪ Considering the fact that the buildings are relatively 
new (not older than 50 years), they are not regarded 
as a cultural heritage value. Nowadays exceptions 
exist. In 1998 the Daile Theatre was included into 
the list of the protected monuments.

5. Conclusions

There is still an issue of the role of architecture of 
cultural and entertainment buildings in the context of the 
world cultural heritage of the respective period. Significant 
buildings of performing arts were built in Latvia at the same 



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time when similar buildings appeared in the other European 
countries. Their architectural quality and aesthetic richness 
is equivalent. This allows treating them as excellent 
examples of Modern Movement which need to be preserved 
and promoted at the European level.

Focusing on certain architects and their works would 
be one of the possible ways how to preserve and develop 
properly architectural heritage of the Soviet period and raise 
awareness of its significance, thus also treating architecture 
as art. There already have been several retrospective 
exhibitions which focused on architects Modris Ģelzis and 
Marta Staņa and explored possibilities for conversion of 
several buildings of the Soviet period. 

The values of Modern Movement are recognized 
at a very slow pace in Latvia. In future the architecture 
of Modern Movement should be divided into several 
stylistic groups. Even though some attempts of stylistic 
classification of Modern Movement in Latvia already exist, 
those were felt into neglect. Nowadays stylistic varieties 
can be distinguished taking into account the general 
evolution of the style blending with local traditions, e.g. 
regional cubism and minimalism, which would include 
aesthetics of “boxes”, and plastic humanism, which would 
refer to modernist attempts to blend with the surrounding 
environment. Similarly, characteristic approaches of certain 
architects can be distinguished, e.g. avant-garde of Marta 
Staņa, regionalism of Modris Ģelzis or functionalism 
of Oļgerts Krauklis etc. Thus, it would be easier for the 
local community to identify them as part of their national 
architectural and cultural heritage. 

Acknowledgment

This work has been supported by the European Social 
Fund within the project «Support for the Implementation of 
Doctoral Studies at Riga Technical University».

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Received 2012 11 02 
Accepted after revision 2013 02 22

Agate ENIŅA – PhD student at Riga Technical University, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning.
Main research areas: the architecture of cultural and educational establishments in Latvia.
Address: Āzenes Street 16/20–420, LV-1048, Riga, Latvia.
Tel.:  +371 283 80477
E-mail:  agate.enina@inbox.lv