Doma laukums

Doma laukums is Riga’s largest Old Town square, opening a broad space among historic streets and buildings. Riga Cathedral rises beside it as the square’s oldest and most recognisable landmark. Smilšu, Rozena, Šķūņu, Zirgu, Pils, Jēkaba and Jauniela streets all lead into this central gathering place.

The surrounding architecture spans the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the eclectic Riga Stock Exchange building facing the Commercial Bank building. Haralds Jūliuss Bose designed the Stock Exchange in 1855, while Pauls Mandelštams created the Commercial Bank building in 1922. The Riga Bourse Art Museum now occupies the former exchange, displaying Greek ceramics, Roman coins and ancient Egyptian art. A whole block belongs to the 1940 Ministry of Finance building, designed by Aleksandrs Klinklāvs.

The open square began taking shape in the 1860s, then expanded during the 1930s and 1960s. Paving stones trace the medieval property boundaries beneath the present layout, while a marked point reveals golden weathercocks on Riga’s three main churches. Markets, fairs and major public gatherings continue a tradition strengthened during the 1991 barricades, when this space became a meeting point for the city’s defenders.