Laimas pulkstenis

Laimas pulkstenis stands in central Riga, between the Old Town and the commercial district, as a dark-brown street clock. Riga completed this public street timekeeper in 1924. It first carried the name Big Clock, or Lielais pulkstenis in Latvian. Since 1936, all four sides of its base have displayed Laima.

Advertisements for the Riegert chocolate factory covered its four-sided column in the early 1930s. During the Latvian SSR, the structure served as a political information stand. Reconstruction in 1999 restored the original design, while later repairs renewed the panels and repainted the base. Work in 2017 introduced new lighting, sound equipment and screens beneath the clock faces.

The steel structure uses float glass and special LED lights. Each hour, the clock plays one of 24 melodies composed by Raimonds Pauls. The first melody played after the 2017 unveiling was Cielaviņa, meaning Wagtail. Locals and visitors still arrange to meet here, where music, light and Laima’s confectionery history mark Riga’s daily rhythm.