Riga Castle (Rigas Pils), Riga

It has been rebuilt and remodeled countless times, but the original castle was built here in 1330. It's located outside the boundaries of Old Riga, thanks to a treaty between Riga at the Livonian Order. After a conflict between the parties, the Order agreed to build the castle outside Riga's border.

The castle was meant to be home to the Master of the Livonian Order in its early years. However, constant conflicts with the Rigans caused the Master to move to the Castle of Cēsis.

Over the following centuries, ownership of the castle bounced between leaders of ruling parties. First, the Lithuanians, then Polish, Swedish, Russian Empire, Soviet, and finally Latvian parties resided in the castle. Each left their own marks on the structure, rebuilding it as necessary for their purposes.

The structure suffered major damage after a fire incident in 2013. The fire claimed over 3,200 square meters of the castle, including much of the roof and attic. Thankfully, none of the priceless art collections housed in the museums were affected.

Today the castle is the official residence of the President of Latvia and the Latvian government. There are also several museums located in the castle.