RIGA TOWN HALL SQUARE (LATVIA)

In the very heart of Riga, Latvia, the Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums) houses the Town Hall building (seat of the Riga City Council), the House of Blackheads and Roland's Statue.
Town Hall Square has been completely re-built, since during the World War II the square and its historic buildings were destroyed.
One of the major structures of the Town Hall square is the Town hall - a three-storied building with a tower and a clock on it. Main city problems were solved in the Town hall. It was a symbol of independence and it promoted construction activity in Riga. In this building till 1889 there was a Riga Town hall, later it was replaced by the selected municipal council.
The second considerable building on the Town Hall square is the Blackheads House. For the first time it is mentioned in sources in 1334, as the new house of the Big Guild. Originally it was rented by merchants of the Big Guild, and later - by unmarried merchants - a Blackheads' brotherhood. Blackheads were an association formed by young, unmarried merchants and captains of the ships. The building has been destroyed during the Second World War, and restored in 1999.
Roland Statue stands in the middle of the Square. Roland was nephew of Charlemagne and a Frankish military leader. The land he had occupied was governed stringently but justly; thus he gradually became the symbol of justice in Northern Germany. Now several towns have Roland statues.
In late 19th century, the Society of Riga History Explorers decided that Roland Statue would also suit the city's main square, right next to the well. Thanks to donations, the granite statue was erected in 1897. However, the statue was destroyed during World War II, along with the entire square, nowadays statue's replica has been erected.