Commissioner: “Riga City Architect’s Office”
Scriptwriter: Jānis Krastiņš
Director: Ieva Trošina
Director of photography: Jānis Kešāns
Contractors: «Unitech», «Monte Video», «Tigvera»
Place: Riga
Year: 2008
Runtime: ~ 11 minutes

Reinhold Georg Schmaeling (born on 14 November 1840, in Riga, died on 17 October 1917, in Riga) as many as 36 years was the City Architect of Riga. At least 25 schools, 3 hospitals and several other health-care establishments, 5 fire stations, 2 markets, night shelters, kindergartens, administrative buildings, cultural establishments, sports and cult buildings, barracks, various utility objects and numerous residential houses were built in Riga to his designs. Almost one hundred Schmaeling’s buildings have been preserved and are being used still today.

In 1868 Schmaeling graduated from St Petersburg Academy of Arts with a Golden Medal. Then four years he improved his professional skills abroad – in Germany and Italy. In 1873 Schmaeling was awarded the title of academician. From 1879 till 1915 he was the City Architect of Riga. Schmaeling died in 1917 and was buried in the Great Cemetery.

The façades of residential houses as well as several public buildings that were designed by the famous architect in the 19th century mostly display stylistic features of Neo-Renaissance and a number of public buildings are examples of the so-called “brick style” that was one of the formal varieties of Eclecticism and was still popular at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in the architecture of utility objects and industrial structures.

The short films in Latvian and English are available at the Riga municipal agency “Riga City Architect's Office”, at Dzirnavu iela 60a–21, please telephone in advance of your visit ((+371) 67105941), calling the office administrator.