Murals on Riga’s Firewalls

But first, let’s clarify a word that may sound strange or even intimidating: firewall (in Latvian often called brandmauer). It comes from the German brand (fire) and mauer (wall). Essentially, it is a fire-resistant wall designed to prevent the spread of flames. The best way to see this is in rows of wooden houses: on the sides, each building is separated by walls of brick or stone — materials that do not burn.

Every house in such dense developments had to have its own fireproof walls, placed back-to-back. Quite often, stairwells were also constructed from non-flammable materials — these were known as internal firewalls. Brick or stone buildings had such walls as well, but since their structure was already fireproof, the firewalls were not as visually distinct as in wooden architecture.

Due to the city’s turbulent history, many houses in Riga were demolished, leaving once-hidden firewalls exposed to the public. Most of the time these are plain, unadorned surfaces — but they quickly became canvases for advertisements and graffiti. Sometimes locals grumble about them, but more often, these artworks spark appreciation and even admiration.

Old Murals

Several firewalls in Riga still preserve clearly visible advertisements dating back to the times when Latvia was part of the Russian Empire, as well as from the Latvian Republic of the 1920s–1930s.

On the end wall of the building at Latgales iela 108, you can spot a massive mural advertising “Dora” cigarettes. More than 100 years old, the inscription fades a little more each year, yet it still reveals that 20 pieces cost just 5 kopecks. For comparison: at that time, a ride on an omnibus was roughly the same price.

The highest concentration of old murals can be found in Maskačka — Riga’s Moscow Suburb. For instance, another cigarette brand with the promising name Rai (“Paradise”) is advertised on the house at Lastādijas iela 18. These cigarettes were produced by A. S. Maikapar’s factory, which operated from 1887 until 1940 and was the largest tobacco enterprise in Latvia. In 1940, the company was nationalised by the new Soviet authorities and renamed the Riga Tobacco Factory. Its owner, Samuil Maikapar, was arrested on charges of “aiding the international bourgeoisie” and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He died in custody in 1942. The factory itself went bankrupt and closed in 2009.

The gradual disappearance of old advertisements can be traced on the firewall of a building in Sarkandaugava, at Duntes iela 31 (best viewed from Ganību dambis). Today, only the inscription KINO VENĒCIJA from the 1920s–1930s remains legible. Yet as recently as 2011, the wall still displayed multiple historical layers.

For example, there was a well-preserved ad for RER electrical equipment, which referenced Provodnik — a major rubber goods factory later incorporated into RER. Curiously, the cinema’s mural has outlived the cinema itself: its building stood until demolition in 2007, next door at what is now an empty lot (house No. 29). During the Soviet period, the cinema was known as Sarkandaugava after the surrounding district.

More examples of these old advertisements can be seen in a short video created by Andrey Pershin and uploaded to YouTube. He digitally enhanced the faded inscriptions, making once-vanished texts easy to read again.

Murals of the Soviet Era

One of the most striking and best-preserved Soviet-era wall paintings is an advertisement for the Lada Samara at Krāsotāju iela 18. Created around 1985, it stood next to the office of Rīgas Lada.

 In 2017, the Riga City Construction Board (Rīgas pilsētas būvvalde) ordered the property owners to paint over the mural at their own expense, threatening fines if they refused. But after a public outcry and a strong push from residents to preserve the mural as part of the city’s cultural heritage, the authorities withdrew their demands. Still, the mural has no legal protection and could disappear at any time. For many, that would be a sad loss, as it has long since become an informal symbol of Krāsotāju iela and the Grīziņkalns neighbourhood as a whole.

By the way, you can actually watch this painted car suddenly come to life, roll off the firewall, and drive down the street. Of course, not in reality, but in a video created by Andrey Pershin about three years ago.

Another vivid Soviet-era mural is more propaganda than advertisement. It can be seen on the firewall of a house at Miera iela 39, best viewed from Aristida Briāna iela. The image of a three-coloured traffic light and a road with white lane markings — still clearly visible — served as a reminder of the importance of obeying traffic rules.

Contemporary Murals

One of the most controversial modern wall paintings appeared in 2021, created by Latvian artist Kristians Brekte. On the firewall of School No. 40 at Akas iela 10, he designed a black-and-white mural depicting nude figures with anywhere from two to six breasts, wings, horns, and an unusual number of eyes. While harmless in the wider context of art history, the piece unexpectedly stirred outrage. Many objected to the fact that such exotic eroticism appeared on a school building, fearing it might traumatise children. Some even saw references to Satanism. Still, Kristians Brekte is no stranger to criticism, and to this day the mural continues to both delight and provoke passersby.

One of the largest murals in the Baltics can be found at Tallinas iela 48. Created in 2014 by street artists Dainis Rudens (whose other works can be seen at Priežu iela 6 in Sarkandaugava and in the courtyard of Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša iela 18b) and Kiwie, it covers 800 m². Its theme refers to the famous Latvian song Saule, Pērkons, Daugava, based on Rainis’ 1916 poem Daugava.

That same year, Riga hosted the street art festival “Blank Canvas: art-ground, play-ground, crime-ground.” As part of the event, Belgian artist ROA painted an upside-down hedgehog on the firewall of a two-storey building at Sparģeļu iela 5. ROA’s distinctive works can also be found in many cities worldwide.

Perhaps Riga’s most touching mural appeared in Āgenskalns at Nometņu iela 18 in September 2024. Artist Dainis Rudens, together with colleagues from Lithuania and Estonia, created a mural depicting the district’s landmarks. On one of the painted rooftops sits a local celebrity — Persiks the cat. Residents affectionately dubbed the work “Murrrālis” — a playful twist on the word “purr.”

The tradition of pre-revolutionary wall advertising lives on today thanks to the mobile operator Zelta Zivtiņa. In 2024, the company commissioned a mural covering the entire five-storey firewall of a building at Avotu iela 40. Before that, the wall’s upper corner still carried a barely legible early 20th-century advertisement, alongside a curious mural featuring a Teletubby, a humanoid, and other odd characters.

Of course, we have not covered all of Riga’s wall paintings here. More examples can be found on the Riga street art website.

Sadly, murals tend to disappear over time for many reasons: a wall is insulated, an advertising banner takes over the space, or the city authorities and residents themselves call for their removal. And then there are the simple forces of nature — rain, sun, and snow gradually wear away the paint. Still, let’s hope Riga manages to preserve this unique part of its character, embodied in the dozens of murals scattered across the city.