THE THREE BROTHERS

Near the castle, numbers 17, 19 and 21 of Mazā Pils iela form a group of buildings known as the Three Brothers (Trīs brāļi). These are the town's three oldest stone dwellings. The house at no. 17, with its distinctive white façade, dates back to the ^15th century and is the oldest. On the first floor are the rooms where the craftsman and his family lived, worked and sold their wares. Raw materials and products were stored in the cellar and attic. The other two were built in the ^17th and ^18th centuries. In those days, taxes weren't levied on square meters, but on the size of the windows. It's easy to see which of the three brothers was the stingiest! Originally, stone benches carved with family coats of arms stood near the entrances to the houses. No. 19 is now home to the small but charming Rīga Architecture Museum(Latvijas Arhitektūras muzejs, open Mondays from 9am to 6pm, Tuesdays to Thursdays until 5pm, Fridays until 4pm - www.archmuseum.lv - donation on entry).

Not far away, on Jēkaba iela, the Church of St. James (Jēkaba baznīca. Open Sunday to Friday). The cathedral of the archbishop of the Roman Church, it has stood here since 1225. This church stood outside the city walls and was originally intended for the inhabitants of the suburbs. Over the centuries, it was passed from hand to hand before becoming Catholic in 1922.