Art Nouveau

2. Art Nouveau in Latvia
Art Nouveau architecture was popular in Riga, the capital of Latvia, during the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century – about 40% of the buildings from this time were built in this style. Some sub styles formed during this period. First elements of the new style were added to Eclectic architecture forming "Eclectic" Art Nouveau. For "Decorative" Art Nouveau is typical to use decorative elements of the Art Nouveau; the first this kind of building was built in 1899, however by 1906 decorative styles became unfashionable. Consequently the decorative style is not very widespread in Riga. The most popular style in Riga is known as "Romantic" Art Nouveau. Simplistic and modern in form, these buildings were decorated with elements from other historic styles and compose about one-third of all buildings in the center of Riga. From 1905 to 1911 Latvian National Romantism achieved the peak of its development. While being a sub style of Art Nouveau, it copied forms of traditional architecture and incorporated traditional decorative elements. The center of Riga is now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in part for its Art Nouveau architecture.
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