The deadline for the reconstruction of the Great Guild is 2026 / Article

No more carrying a grand piano up the stairs, musicians changing in stairwells, airless and endless lines to the toilets during concert breaks – the long-awaited reconstruction of the Great Guild promises a lot, including, finally, an elevator in the building. Zane Koroļa, the author of the architectural concept and idea of ​​the reconstruction construction project, says: “The number of seats and the capacity of the hall will increase, the interior of the hall will be completely rebuilt. If we can say that in the rest of the guild building we have been very strict and have tried as much as possible to preserve everything authentic that is here, then the hall, which is the main heavyweight in this building, the main beating heart, is in for the biggest changes.”

The residents of the big guild – the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra – will start packing their belongings already next week.

“We will work to make the move in June while the musicians are on vacation,” explains orchestra director Indra Lukina. “Actually, during June, we move everything and start rehearsals already in July in the hall of the Congress House, where rehearsals will be held for the next two years.”

“RERE MEISTARI” SIA was selected out of five construction contractors in the competition, and the reconstruction of the old concert hall will take place in two phases. The planned investments are around 14.5 million euros, and according to the Minister of Culture, all the money needed for the project has been procured – the Ministry has attracted funds from European funds.

“This is one of those projects where we can’t really extend the deadline, this is Recovery Fund funding that comes with a very specific deadline, we have to complete these works by the spring of 2026, and there’s really no way to back down.”

says Minister of Culture Agnese Logina (“Progressives”).

The author of the reconstruction project outlines that after the reconstruction of the building, the accents of the previous centuries will be highlighted on the various floors of the building, but much will remain unchanged: “The staircase designed by Modra Gëlža, all the construction products in the basement, the loggia, the spiral staircase at the employee’s entrance will be preserved, we have planned to expose, to remove the linoleum and to expose the wooden steps, everywhere we have tried to remove the Euro-repair and expose exactly those natural materials and the original original solutions.”

According to current forecasts, the first concerts in the renovated building will take place in the fall of 2026.

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