Jūrmala Presents Historical Architecture Awards

Jūrmala has hosted a ceremony to present its historical architecture awards, recognizing buildings that demonstrate different approaches to preserving the city's architectural heritage. Opening the event, Gundars Ūķis, head of the Jūrmala Cultural Space and Environmental Design Center, noted that this year's finalists represent an unusually broad range of restoration philosophies.

A range of approaches

According to Ūķis, the finalists include a historical building that was carefully restored while preserving its original appearance, as well as a reconstructed building that has been expanded with a contemporary addition. The list of finalists also features a building rebuilt based on historical analogy, alongside a project offering a modern interpretation of a historical structure.

Ūķis stressed that each of these differing approaches has its place within Jūrmala's urban environment, acknowledging that there is no single correct way to preserve cultural heritage — the right method depends on a building's condition, context and available options. In his view, this diversity is precisely what makes this year's group of finalists particularly noteworthy.

The awards aim to draw public attention to the preservation and restoration of Jūrmala's historical buildings and to promote examples that could inspire future restoration and reconstruction projects in the city. Jūrmala is known for its distinctive wooden architecture and historical building stock, the preservation of which has become one of the city's development priorities in recent years.