Video: What Riga's undergrounds hide – medieval brothels, taverns and thieves
Art historian Gabriella Kabjer reveals the hidden side of medieval Riga – the most famous brothel, tavern life, and the everyday reality of beggars and pickpockets.
Medieval Riga is not only about beautiful streets, guilds and ancient houses. Behind the façade of a wealthy trading city lay a completely different world. Art historian Gabriella Kabjer has shed light on what the undergrounds of Riga conceal.
According to Kabjer, one of the most famous medieval brothels was located in Old Riga. Such establishments were not unusual – they were permitted and even regulated at the time. Taverns served not just as places to drink and eat, but also as meeting points where people could catch up on news, warm up, and even spend the night.
However, not everyone had a comfortable life. Beggars were an integral part of the cityscape, gathering near churches and market squares. Pickpockets, on the other hand, had a sort of “career path” – starting with minor crimes, they could rise to become experienced thieves operating in gangs. This unusual information reveals how diverse and sometimes harsh life in medieval Riga truly was.
