Lucheux Castle was built in 1120 by Hugh II, Count of Saint-Pol who used techniques taken back from the crusades he had been on. Situated on the border of Artois and Picardy it was one of the most important strongholds in the region. It continued to grow during the Middle Ages. Count Guy III of Saint-Pol altered the castle with four corner towers, hall and chapel in 1275. The castle was attacked by English army during Hundred Years' War several times.
In 1522 the imperial troops of Charles V besieged Lucheux castle for eight days and in 1552 Spanish army attacked it. Protestants took it into their possession in 1567 and the final siege occured in 1594-1595 by Spanish army again. They destoyed the castle and it was finally demolished by the order of cardinal Richelieu in 1640.
Today the massive gate and some walls remain.
House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.