The first documents testifying to the existence of a castle in Castro date back to the 13th century: a document of 1282 described it as having a strategic importance to protect the kingdom. It is quite sure that the castle was built on the ruins of a former Byzantine building, which protected the fortified Roman village. In 1480 it was destroyed and then rebuilt and strengthened  in 1572 by the Spanish viceroy.
On the north-western part, stand the thick walls of the Bastion of the buttress, with a single central room and fortified battlements. The Torre Cavaliera, the highest and most imposing one, is a three-story tower with three rooms, covered with barrel vault. The Torre Circolare, dating back to the Aragonese period, has three rooms with small windows and merlons with machicolation.
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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.