Château du Bois Orcan dates from the 15th century. It has been returned to its original splendour following a full restoration. The rooms house an important collection of furniture and medieval objects that bear witness to the way of life in the era of Charles VIII and Anne of Bretagne. Close to the castle moat is the Jardin de la Fontaine de Vie: this is a garden of medieval proportions created by Alain Richert. The place’s unusually beauty is manifested in its three-part composition – the Cour d’amour (Court of Love), the Fontaine de Vie (Fountain of Life) and the Jardin de curiosités (Garden of Curiosities) – all of them places of olfactory and visual delight. The Bois Orcan also presents the Athanor, a mecca for the work of the internationally renowned French sculptor Etienne Martin (1913-1995).
References: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.