The Baroque-style Steninge Palace was built 1694-1698 to the design of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, the palace is directly inspired by Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in France, and has a reputation in Sweden as one of the most elegant examples of Baroque mansions. Steninge Palace was completed in 1705.
The history of Steninge began in the end of 1200’s when the first known settlement was established. In 1667 Carl Gyllenstierna acquired the Steninge manor and between 1680-81 the well-known Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was commissioned to design the palace and the two wings. The manor was owned by the Fersen family between 1735-1873. In 1810 Axel von Fersen was murdered and a monument for him was erected at Steninge in 1813. In 1873 Baron von Otter buys Steninge and a stone barn was built west of the palace. Today the palace is privately owned by Steninge Palace Cultural Centre, but open to the public.
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.