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The Château de Lacassagne is thought to date from the latter half of the 15th century, with additions and alterations made in every century until the 19th century. It originated as an ancient salle (hall) and was altered in the 15th century with the addition of a spiral staircase and windows. A residence was added in the 17th century. On the first floor, in a room known as the Salle des Chevaliers de Malte, the painted decor was done between 1620 and 1640 for Jean Bertrand de Luppé, prior of St Gilles, and intended as a replica of the grand council hall of the Knights of St John of Malta. Among the pictures are copies of Matteo da Leccio's paintings representing the attack on Valletta by the Turks in 1565. The originals were in the council chamber of the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta and were destroyed by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798.
In the 19th century, a west wing was added to the main building. The castle is not 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.