It is not known when the Przeclaw Renaissance palace was built. Originally, it was made of wood, and by 1578, belonged to the Ligeza family. In the late 16th century, it was purchased by the Koniecpolski family, which built a new, stone structure. In 1658, the castle was bought by Governor Wladyslaw Rey. The castle remained in the hands of the aristocratic Rey family until its confiscation by the communist regime in 1944. The Rey family had been active during the war in the anti-German underground movement Armia Krajowa and its organisation Tarcza Opieka providing shelter to fugitives, including Jews, and material support to the Polish Resistance. Armia Krajowa members and landowners being persecuted after the war by the communist regime, the Rey family had to go into exile to France. The palace has not been returned to its former owners and is currently a restaurant and a hotel and open to visitors.
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.