In November last year, the results of the competition for the best concept for the improvement of Albert Square and the sketch of the monument to Riga Black Balsam, an invention of Abraham Kunze, were summed up in Riga. The competition was organized by Latvijas balzams and the Riga City Council. A total of 9 works were submitted to the competition. The best project was recognized by the bureau “U-R-A” (United Riga Architects), the second place was awarded to “Variant Studio”, and the third - to the joint work of “CORE projekts” and sculptor Olga Shilova. It is planned to partially implement the selected concept by August 2016.
In the project of the winners, Albert Square becomes the place where the ancient history of Riga is reflected. The central element of the composition is the "Riga Ship": a dry fountain, the silhouette of which resembles a sea ship. Subsequently, the fountain is planned to be transformed into a "glazed well", looking into which it will be possible to get acquainted with archaeological finds and learn a little about Riga of the XII century, located under the modern city. The "Riga Ship" will be surrounded by an amphitheater, the steps of which imitate waves. This will create the atmosphere of the first city port on the square, which was once located here. Wooden paving is intended to remind of the medieval streets of Riga, where it was often used.
Finally, the monument to the pharmacist Kunze and his famous balm, although located at the edge of the square, will still be in the spotlight, thanks to the intense pedestrian flows. The name of the spiral-water installation reminiscent of the silhouette of a bottle of Riga Balsam is Kunce's Spiral of Life. It will be possible to enter the spiral. As the authors themselves say, "it is an interactive, selfie-friendly object." Here you can also read interesting information about the inventor of the drink recipe.
As a reminder, in 2014, the U-R-A bureau won the competition for the design of the Novoperedelkino metro station in Moscow.
