One of Riga's architectural treasures, the House of Blackheads was erected in 1344, but was embellished and expanded in the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries. It was destroyed in 1941 and its ruins were completely demolished by the Soviets in 1948, but it finally rose from the ashes in the late 1990s in keeping with the medieval saying above its entrance that states 'if I should fall, build me again'. A striking Gothic building with a Dutch Renaissance facade, it was used to house single members of the merchants' guild who were also notorious revellers of their day. It's even rumoured that their parties and feasts were often attended by European royalty in disguise.