The Corner House (Stūra māja) is the former KGB headquarters on Brīvības iela 61 in Riga’s Centra district, at the corner of Brīvības and Stabu streets. Latvians long called it “the house on the corner,” a building many feared to enter. It now hosts exhibitions run by the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia and draws visitors who want to see how the Soviet security apparatus operated.
Architect Aleksandrs Vanags designed the 1912 building, and its ornate Art Nouveau facade sharply contrasts with what happened inside. Soviet security services used it in 1940–41 and again from 1944 to 1991. It opened to the public in 2014, the year Riga was European Capital of Culture. Guided tours lead through basement cells, interrogation spaces, the exercise yard and the room linked to executions. Ground-floor displays document arrests, deportations and surveillance. Look for the slot on the Stabu iela side, where citizens once dropped denunciations.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Hours, tour schedules and prices change by season, so check the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia website before you go. Book cell tours in advance, especially in summer when English-language slots fill fast. Morning visits on weekdays are usually quieter. The building sits about 15 minutes on foot from the Freedom Monument, and trolleybuses run along Brīvības iela. Afterward, walk roughly ten minutes to Alberta iela to see more of Riga’s Art Nouveau architecture.
