Hotels near Town Hall Square and the 1510 Christmas Tree Marker

Town Hall Square is home to Riga's main city Christmas tree and to a famous piece of festive history. According to local tradition, the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild of unmarried merchants, decorated a tree here in 1510 and later burned it, and Riga claims this as the first decorated Christmas tree in the world. A marker set into the cobblestones commemorates the story in several languages.

The square is overlooked by the spectacular House of the Blackheads, rebuilt in the 1990s after its destruction in the Second World War, with its ornate gabled facade. The tree lighting here in 2025 took place on 29 November.

The claim is disputed by Tallinn, which dates its own Christmas tree tradition to 1441, but both cities make the most of the rivalry.

Pro Tip: Look for the 1510 marker in the cobblestones near the Blackheads House, then photograph the facade lit up at night with the Christmas tree in front of it.