A historical gem in Liepãja

Refurbished with RHEINZINK prePATINA graphite-grey, the pavilion which is also known by the name “Emperor’s Pavilion” is located in the Jurmala Park in the seaport Liepãja (Libow) in western Latvia. It was reconstructed with great attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship over a span of two years and can now be admired as a true gem in the park.

History

Three lives for the “Emperor’s Pavilion”

The history of the pavilion can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, during the reign of Russian Tsar Nicholas II, the pavilion was built in the Jurmala Park with the help of the German-Baltic architect Paul Demme (1857-1919) to welcome the Russian Tsar on his visit to Liepãja.
After the pavilion had served its original purpose, it was opened as a café for all Liepãja residents and guests. It became a favourite place for tourists and locals during the summer season.
Three years after the wooden building was erected, the pavilion burnt down in 1906.

It was given a second life and reconstructed two years later. It was possible to completely reconstruct the Emperor’s Pavilion, with only little changes. In the 1950s, the building housed the “Dzintars” café, and finally from 1960, the “Banga” restaurant. Tragically, the building caught fire in 1977 and burned down again. At the end of this decade, the project for reconstruction of the pavilion was called for tenders in the scope of a design competition, However, this project was never realised.

The building was abandoned to its fate until the Kirhners family gave it a third chance: in 2020, the ground lease contract was concluded and the construction project was sold to the current owner Zigurds Kirhners. The building was abandoned to its fate until the Kirhners family gave it a third chance: In 2020, Zigurds Kirhners took over the lease contract and became the owner of the building project through the purchase. A short time later, the Kirhners began rebuilding the Emperor’s Pavilion with the family-owned construction company SIA “UPTK” under the project management of Sands Kirhners.
It was finally completed just two years later in August 2022, and thus was reborn two years later. Today, the pavilion is a popular destination and a restaurant, but also a historical masterpiece that will be kept alive for future generations and visitors to Liepãja.

Virtual Tour

Experience the Emperor's Pavilion up close and explore it in our 360° Tour

360° Tour

Key Facts

Technical details

When the pavilion was refurbished, the roof played a special role because the characteristic features and playful details were to be retained. The pitched roof and the central domed roof were covered using the double standing seam system in the graphite-grey colour of the pre-weathered material prePATINA ECO ZINC. In addition to other details, the so-called onion dome required a customised solution with expert workmanship, crafted by the roofers “SK Lauktehnika SIA” from Grobiņa in Latvia with excellent work.

RHEINZINK’s half round gutter was used for roof drainage. The wide range of products allowed to select the roof drainage in the same colour as the roof. This contributed to a homogeneous overall image to highlight the playful architectural details of the pavilion.

WHY prePATINA ECO ZINC?

A small carbon footprint, 100% recyclable, extremely durable, practically maintenance-free –
this makes it the perfect future building material for sustainable construction.