The legendary House of Benjamins accommodates Ukrainian refugees in Riga
For several months now, the historic House of Benjamins has become home for Ukrainian refugees who need a temporary place to stay in Riga. This has been made possible by the real estate developer Kapitel and the construction company Merks, along with support from the local initiative “I Want to Help Refugees”.
The 19th-century architectural treasure has so far welcomed more than 145 people from Ukraine. The facilities of the former hotel have been specially adapted to serve as temporary accommodation for Ukrainians. There are 29 hotel rooms available in the new part of the building, accommodating up to 60 people at a time, offering catering facilities, information about the services and support available in Riga, as well as Latvian language classes. The initial support investments are in the tens of thousands of euros and the monthly expenses of the building are also covered by Kapitel.
Significantly, during the 30 days that the Ukrainian refugees can temporarily stay at the House of Benjamins, all adults have found new accommodation and work, as well as schools and kindergartens for their children. This demonstrates the importance of targeted and coordinated support.
“Our project implemented together with Merks and Kapitel helps Ukrainian refugees to start a new life sooner in their temporary home – Latvia. Combining access to wide-ranging information support and safe, homelike environments, this project could serve as a systematic example for receiving other recipients of international help in Latvia,” says Linda Jākobsone, Member of the Board of the association “I Want to Help Refugees”.
Representative of Kapitel, Imants Krēsliņš is pleased to be part of the project: “I am immensely happy that we were able to act quickly and efficiently and find a solution for accommodating refugees. It took quite a bit of time and financial resources to adapt the building to the needs of the refugees; however, when you see children, young people and families in the building, that is all forgotten quickly, and a sense of satisfaction takes over. We are also pleased with the professional attitude of the initiative “I Want to Help Refugees” and the great support from the construction company Merks.”
Board Member and Construction Director from Merks Andris Bišmeistars highlights the importance of creating the feeling of home: “One of the fundamental values of Merks is to build not only physical buildings, but places where people feel at home. Even if it is only for a brief time, we wanted to offer this to the people of Ukraine who have come to Riga in search of a safe haven. I am honoured to work alongside our partners Kapitel and the initiative “I Want to Help Refugees”. This cooperation has opened new horizons for us because together we are stronger and capable of providing much wider support.”
Constructed in the late 19th century, the House of Benjamins was one of the first stone high-rise buildings in Riga. It was later acquired by the influential press magnates Antons Benjamiņš and Emīlija Benjamiņa, who reconstructed it to become an epicentre of culture and social life. After the Soviet occupation in 1940, the House of Benjamins at 12 Krišjāņa Barona Street was nationalised. Emīlija Benjamiņa herself also suffered a tragic fate – on 13 June 1941 she, along with 15,400 other Latvian people, was deported to Russia and died from starvation in terrible conditions in the Usollag slave labour camp.