13. Michaelson Boutique Hotel / former port warehouses

About

The harbour warehouses were built on the castle’s defensive rampart, beside the River Dangė. Epraheim Michaelson, a Jewish maritime merchant, is thought to have been the first owner of the site. He owned the ravelin with its moat and a rampart, that stood between the castle’s defensive moat and the River Dangė. A couple of centuries ago, the Dangė was a hub of maritime trade, but suitable storage facilities were in short supply. Therefore, around 1850, Michaelson built a red-brick warehouse on the riverbank. It became one of the few buildings in the city that bordered the water – much like in Venice – allowing ships to moor directly alongside the warehouse to load and unload goods.

Today, the historic building houses a hotel. When work began to convert the site, the planners encountered several surprises: uneven structural elements, cracked walls, and an asymmetrical layout. Therefore, the main challenge was to preserve the historical character while adapting the space to suit the needs of a hotel with an elegant interior. The goal was to restore, clean and retain as many authentic features as possible – walls, wooden pillars, beams – and to reveal the building’s historical layers. The austere warehouse spaces have been transformed into an expressive interior, harmoniously blending the historic spirit with a contemporary aesthetic.

The 18th-century building was included in the Register of Cultural Property in 1996 and recognised as a state-protected site in 2005.