Architecture in the Baltic States

This book explores the architecture of the Baltic States, a region still relatively unexplored in architectural literature. Nevertheless, this collection of chapters provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the urban architectural environment of the three countries that make up the Baltic region: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Organised in three parts, with each part focusing on one of the three Baltic States (plus a fourth, smaller section dedicated to the large complexes of the Spa Towns), the book contains contributions from leading authorities on the subject, including planners, architects, historians, geographers and semioticians. Each part is organized thematically: heritage and legacy, urban history, progress towards modernity and contemporary architecture, with the overall aim of the book being to present the architectural issues and cultural directions of architecture in the Baltic countries. The relative peripherality of the Baltic area has, throughout its history, led to the emergence of a strong tendency towards experimentation, alongside the distinctive urban fabric of medieval Tallinn, baroque Vilnius and 20th-century Riga. This book therefore offers readers an indispensable overview of the continuous transformation of the urban architectural environment in the Baltic region. Architecture in the Baltic States will be of interest to researchers and students of architecture, urban history, urban morphology and heritage.