Cat House
Cat House
4
About
The story behind this unique architecture tells of its Latvian owner who was denied membership in the powerful Great Guild; to show his displeasure, he built two cat sculptures on his roof with their backsides facing the Guild and their tails straight up to finish the insult.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
970 reviews
Excellent
321
Very good
375
Average
248
Poor
24
Terrible
2
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Steviefull
Kidderminster, UK2,131 contributions
Dec 2022
As others have said it's a house with a couple of cat statues on the roof with the story behind it being amusing and not a lot more than that. With Riga being a small city and this centrally located it is pretty hard to miss if you are out exploring.
A five minute photo opportunity but not worth going out of your way for.
A five minute photo opportunity but not worth going out of your way for.
Written January 31, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Klara W
Kaunas, Lithuania6,364 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
One of the most famous houses in Riga's Old Town, a short walk from the war museum and the picturesque Līvu Square. Originally, according to legend, the cat statue was positioned in such a way that its rear was facing the Riga Major Trade House (or, according to other versions of the same legend, the city municipality). The palace itself is built in medieval style with elements of Art Nouveau. In particular, the facade with the main entrance is truly beautiful and elegant.
Written September 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
galadiel67
Chiavari, Italy3,848 contributions
Jan 2024 • Family
4 because "the house of the cat" is one of the symbols of Riga and because the story is nice, but nothing else.
The Palace Owner had positioned the cat so that it would turn its back on the guild that had rejected it. The Corporation sued him and won it (or perhaps eventually welcomed the Owner) and the cat was turned into a less embarrassing position.
The Palace Owner had positioned the cat so that it would turn its back on the guild that had rejected it. The Corporation sued him and won it (or perhaps eventually welcomed the Owner) and the cat was turned into a less embarrassing position.
Automatically translated
Written August 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard M
Hampstead Norreys, UK947 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
This is a lovely quirky building. The building itself is fairly plain but the interest is that the two turrets on the building are topped with little black cats. Their arched backs can be seen from all over the place and feature on many souvenirs.
Written August 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SimpleTravelBlog
Augsburg, Germany409 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
The cat house is a small highlight of Riga. Not because it is so incredibly beautiful, but because it simply has an incredibly beautiful story. The Art Nouveau house is decorated with two cats on top of the roof. These cats and the story that goes with them have become a symbol of Riga, Latvia. You should definitely stop by here because it is in an area that has a lot of sights to offer.
Written December 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chrissieb94
Dorset, UK3,518 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
The house was built in 1909. It is styled as medieval architecture with a touch of Art Nouveau. Its claim to fame are the two cat sculptures with arched backs and raised tails that are on the turret rooftops. Definitely a quirky feature that could be easily missed if you didn’t look up!
Written September 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ElaineAndGreg
Chesterland, OH3,166 contributions
Jun 2023
The Cat House is indeed a fun building in Riga's old town with, as the photographs show, two large black cats on the conical side roofs of this Art-Nouveau structure.
I wouldn't really consider this as its own "attraction," but rather one of many fun sights and parts of Riga's very walkable old town. I'd get a decent local map or walking tour and walk around the old town to see nearby sights such as Riga Cathedral, the Bremen Town Musicians statue, the Blackheads building, and the Occupation Museum. The side of this building houses a wonderful Belgian gastropub Duvel's, but there are countless cafes and restaurants in the area.
I wouldn't really consider this as its own "attraction," but rather one of many fun sights and parts of Riga's very walkable old town. I'd get a decent local map or walking tour and walk around the old town to see nearby sights such as Riga Cathedral, the Bremen Town Musicians statue, the Blackheads building, and the Occupation Museum. The side of this building houses a wonderful Belgian gastropub Duvel's, but there are countless cafes and restaurants in the area.
Written July 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ben White
Northampton, UK3,377 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
When researching things to do and see in Latvia. This one would always come up, as an attraction to see. The cats on top of the building are certainly different, but they’re much smaller than I’d imagined. So you could easily walk past this building and miss them.
At the bottom of the yellow building they have a cafe/restaurant.
Overall, if you were to miss this building whilst visiting Riga you trip wouldn’t be incomplete.
At the bottom of the yellow building they have a cafe/restaurant.
Overall, if you were to miss this building whilst visiting Riga you trip wouldn’t be incomplete.
Written August 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luca M
Vilnius, Lithuania85 contributions
Jul 2021
This place attracts a lot of tourists. The house is situated in the centre of Vecriga and all guides tell the story about statues of black cats with tails turned towards the windows of the office of the Great Guild. That was the way for a rich man to show how disappointed of Great Guild decision not to accept him in the Guild. Anyway, today it is a significant landmark and a great meeting point.
Written July 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alessandro M
6 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Riga in December is very suggestive as it is completely covered in snow. The climate is harsh, we had -5 to -8 degrees, but dry. The city is very pretty with a beautiful, very characteristic historic center. You eat well and don't spend much. It would be worth visiting even in the summer.
Written December 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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