Among moss-covered, graying monuments, rusty fences and crumbling buildings, a white chapel, only a few meters wide, with a gray roof and a cream-colored wooden door stands out like a beacon. It is the former burial place of the prominent Baltic German family, the Krögers, who counted Rīga mayor (1790-1856) among their number.
"This tomb is a bit of a trick, because people see a small, elegant, neo-romantic hut above... Such a small, sacred building, but instead of a small room with a picture of Our Lady, there is a spiral staircase , which leads to the depths," head of the Cultural and Historical Material Heritage Commission of Riga City Council, council member Rita Našeniece (New Unity) says.
Restoration of the 19th century chapel is almost complete. Latvian Radio was granted special access. The door of the chapel is unlocked, and a spiral staircase to the dark underworld opens before the eyes. There, two white rooms have room for several sarcophagi. The Riga Monuments Agency says that the burials have long been removed and most likely reburied elsewhere.
Even before the repair started in the spring, there was half a meter of household waste and glass bottles in the tomb – sadly, a not uncommon fate for Baltic German crypts. But in general, the underground was well preserved, so the work did not cause any great difficulties.
In the center of the tomb, if you look up, you will see a hatchway, through which sarcophagi were once lowered underground.
From the 1700s to the middle of the last century, tens of thousands of people were buried in the Great Cemetery. Only several dozen chapels remain, of which only two have been restored. This is what Jānis Galdiņš, the chief specialist of the Riga Monuments Agency, says, saying that it is planned to restore another example: "The main goal, of course, is to give the residents of Riga an idea of what it looked like here. Of course, it is also important that it is a visually attractive and tidy environment."
Commenting on whether other chapels are planned to be restored as well, the main specialist of the Riga Monuments Agency states: "Most of them, which were in such a sad state after the Riga municipality took over this territory, have been preserved, so they are no longer dangerous for the residents. But in order to be able to restore something like the Kröger chapel, it will definitely take many years, decades, I think, and a lot of money."
City council member Našniece says that the local government has devoted approximately one hundred thousand euros to the restoration of the Kröger family chapel. The capital has committed to dedicate more money to the restoration of the cemetery every year, though the exact figures remain to be decided.
