Directors’ Residence of the Līgatne Paper Mill
The Directors’ Residence of the Līgatne Paper Mill is a Swiss-style building constructed in 1914 for the Mentzendorff family. It was intended for the paper mill’s shareholders and executives who came visiting from Riga. It was not a secret that none of the elected executives of the Riga Writing Paper Factory Company lived permanently in Līgatne; the factory was managed by the economic and technical directors residing in Līgatne.
The building was designed by architect Pēteris Meņģelis who became the chief constructor in Līgatne after his uncle Jānis Meņģelis passed away in 1903. The original plan was to have the building manufactured in Germany, then disassembled and shipped to Līgatne for assembly, highlighting the skill of German craftsmen. However, the outbreak of World War I derailed these plans. The German craftsmen did not arrive to assemble the building, while some construction elements were either lost on the way or not delivered. Therefore, local craftsmen had to handle the fabrication and assembly of the missing parts of the building in Līgatne.
Initially, the residence was occupied by the caretaker, while the owners themselves used it rarely. In 1920, the controlling interest in the company was acquired by Emil Fahle, the General Director of the Northern Paper and Pulp Factory. His brother, Wilhelm Fahle, represented Emil’s interests at the Līgatne Paper Mill and soon began residing in the residence. Wilhelm cultivated a distinctive park with various unique trees on the property. Early linden trees were planted in front of the building, while late linden trees adorned the rear. A charming linden tree hill with a gazebo in the centre was also created. The garden included aromatic fir trees with soft needles, paper birches with slender white bark, several white spruces, and white cedar. Unusual shrubs, with lilac-like leaves and meadowsweet-like flowers, grew along the roadways.
Following the establishment of Soviet rule in Latvia in 1940, the building was repurposed into a kindergarten which serves this purpose to this day. In 2022, the historic building was completely restored.
