Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Murderer’s Birds!
Elgin Public Museum
Tynemouth Castle.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Fresco on the ceiling of the chapel.
Cappella Sistina
View southwest from the trilobite quarry out to Cadiz Valley.
Marble Mountains Trilobite Quarry
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The fried green tomato sandwich comes on jalapeño cornbread toast.
Café Reconcile
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
BBQ shrimp braised in beer are a popular menu item.
High Hat Cafe
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
Peter Vazquez has been quietly making a name for himself for years.
The Appetite Repair Shop
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The view from the Q’eswachaka woven suspension bridge.
This Man Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge Yearly
about 13 hours ago
Su filindeu doesn’t cook in strands, it cooks in sheets.
How the ‘Su Filindeu’ (or ‘Threads of God’) Pasta Recipe Was Almost Lost to Time
1 day ago
Eroded rocks of the badlands in the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.
Arizona’s Petrified Forest Is Changing What We Know About the Dawn of the Dinosaurs
1 day ago
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Latvia Riga Black Cat of Riga

Black Cat of Riga

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.

Riga, Latvia

Added By
Damien Day
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  vturano / Atlas Obscura User
Black Cat of Riga   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Psipsipsi.   tylercole / Atlas Obscura User
Black Cat on Roof, Riga   Global Sightseer / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Getting into the Great Guild in Latvia in the 14th century, was an incredibly huge honor. Similarly, getting snubbed from the Great Guild was a gigantic insult.

One Riga local was so offended that he attached a black cat on top of his building so it would cast its evil glare upon the Guild for as long as the building would stand.

With an arched back, the Black Cat of Riga seems ready to strike and clearly states the man's displeasure at not getting admitted to the Guild. Obviously, the members of the guild hated the sculpture, and a fight between the man and the guild raged for months to come. Although an agreement was reached and the statue turned around, the Black Cat still sits on its perch in Old Town Riga.

Related Tags

Cats Statues Animals

Know Before You Go

Riga's Old Town, Meistaru street 10/12

Community Contributors

Added By

Dampo

Edited By

Jaszmina Szendrey, tylercole, Global Sightseer, buddapesht...

  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • tylercole
  • Global Sightseer
  • buddapesht
  • vturano

Published

December 20, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_House,_Riga
Black Cat of Riga
Meistaru street 10/12
Riga, LV-1050
Latvia
56.950133, 24.108359
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jauniela (New Street)

Riga, Latvia

miles away

The Three Brothers

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Stone Head of Salaspils

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Riga

Riga

Latvia

Places 27

Nearby Places

Jauniela (New Street)

Riga, Latvia

miles away

The Three Brothers

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Stone Head of Salaspils

Riga, Latvia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Riga

Riga

Latvia

Places 27

Related Places

  • This curious cat is especially dear to locals.

    La Rochelle, France

    La Maison du Chat (The Cat House)

    No one knows the story behind the mysterious feline perched on this rooftop.

  • Trim the Cat.

    Sydney, Australia

    Trim the Cat

    The statue honors an adventurous seafaring cat.

  • The Lioness and the Lesser Kudu.

    London, England

    The Lioness and the Lesser Kudu

    This striking statue brings a scene from the African savannah into central London.

  • An angry-looking cat on the side of the canal.

    Suzhou, China

    The Seven Cats of Shantang Street

    Thanks to a bit of wordplay, seven auspicious stone cats guard this ancient canalside street.

  • Replicas of the original effigies to Bastet.

    London, England

    Black Cats of Carreras Cigarette Factory

    Black cat statues guard this temple-like Egyptian revival factory.

  • Richmond, California

    Nike Missile Radar Site

    An abandoned Cold War missile radar site.

  • Tombili.

    Istanbul, Turkey

    Tombili

    A meow-velous tribute to a beloved street cat, made famous on the internet.

  • Marco Island, Florida

    The Key Marco Cat Statue

    Pay homage to a mysterious feline artifact outside of this Florida museum.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.