House with Lion Heads (Valga)

Construction works of the House with Lion Heads were started in 1908, presumably according to design by an architect from Riga.The four frontal mascaron ornaments of lion heads that are most probably of German origin and have preserved in their original shape have given name to the building. The house belonged to the Goertz family.In this building, there were workrooms and apartments for several physicians in the first half of last century. In the beginning of the 1900s, Ernst and Kadri Murrik, parents of the famous Estonian- born Finnish writer Hella Wuolijoki, lived in this house.This is one of the largest dwelling houses of Valga constructed before WWI that has maintained its original external shape and unconventional frontal Art Nouveau embellishment. A garden that was rich in species and had several decorative sculptures made a beautiful attachment to the building. In addition to the garden, there were decorative sculptures even on the roof. So, it used to be the most attractive building in the town of Valga. Due to renovation works later on, the interior of the building has been considerably changed.In 2020 Valga Municipality restored the building and it was turned into a block of rental flats.