In Memoriam, Jānis Lejnieks (1951–2026)
RISEBA University of Applied Sciences announces with deep sorrow the passing of its leading researcher, Dr.arch. Jānis Lejnieks (29 August 1951 – 16 January 2026). We extend our deepest condolences to Jānis Lejnieks’ family, friends, colleagues, and students. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this loss, and we express our gratitude for his invaluable contribution to the development of the University.
Dr.arch. Jānis Lejnieks was an architectural theorist and critic, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Latvijas Arhitektūra from 1996. He had been a member of the Latvian Association of Architects since 1978 and served as its President from 1996 to 1999. In 1995, he became the first Director of the Latvian Architecture Museum and later served as Deputy Head of the State Inspection for Heritage Protection.
As a leading researcher at RISEBA University of Applied Sciences and curator of the Latvian Architecture History course, Jānis Lejnieks upheld the highest professional standards in educating both international and local students. He supervised and reviewed dozens of bachelor’s and master’s theses. He was actively involved in developing and evaluating the international Aizpute Summer Student Plenary programs organized by RISEBA’s Faculty of Architecture and Design, contributing to the preservation and contemporary adaptation of Aizpute’s historical heritage. RISEBA’s architectural initiatives were widely covered in the journal Latvijas Arhitektūra under his editorship.
Previously, Jānis Lejnieks also served as a guest lecturer at Riga Technical University. He developed numerous urban planning and residential building projects across Latvia and conducted research on multiple historical buildings. He authored 16 books and several hundred articles on architecture, including seven books dedicated to different aspects of Riga’s architecture and six monographs on Modris Ģelzis, Marta Staņa, Juris Skalbergs, Andris Kronbergs, Sergejs Antonovs, and Pauls Mandelštams. An unfinished monograph on architect Josif Goldenberg remained on his desk. Jānis Lejnieks curated numerous exhibitions; at present, an exhibition he curated on architect Oļģerts Ostenbergs is on view at the Latvian Architecture Museum. He was also the author of many entries in the Latvian Encyclopedia and one of the contributors to the architecture and design section of the Latvian Cultural Canon.
Alongside his creative work, Jānis Lejnieks was an accomplished project manager at the Riga Eastern Executive Directorate (2007–2021), where he contributed significantly to the development and improvement of an important part of the city. He served on the juries of numerous major architectural competitions and was a regular guest on the television program Ielas garumā. For many years, he was a member of ICOMOS and DOCOMOMO.
His knowledge and expertise extended far beyond the topic of his doctoral dissertation, Functionalism and Neo-Eclecticism in 20th-Century Latvian Architecture (defended in 1994). For over half a century, his true field of interest and research was the history of Riga’s and Latvia’s architecture and its contemporary processes. For his work, he received the Latvian Architecture Award (2025), the Liepāja Culture Award (2022), the Latvian Cultural Heritage Award (2008), as well as commendations from the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Culture.
Jānis Lejnieks’ writings on architecture stand as a beautiful and enduring monument to his active and dedicated life—a valuable, comprehensive, and precise source of knowledge for professionals and for Latvian society as a whole.
J. Dripe, January 2026