5 euro - Building the Unbuilt

Marta Staņa (1913–1972) is a renowned figure in the history of 20th-century architecture, design, and art. Her architectural creations were realised between the 1950s and the 1970s. While most of her works have not been preserved in their original form, Staņa's most significant achievement – the Dailes Theatre building – continues to fulfil its cultural role with pride and stands as a lasting testament to modernist architecture, remaining accessible to the public today. Staņa mixed cutting-edge ideas for museum, café, and office buildings, possibilities offered by form and innovative materials with empathy for the environment, nature, and people. The architect designed the space and its objects as a cohesive ensemble. Staņa was also a gifted artist, vividly bringing her architectural concepts to life through visualisations on paper. The coin features the fragments of Staņa's design sketches: two of her most notable works in Riga – the Dailes Theatre and the experimental multi-apartment residential building in Brīvības iela 313 – alongside unrealised projects: sketches for a viewing tower at Gaiziņkalns, Rēzekne open-air stage, National Theatre in Budapest, and elements of landscape design and trees, which together represent the complexity of Staņa's architectural practice. The architect also held teaching positions at Riga School of Design and Art and the Art Academy of Latvia. Her approach has inspired several generations of artists, stage designers, interior designers, and designers.