In 1435 the first guest house for travellers was opened on Sk?r?u street in Riga. It was built on the foundations of the Castle of the Order of the Brotherhood of Swordsmen and retains the long corridor plan characteristic of a cloister with small rooms known as cells.In expanding the building at the end of the 16th century, the City's Burgomaster Nikolauss Eke, who was accused by the residents of Riga of lining his own pocket with funds from the City Treasury, had apparently decided to polish up his image by opening a sanctuary for the widows of Guild's craftsmen here.Since the summer of 2005 the house is once more operating as a guest house – "Ekes Konvents" which has been scrupulously restored by experts specialising in Latvia's historic architecture.