The Palace of the Counts of Rigo

The Town Palace of the Rigo family in Novigrad is an exceptional example of Baroque residential architecture. Although small in size, its formation makes it exceptionally representative. The luxurious edifice was built in 1770. Apart from the facade, the original inner layout has been preserved until the present day. The central ground floor entrance leads into the antechamber and further onto the first floor. Left and right from the entrance were, and still are, shops, among which is the Rigo Gallery of the Avant Garde Art. The facade of the solid palace cube was disintegrated by harmonious decorative elements which cannot be seen on the Istrian palaces of the time. Carved architectural elements have curved and soft lines, a characteristic of Late Baroque or Rococo. The building is also the example of the Mid-European Baroque emerging along the Istrian coastline via Trieste.