Since 1995 the Embassy of Latvia in Sweden is located at Odengatan 5, in a building that was erected between 1912 and 1914 as a family townhouse. Its architect Folke Zettervall was the chief architect of the Swedish Railways and during his carrier has designed more than 260 railway stations all around Sweden.
In the period from 1919 to 1940 the Embassy of Latvia was located in various rented premises. The first address of the Embassy was at Jarlsgatan 24, presently hotel Stureplan, later it moved to Valhallavägen 74 where the Embassy of Libya is now. After the reopening of Latvian Embassy in 1992, it was again located in rented premises at Storgatan 38 until 1995, when the Latvian State acquired the estate at Odengatan 5.
It is a three story building with a bay window and a balcony on the top of it. The entrance is decorated by four columns with repousse depicting a cat and a mouse on its left side and a dog with a bone on the right side. The building has a courtyard surrounded by greenery and a stone wall.
Initially, the townhouse belonged to its architect Folke Zettervall, but after his death in 1955 it was consigned to the Swedish Union of Architects. It was used for purposes of the Union until 1995, when Latvian State acquired the building.
The Embassy is situated in Östermalm district of the central Stockholm. The area has been developed in the second decennium of the last century and is characterized by family townhouses. At present the townhouses are predominantly used by offices and foreign embassies. The surroundings are dominated by the Engelbreckts Church (1914) built in the style of art nouveau and national romanticism.
