Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Riga, Latvia

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia 1940-1991 (Latvijas okupācijas muzejs) is an historic educational institution. It was established in 1993 to exhibit artifacts, archive documents, and educate the public about the 51-year period in the 20th century when Latvia was successively occupied by the USSR in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, and then again by the USSR in 1944.

The museum's stated mission is to show what happened in Latvia, its land and people under two occupying totalitarian regimes from 1940 to 1991, remind the world of the crimes committed by foreign powers against the state and people of Latvia and remember the victims of the occupation: those who perished, were persecuted, forcefully deported or fled the terror of the occupation regimes.

The building of the museum was built already in 1971 to celebrate Lenin's 100th birthday and up until 1991 it served as the Museum of Red Latvian Riflemen.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Helle Damgaard Andersen (2 years ago)
Temporarily closed until 2020. Other exhibition near freedom monument

Jørgen Jakob Friis (2 years ago)
Kind of temporary while rebuilding the real one so some details are missing. Interestingly presented though

Stefan Andrushenko (2 years ago)
Excellent, well translated and thorough. By donation. Note temporary location near freedom monument for next couple years.

Andrew Betts (2 years ago)
Informative and interesting, though currently it is not in this location. It will move back here in 2020 after the building had been renovated. Meanwhile it is located just west of the freedom monument.

Shona C (2 years ago)
This museum is very easy to get to, and is less than one minute away from the Freedom Monument. It is free but requests donations as payments. Information on the boards is very comprehensive and is in Latvian and English with Russian and German information booklets available. You should definitely try to make your way to this museum if you're in Riga. It will probably only take you around an hour and is definitely worth it.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Arnie Papp

Historic Site of the week

Klis Fortress

From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, becoming a royal castle that was the seat of many Croatian kings, to its final development as a large fortress during the Ottoman wars in Europe, Klis Fortress has guarded the frontier, being lost and re-conquered several times. Due to its location on a pass that separates the mountains Mosor and Kozjak, the fortress served as a major source of defense in Dalmatia, especially against the Ottoman advance, and has been a key crossroad between the Mediterranean belt and the Balkan rear.

Since Duke Mislav of the Duchy of Croatia made Klis Fortress the seat of his throne in the middle of the 9th century, the fortress served as the seat of many Croatia"s rulers. The reign of his successor, Duke Trpimir I, the founder of the Croatian royal House of Trpimirović, is significant for spreading Christianity in the Duchy of Croatia. He largely expanded the Klis Fortress, and in Rižinice, in the valley under the fortress, he built a church and the first Benedictine monastery in Croatia. During the reign of the first Croatian king, Tomislav, Klis and Biograd na Moru were his chief residences.

In March 1242 at Klis Fortress, Tatars who were a constituent segment of the Mongol army under the leadership of Kadan suffered a major defeat while in pursuit of the Hungarian army led by King Béla IV. After their defeat by Croatian forces, the Mongols retreated, and Béla IV rewarded many Croatian towns and nobles with 'substantial riches'. During the Late Middle Ages, the fortress was governed by Croatian nobility, amongst whom Paul I Šubić of Bribir was the most significant. During his reign, the House of Šubić controlled most of modern-day Croatia and Bosnia. Excluding the brief possession by the forces of Bosnian King, Tvrtko I, the fortress remained in Hungaro-Croatian hands for the next several hundred years, until the 16th century.

Klis Fortress is probably best known for its defense against the Ottoman invasion of Europe in the early 16th century. Croatian captain Petar Kružić led the defense of the fortress against a Turkish invasion and siege that lasted for more than two and a half decades. During this defense, as Kružić and his soldiers fought without allies against the Turks, the military faction of Uskoks was formed, which later became famous as an elite Croatian militant sect. Ultimately, the defenders were defeated and the fortress was occupied by the Ottomans in 1537. After more than a century under Ottoman rule, in 1669, Klis Fortress was besieged and seized by the Republic of Venice, thus moving the border between Christian and Muslim Europe further east and helping to contribute to the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The Venetians restored and enlarged the fortress, but it was taken by the Austrians after Napoleon extinguished the republic itself in 1797. Today, Klis Fortress contains a museum where visitors to this historic military structure can see an array of arms, armor, and traditional uniforms.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

Museum of the Occupation of Latvia

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

The Beauty of Cinque Terre

Must-See Historic Places in Córdoba

Historic Site of the week

Klis Fortress

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?