Brīvības gatve 440
Tel. 2799 4515
Open: 10am- 5pm
The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia is an open-air museum of
Latvian traditional cultural monuments founded on February 2, 1924
in Bergi, on the shores of Lake Jugla, one of the oldest museums of
its kind in Europe.
A total of 118 buildings built from the
end of the 17th century to the second half of the 1930s in the
historical regions of Latvia - Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Latgale
- have been transferred, installed and decorated to the museum.
Several more structures have been transferred to the museum, but due
to various circumstances have not been installed and are currently
stored in a disassembled form. The collection of the Open Air Museum
also includes approximately 150,000 storage units, which make up the
largest collection of ethnographic objects in Latvia.
History
On February 2, 1924, the Monuments Board of the Ministry
of Education of the Republic of Latvia made a decision on the
foundation of the Open Air Museum at the suggestion of the architect
Paula Kundziņš. The Land Development Commission allocated land in
the dunes of Lake Jugla, Bergģi, from the State Land Fund for the
museum, partially including the properties of the former Bonaventure
Manor. When founding the Open Air Museum, Mrs. Pauls defined the
mission of the new museum:
The open-air museum wants to
organize the creations of our people's culture in the context in
which they were created and used in the past - to collectively store
the visible content of ancient life, which is contained in the
buildings, their surroundings and arrangement, the internal
structure of the premises, personal and work accessories
— Ms.
Pauls
In the following years, the territory was gradually
adapted to the needs of the museum, as well as the identification of
the first buildings and other exhibits. The first building - "Rizgu"
ria from Vidzeme Vestiena parish was transferred to the museum
territory and installed in 1928. The museum was opened for visitors
to view in 1932, when its exposition consisted of 6 ancient
buildings and their furnishings (Vidzeme homestead).
Until
the Second World War, the museum developed rapidly and became a
popular place for the public. Many museum buildings were demolished
and installed in the museum thanks to donations and the help of
various community organizations (eg Boy Scouts, Academic Life
Organizations). Homestead complexes from all the cultural-historical
regions of Latvia were represented in the museum, as well as several
other architecturally and culturally-historically important
buildings. The museum was designed and developed with inspiration
from similar museums elsewhere in Europe, primarily Skansen,
Stockholm.
The events of 1940 and the Second World War
interrupted the museum's previous development, but the museum
continued to work and be available to the public throughout the war.
The museum manager of that time, arch. Jānis Jaunzem even managed to
organize the demolition of several cranes and their transfer to the
Open Air Museum. Although the change of ruling ideologies and
wartime damage did not affect the museum, the biggest loss was
almost all pre-war personnel who were repressed or forced to go into
exile. Among the leading workers of that time, we can mention the
architects Paula Kundziņa, Pēteri Ārenda, Xaverija Andermani and
Jānis Jaunzem, of whom only Jaunzem remained in Latvia after World
War II.
Until the 1960s, the new Soviet government did not
really understand the nature of the Open Air Museum and it was even
called "distinctly wrong". During this period, there were deviations
from the initially scientific criteria for developing the museum,
and several objects in the museum were installed taking into account
primarily social and even ideological considerations, rather than
scientifically based architectural value.
However, the Soviet
government quickly understood the importance of open-air museums,
and already in the 60s, open-air museums in Latvia experienced a
kind of heyday. A new generation of professionals entered the museum
environment and contacts with foreign countries increased. As a
result, several other open-air museums or expositions were also
established in Latvia. The territory of the open-air museum was
significantly enlarged and a whole series of culturally-historically
and architecturally valuable buildings were moved and installed (for
example, the Libyan fisherman/farmer's homestead complex, Kurzeme
fisherman's village, as well as several sacred buildings).
After the restoration of the Republic of Latvia in 1991, the Open
Air Museum actively focused on the 20s-30s of the 20th century.
years of heritage collection and preservation, which culminated in
the opening of the young farmer's homestead complex in 1997,
dedicated to the memory of the Agrarian Reform of the 20s and the
work of young farmers. Currently, the museum occupies an area of
87.66 ha in a pine forest on the shore of Lake Jugla. The museum
is considered a monument to the Latvian way of life in its scenic
and architectural aesthetic expression.
Homesteads of Latvian
farmers, artisans and fishermen have been created in the museum. All
of them feature a permanent exhibition (household and work items,
interior decoration) that characterizes the period of history, the
region and the occupation of the owners of the house. Artisans work
in the museum, Latvian festivals of annual customs are celebrated,
in the exhibition hall you can see exhibitions of folk art studios
and the museum's collection. The museum's restoration department, on
the other hand, brings together some of the best specialists in the
fields of wood, metal, textile and ceramic restoration.