Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation

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Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation

Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs
Exterior of the museum building
Location	Palasta iela 4, Riga, Latvia
Coordinates	56°56′55″N 24°06′14″E / 56.948719°N 24.103832°E / 56.948719; 24.103832
Website	www.rigamuz.lv

Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation (Latvian: Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs) is housed by the Riga Dom Cathedral ensemble in the heart of the Old Riga, Latvia. It originated in 1773 as a private collection of Nikolaus von Himsel, a Riga doctor and, being one of the oldest museums in Europe, over the centuries it has grown into the largest collection of material evidence of the history of Riga.

The Premises

During the reconstruction of the Riga Dom Cathedral in the 1890s, part of the former monastery was converted to serve the needs of the Dom Museum. It is the first building in the history of Riga to have been built for a museum, and the inscription on the museum front bears testimony to this. Within the premises there is the Column Hall, built in 1778 in the Classicism style, which housed the library until 1891. The hall is now being used for conferences and a historical 18th—19th centuries exhibition. The Column Hall faces the 13th century

treat that provides information about different periods in the construction of Riga.

Exhibitions

The museum exhibitions show the development of Riga from the ancient villages of Riga, to the ancient port in the 12th—13th century, to the period of the

, a rich collection of objects for everyday use, clothing, decorative items and other things totalling half a million items. In addition to the navigational exhibits, the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as its collections, provide information about the history of Riga from the earliest times to the present day.

Gallery

• 
  Column Hall of the museum
• 
  Exhibition window with items from the period of the Hanseatic League
• 
  Navigation history exhibition

External links

• Museum website