The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia

Coordinates: 56°59′41″N 24°16′12″E / 56.99472°N 24.27000°E / 56.99472; 24.27000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia
Latvijas Etnogrāfiskais brīvdabas muzejs
Map
Established1924
LocationBerģi, Riga, Latvia
TypeOpen-air living museum
Visitors135,000 visitors each year
DirectorIlze Millersone
Public transit accessCity bus No.1
Websitewww.brivdabasmuzejs.lv/en/
Latvian postage stamp issued 1994 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the museum.

The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Etnogrāfiskais brīvdabas muzejs) is an open-air museum located just outside Riga,[1] the capital of Latvia, on the lightly wooded shores of Jugla Lake.

History

In 1924, the Latvian Council of Monuments signed an order to create the open-air museum in Riga. The idea for the new

Zemgale, Vidzeme and Latgale
– to the museum. Each of the buildings would represent the different crafts of each area.

The new museum acquired land from a

Vestiena parish was relocated and rebuilt in the museum. In 1932, the museum was opened to the public with six buildings (Vidzeme homestead
). In 1939, there were already 40 buildings erected in the museum. Every region had its homestead and several other buildings of architectural or cultural value represented here. In the 1930s the museum became a very popular place and the community actively participated in the development of the museum. Several buildings were relocated and rebuilt, funded by private donations.

During

Latvian SSR
the museum was declared ideologically incorrect. Only in the late 1960s did the museum see a renaissance, when a new generation of museum specialists started to work in the museum. As communication with other countries was improved, the territory of the museum was expanded and many new and high-value objects were placed into the museum.

When Latvia regained its independence in 1991, the museum started actively collecting and documenting Latvian heritage from the 1920s and 1930s, a period during which Latvian agrarian reforms reshaped the Latvian countryside. As a result, a new complex of farmers' homesteads from the 1930s was opened in 1997.

Today

Today, the museum organizes many cultural events, such as folk concerts and traditional and craft festivals. The museum promotes traditional

Latvian culture
and lifestyle with these cultural events. The annual traditional craft fair has been organized by the museum since 1971. The fair has become the museum's most famous annual event, attended by tens of thousands of people every year.

The museum currently occupies 87 hectares and displays 118 buildings, as well as more than 3,000 items. Most of Latvia's historical ethnic groups are represented in the museum. The museum's collection holds approximately 150,000 artifacts.

Gallery

  • A fisherman's house (Lurķi) from the Rucava parish, Courland
    A fisherman's house (Lurķi) from the
    Rucava parish, Courland
  • Home of a Russian peasant from Latgale
    Home of a Russian peasant from Latgale
  • Russian Orthodox church from the Rogovka village, Latgale
    Russian Orthodox
    church from the Rogovka village, Latgale
  • Roman Catholic chapel from Latgale
    Roman Catholic
    chapel from Latgale
  • View of the buildings of Vidzeme homestead
    View of the buildings of Vidzeme homestead
  • New Farmers dwelling house from the 1930s. Jaungulbene parish, Vidzeme
    New Farmers dwelling house from the 1930s.
    Jaungulbene parish
    , Vidzeme
  • Windmill from the Rundēni parish, Latgale
    Windmill from the
    Rundēni parish
    , Latgale
  • Tavern from the Vecumnieki parish, Zemgale
    Tavern from the
    Zemgale
  • Bathhouse (Pirts) from Gaujiena parish, Vidzeme
    Gaujiena parish
    , Vidzeme
  • Interior of the Usma Lutheran Church[2]
    Interior of the Usma Lutheran Church[2]

References

  1. ^ "Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum". Latvia Travel. Retrieved 2016-03-26.
  2. ^ "KULDĪGAS AKTĪVĀS ATPŪTAS CENTRS – Usma Lutheran Church". Visit.kuldiga.lv. 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2016-03-26.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia.

56°59′41″N 24°16′12″E / 56.99472°N 24.27000°E / 56.99472; 24.27000

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