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Riga museums – Riika.net

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Riga museums


The admission to museums costs usually 1-2 euros, sometimes up to three. Entrance to Latvian Occupation Museum(photo collage above) is, however, free.

  • Art Museum (Valts makslas muzejs). Valdemara 10a, tel. 73 25 021. Open 11.00-17.00, closed Tuesdays.
  • Ethnographic Open Air Museum of Latvia. Brivibas gatve 440, tel. 79 94 515, 79 94 106. Open 10.00-17.00. Opened to public already in 1932. One of world’s oldest open-air museum is located a few kilometres away from the city centre. Displays about 120 buildings in an area of almost 100 hectares. Bus number one takes one to open-air museum from the city centre (Merkela/Terbatas streets).
  • History Museum of Latvia (Latvijas vestures muzejs), Pils laukums 3, tel. 72 21 357. Open 11.00-17.00. Closed Mon, Tue. Quite interesting museum, although lacks proper English-language material. Ancient times are well described.
  • Kristjanis Barons Museum, Barona 3, tel. 72 84 265. Open 11.00-18.00, closed Mon, Tue. The museum is dedicated to Kristjanis Barons, who collected and codified Latvian folk songs. The museum is housed in folklorists’ former residence. Explanations are in English too.
  • Latvian Photography Museum (Latvijas fotografijas muzejs), Marstalu 8, tel. 72 27 231. Open Friday-Sunday 10.00-17.00, Wednesday and Thursday 12.00-19.00.
  • Mentzendorff’s House (Mencendorfa nams), Grecnieku 18, tel. 72 12 951, Open 10.00-17.00, closed Mon-Tue.
  • Medieval house, which was later residence of Mentzendorff family. Guided tours in English for an extra fee.
  • Motor Museum (Rigas Mootormuzejs), Eizensteina 6, tel. 70 97 170. The museum displays a fantastic set of old and new cars and some motorcycles. The museums houses some real treasures from the Soviet era, for example ZIS and ZIL cars. Also old Mercedes-Benz are displayed, for example series 320 from the 1930s. Even Austrian Steyer 220 can be seen in the museum. Latvians produced own vehicles as well. Russo-Balt Model 24-40 was made between 1909-1914. After the WWII, Riga Experimental Automobile Factory was also functioning.
  • Museum of Decorative and Applied Art (Dekorativas makslas muzejs), Skarnu 10/20, tel. 72 29 736. Open 11.00-17.00, closed on Mondays.
  • Museum of Foreign Art (Arzemju makslas muzejs), Pils Laukums 3, tel. 72 27 833. Open 11.00-17.00. Closed Mon.
  • Museum of Janis Rozentals and Rudolf Blaumanis, Alberta 12/9, tel. 73 31 641. Closed Tue, Wed. Worth visiting if one at the same time is sightseeing the Art Nouveau architecture. Rozentals was one of Latvia’s great painters, Blaumanis was an author.
  • Museum of Riga’s History and Navigation, Palasta 4, tel. 72 26 078. Open 10.00-17.00, Thursdays 12.00-19.00. Closed Mon, Tue. One of Europe’s oldest museums.
  • Occupation Museum of Latvia (Latvijas okupacijas muzejs), Strelnieku laukums 1, tel. 72 12 715. Open 11.00-17.00. Free entrance! The museum tells about Latvian independence struggle and Nazi and Soviet occupations. For more information, see www.occupationmuseum.lv.
  • Rainis Museum of Literature and Art, Pils laukums 3, tel. 72 21 956. Opne 11.00-18.00, Closed Mondays.
  • War Museum (Kara muzejs), Smilsu 20, tel. 72 28 147. Open 10.00-18.00, closed Mond,Tue. The museum is partly in the Powder Tower just on the gates of the Old Town. Large collection of photos, drawings and arms.