Reviews of Museums in Riga
Museum is great, interesting, Staffel was so unfriendly, wie did not feel welcome at all. I would not come back again
A wonderful museum, currently being renovated, and due open in 2016.
Well worth a visit.took 30 mins from riga centre no 1 bus cost 1 lat return. Entry fee only 1 lat oap rate.beautiful forest setting.best to go in fine weather we went in December extremely icy but magical setting.photographers dream!
Well worth taking the time to see.
A memorable place to visit, and a surprisingly good part of our visit.
Lots of interesting exhibitions here. Recommended.
Well worth visiting
I was in thismuseum in early spring and my experience with guards was pretty nice - they kindly answered to my questions and were not grim :)
Oh god, I just love the architecture of this building and also art masterpieces in it. Must see!
So amazing! I was very inspired after all
This is the most harrowing yet revealing museum. My father is Latvian so I am fascinated by the history. I first went to the museum in 2005 and it gets better each time. My son learned so much about his Latvian family there.
It's so good to see many people emphasize with the small Latvian nation and has visited the Occupation Museum. Sad that few people think only of the less than 1 percent who actually were villains and should be condemned. Remember that small countries in WWII did not have rights to resist to Mr. Hitler nor to Stalin, it was pretty much - you're in or you and your family dies. None of the collaboration was voluntary, faking documents made it look as voluntary. It is really absurd that Soviets get away with Holocaust sizes of massacres including Katyn but Baltic countries have to take the blame for those few who thought it would be good idea to escape Soviet monsters and join Nazis. Another point awkward for Western allies - British denied the help that was promised to Latvians who wanted to get rid of both oppressors and nothing else. 16th of March is for handful of old men who want to place flowers to those who were killed under foreign flag for nothing. Nothing to do with Nazi celebration - this is pure smear campaign. Does anyone is concerned about Russian Soviet leftovers celebrating 9th of May shamelessly?How can that be tolerated? If all this seems to biased for you here are just two of the credible accounts from primary sources - 'Living Amidst Latvian during Holocaust' by E.Anders and the documentary 'Controversial History' by film studio DEVINI.
I completely agree with Andrew whilst Latvians continue to celebrate the 16 March as a day of liberation when in actual fact they became on that day part of an SS detachment is completely unacceptable for a country that wishes to be seen as being progressive. A section devoted to the Holocaust and Latvian collaboration in mass murders of Jews needs to be addressed in the museum of occupation no matter how painful and shameful it is for Latvians to take on board this part of their history.
it is great
I know through family that we can never understand the control tyrants can have on our actions.Threats made or implied.Threats carried out.I believe the museum did a good job of showing the horrific things done to many people.
They would do well do show the atrocities committed by Latvian SS and Arajs commandos against Jews after the Soviets were chased out in 1941. Most of those murdered were peasants who had nothing to do with communism. Not to condone Soviet oppression, but Latvia has failed to own up to the degree of collaboration with Hitler.
Interesting museum, however there should be more focus on the struggle of the Forrest Brothers in the post-war era. As archives in both the Soviet Union and the UK are available now, more effort should be put into investigating the resistance movement in the Baltic countries after WW 2. Especially Operation Jungle (and the treacherous role Kim Philby played) deserves a closer look into...
A fascinating, but horrifying museum. It made me realise how pervasive the whole system of oppression was. Using fear to control everyone. And how easy it is for such a system to take hold, and how hard to shake off. It made me think we are basically bad as humans, only laws stop us form behaving like tyrants.
Riga Castle. (Riga Pils) Latvia The best view of what remains of the medieval section of Riga Castle is from the Daugava river. The most identifiable feature is the round tower. There were originally four rectangular towers one at each corner of a rectangular courtyard with fortified walls. The castle was built in 1330 but in 1484 it was pulled down by the local Rigans who had took over the city when they rebelled against the occupying German Teutonic Knights of the Livonian Order. In 1491, the Livonian Order came back, retook the city and ordered Riga Castle to be rebuilt. Because of the development of gunpowder and siege cannons the towers were now built as a round cylinder to help deflect cannon balls. The construction was completed in 1515. When the order ceased to exist in 1562, the castle remained part of the Riga defense system. For many centuries it served as the main residence for the head of the occupying forces be they from Poland, Sweden or Russia. Between the 17th and 19th centuries there was continual reconstruction and remodeling work to turn Riga castle into a palace suitable for the head of state to govern the country and receive visiting heads of state. Riga Castle today is the seat of the Latvian president which means a lot of the castle is off limits to visitors but you can visit the History Museum of Latvia and the Museum of Foreign Art that are housed within Riga Castle. There is a fairy story attached to Riga castle. It is about a witch and her daughter: When Poland gained power in Riga, the Swedes came and wanted the city. The daughter of the Polish king was a real-life witch who climbed up to the tower and sat there in protest. She bewitched all the bullets so that they rolled back and didn't even touch her. At last, a very clever soldier called Peter made friends with the witch's daughter and cheated a secret out of her: how to kill the witch. The only way you could was by shooting her with a silver bullet. Peter found a silver bullet and killed the witch, which actually just turned her into a magpie. The witch sank into the Daugava River, but before she did, she put a curse on her daughter. It is said that while the witch sleeps at the bottom of the river, not a single magpie will settle in Riga. Craig Moore - www.MooreTravelTips.com
These towers were far more important than you might think. They could hold the key to the city, defensively.
The museum has many unknown, but perfectly fine pieces. It's an excellent choice for a rainy day.
Really nice collection of XIX century vanguards. They have movements represented such as impressionism or cubism but from the Russian/Latvian perspective. Authors are not as well known as the French ones so paintings are still impressive. It well worths a 45 min visit. The building is also impressive. I wouldn't go party with guides eider, but felt that they where willing to help.
Impressive building but lighting very poor. Pictures interesting but need better (more varied) presentation. Attendants (guards)looked unhappy & grim.
An important place to visit. Harrowing, touching, makes people like me from Western Europe realise how lucky we have had life for so long (and also why people from Eastern Europe seem to have much more dignity and sense of culture than us)
Superb museum that really brought home the horrors that the Latvians had to endure. Excellent exhibits include the actual treaties that the Germans/Soviets reneged on