Latvian Museum of Occupation

Overview

The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia documents the country's 50 years under two totalitarian regimes: Nazi Germany (1941–1944) and the Soviet Union (1940–1941, 1944–1991). Located next to the House of the Blackheads, the museum is a powerful and sobering experience.

Highlights

• Personal testimonies: Video interviews with survivors of deportation, the Holocaust, and the Gulag.
• Deportation wagon: A reconstructed cattle car used to transport Latvians to Siberia.
• Singing Revolution: Artefacts and footage from the 1991 independence movement.

History

The museum opened in 1993 in a Soviet-era building on Town Hall Square. It has served as a crucial institution for historical memory and reconciliation, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world.

Visitor Tips

• Tip 1: Admission is free; donations are welcome and vital to the museum's operation.
• Tip 2: Allow at least an hour to engage with the exhibits — the personal stories demand time.
• Duration: 1–1.5 hours.