Description of the attraction
The Latvian Ethnographic Museum is located near the center of the capital, on the shores of Lake Juglas. Among this kind of museum, the Latvian Museum is one of the oldest in Europe. It occupies a rather large area of more than 80 hectares. Here are collected residential and household buildings brought to the museum from different parts of Latvia.
In summer you can explore the museum on foot or by bike, while in winter you can go skiing to explore the museum. The Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum offers an opportunity to get acquainted with how the peasants lived, in which baths the Latvians used to steam, in addition, it offers the opportunity to take part in the festivals held here and even try to forge a piece of jewelry for yourself.
The museum was founded in 1924 and opened for visits in 1932. Walking around the ethnographic museum, there is no feeling that you are in a museum, you get the feeling that you plunged into the world that existed several centuries ago. The exhibition hall, which is located in the former barn of the estate, changes the exposition several times a year. Various holidays and events are often held here, visitors are invited to take part in the celebration, as well as master classes. You can also buy souvenirs and crafts from the craftsmen. Fairs are held annually in the museum in June, so in 2010 the fair was held for the 40th in a row.
In winter, you can also find something to do in the museum: you can go sledding, besides, try your hand at ice fishing, winter ski lovers can find suitable hills within the ethnographic museum.
On the territory of the museum there is an old cozy church made of wood. It is valid, in addition, with a preliminary agreement, you can perform a wedding ceremony.
The museum houses a mill from the late 19th century. The mill, which belongs to the so-called "column mills" type, entered the museum in 1975. In 1937, a bathhouse built in the middle of the 19th century "moved" to the museum. The sauna has a vestibule, a changing room and a washing room itself. The sauna stove is made of boulders and bricks. In addition to those listed here, there are a lot of different structures, about 120 in total. There are also residential buildings, as well as various outbuildings: a bathhouse, a smithy, a mill, a cage, a church, there is even a whole equipped fishing village.
