Description of the attraction
The Museum of History and Art is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments in Liepaja. The activities of the Liepaja Museum are aimed at the acquisition, preservation and scientific study of the fund, as well as the creation of exhibitions and expositions. The museum introduces visitors to the historical past of Liepaja and South Kurzeme. Currently, the museum has 110 thousand exhibits.
The opening of the Liepaja Museum of History and Art took place on November 30, 1924. The first location of the museum was on J. Cakste Square. But in 1935 the museum moved to a building that was built in 1901 at 16 Kurmayas Avenue, where it is located to this day. This respectable building was designed by Ernest von Ine by the architect Paul Max Bertschy.
The building of the museum has a complex configuration, the basis of which is a wide hall with a gallery, communicated with 2 floors. The furnishings in the hall have been preserved in the style of the early 20th century. The railings of the gallery, made of wood, form an arcade like a pointed arc, the portals are decorated with consoles and sandriks. The doors of the main entrance are made at a high artistic level, and the expressive roof of the building is made of patterned red and black tiles.
The founder of the Liepaja Museum of History and Art and its leader for many years was the artist, teacher and researcher of folk art J. Sudmalis.
The museum consists of several departments. The section on the history of Liepaja region shows the period from the Stone Age (8500-1500 BC) to the time of the Late Iron Age (800-1200 BC). Here visitors have the opportunity to get an idea of the ancient centuries and see the famous monuments of archeology and history found in the Liepaja region. In this section, you can get acquainted with documents telling about archaeological research, as well as with the rich archaeological material of that time. Unique exhibits of this department, which were found by archaeologists in 1988, are a necklace (from the oldest burial site in Kurzeme), a Scandinavian burial stele (only one such discovery in the Eastern Baltic), many antiques from the Durbes Diru burial ground, among which it is considered very valuable helmet of the Curonian warrior. These exhibits date back to the II-I centuries BC.
An attractive section dedicated to the history of Liepaja in the Middle Ages, covers the period of the XIII-XVIII centuries. At the beginning of the exhibition, the foundation of the Livonian settlement is presented, and it ends with the transformation of the same settlement into a huge commercial and port city. At that time it was difficult to imagine the life of the Duchy of Kurzeme without the city of Liepaja, and in 1795, together with the whole of Kurzeme, it was included in the Russian Empire. This section contains a unique document that has been of great importance for the city for many years. On March 18, 1625, with the help of him, Duke Frederick legalized the rights of the city of Liepaja. During the Northern War, the Russian emperor Peter I and the monarch Karl from Sweden visited Liepaja. Their wax figures are now displayed in the museum. The legend tells that Karl, having visited the city of Liepaja, forgot his cavalry boots, which can now be admired on his double.
The next department of the Liepaja Museum is the "Tin" department, which presents the amazingly diverse creativity of Liepaja masters. Here you can see a variety of pewter plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, spoons, cans used by ordinary people. The pharmacists had tin instruments in their work, and the ministers of the church also used tin candlesticks, vases and other sacred objects to decorate the altars.
The section that introduces guests to the development of the city of Liepaja in the 19th century is very interesting. The following fact is striking. In about 100 years, starting from the beginning of the 19th century, the small provincial town of Liepaja, with about 900 buildings and 5,000 inhabitants, by the end of the 19th century turned into a city with a modern port, railways and a population of about 65,000 people. More than 300 original objects testify to this miraculous transformation: documentary sources, works of art, photographs. The town of Liepaja, thanks to its wonderful sea climate and healing waters with a high salt content, gradually turned into the most famous resort. The Romanovs were often here. The museum presents a gift to the city from Tsar Alexander II and the Grand Duchess - cast filigree sculptures of two knights.
