- Address: Akadēmijas iela, Jelgava, LV-3001, Latvia;
- Built: in 1775;
- Website: jvmm.lv;
- Phone: +371 63 023 383;
- Operating time: Mon. from 08:00 to 19:00, Tues. - Fri. from 08:00 to 17:00, Sat, Sun. - closed
A wonderful country Latvia can offer tourists a variety of cultural attractions . One of them is the Jelgava Museum of History and Art, in which there is the richest collection of paintings by the famous Latvian artist Gedert Elias.
Jelgava Museum of History and Art - tourist value
Jelgava Museum of History and Art from 1975 to the present day bears the name of the artist Gedert Elias. For connoisseurs and connoisseurs of this direction of painting, the museum exhibits a collection of works of various stages of the work of this painter, who is also called the Latvian Matisse.
For his long and rich life, Gedert Elias managed to collect a unique and incredibly interesting collection of antiques and valuables. This collection is also exhibited in the Jelgava Museum of History and Art. Despite its modest size, the museum's fund holds more than 80,000 exhibits.
In addition to the paintings and antiques of Elias, the museum offers tourists to familiarize themselves with such attractions:
- here is exhibited a large collection of ancient and valuable coins, ancient manuscripts and vessels, objects of everyday use and clothing of antiquity;
- the exposition of the museum tells about the history of the city of Jelgava, the province of Courland and the cultural and ethnographic Zemgale region;
- much attention is paid to the destruction that Yelgava suffered during the World War 40-ies;
- Together with familiar acquaintance with the exhibits of the museum, interactive excursions are held here;
- daily in the walls of the museum educational and pedagogical programs are conducted for all those who want any age.
Architectural features of the building
The building itself, in which the Jelgava Museum of History and Art is located, is no less interesting. It was built in the last quarter of the 18th century on the orders of the Duke Peter Biron on the site of the ruined city castle. Then it housed the first University of Latvia, and since 1782 there was an observatory here. The museum in this building, known as Academia Petrina, has been located since 1818 and is the next oldest museum in Latvia after the Riga Maritime Museum .
The museum building is not only an architectural heritage and a monument, but, indeed, the pearl of Jelgava. It is a combination of late Baroque and early classicism. The surroundings of the museum are refined: there is a cozy park hidden under a canopy of trees, forged benches, flower beds, a restored ring road - the whole ensemble seems to endure in the 18th century. Here are the ancient guns of the Courland Duchy, cast from cast iron. On the territory of the park of the museum is installed the "Stone of Destiny" - a fragment of the deceased monument to the "Liberators of Jelgava".
Before the museum stands a monument to Giedert Elias, created in 1987 by architects Zarinsh and D. Dribs. Earlier on this place the pedestal to the first Latvian president Janis Cakste was installed, but by the decision of the Soviet authorities it was demolished.
How to get to the Jelgava Museum of History and Art?
Travelers who decided to get acquainted with the attractions of Jelgava , you can get to this city by train or bus, the next from Riga . The distance from the capital is only 40 km. The museum is located on Akademiyas street 10, you can get to it on foot or by public transport.