- Address: Palasta 4, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia;
- Foundation date: 1964;
- Website: http://www.rigamuz.lv;
- Phone: +371 67 211 358;
- Working hours: every day from 10:00 to 17:00.
Latvia is ready to offer tourists a variety of cultural attractions . So, in the capital, on the street Palasta house 4, is located the Museum of the history of the city of Riga and navigation. It is located in the old part of the city and is part of the ensemble of the Dome Cathedral .
Museum of the history of the city of Riga and navigation - the history of creation
Officially under the present name the museum is known since 1964, but its history is much older and goes back to the XVIII century. The modern exposition and funds of the historical museum number more than 500,000 antiques, which are in more than 80 collections. The museum is based on a large collection of Dr. Nikolaus von Himsel. Basically, these are subjects of history, natural science and art exhibits. After the death of the doctor, his mother, following the will of her son, transferred his complete collection to a free gift to the city of Riga . The city governor and city council decided to create a city museum on the basis of a collection of valuable items collected by von Himelsel throughout his life. So in 1773 the Museum of the History of Riga Nikolaus von Himsel was founded.
Under the full exposition, the building of the anatomical theater was taken aside, which today is not preserved. Since 1791 the collection of exhibits has moved to the eastern part of the Dome ensemble in a specially constructed building, on the pediment of which still exists the inscription "Muzeum".
In 1816, the Museum opened the Cabinet of Arts, which was engaged in the study and restoration of rare specimens of painting and sculpture, falling into the funds. And in 1881, was added and the Coin Cabinet, which was engaged in the analysis and classification of rare and ancient coins and banknotes.
Collections of the museum
In 1858, for the first time, two collections were exhibited, the items of which are periodically shown in the museum today. These are exhibits related to the life and everyday life of the inhabitants of the Baltic part of the Russian Empire and the subjects of the Society of Nature Explorers. Since that time the museum's exposition has expanded considerably, so I had to move to a new building where the museum is located today, on Palasta Street 4. It required a clear inventory of all the collections, as the museum already had not only items from the collection of Himsel, but also an extensive collection coins, objects of world art and an extensive ethnographic collection. All the values of the museum belonged to the city of Riga.
In 1932, the entire exposition was included in the register of state protected facilities, but despite this, four years later the museum was closed. Items belonging to private collections left the building where they were exhibited, and the museum of the name of Himsel was renamed the Riga Historical Museum. After the opening came hard times: the Second World War began, after which Latvia was included in the USSR. The Soviet government nationalized much of the museum's collection, and something was exported outside the country.
And only in 1964 the museum was given the name of the Riga Museum of History and Navigation, and permanent exhibitions again started to please visitors.
A large place in the museum is dedicated to exhibits dedicated to the history of the navigation of Latvia. The oldest of them is the Riga ship, found in the riverbed of the river Riga. It is dated to the XII century and represents a wooden single-masted vessel. The skeleton of the ship and the surviving elements are represented in the shipping hall.
How to get there?
The Museum of the History of the City of Riga and Navigation is in the Old Town . To get here, you should keep the path from the railway station, walking tour takes about 15 minutes.