The exhibition “1944 – the outbreak of war in the landscape of Latvia” will be opened at the Freedom Monument

From May 8 to 17, in Riga, on Brīvības Square, the traveling exhibition “1944 – the outbreak of war in the Latvian cityscape” will be on display.

The opening event of the exhibition will be held on Wednesday, May 8, the day of commemoration of the victims of the defeat of Nazism and the Second World War, at 9.00 The chairman of the Riga City Council Vilnis Ķirsis, the rector of the University of Latvia Gundars Bērziņš, the leading researcher of the Institute of Latvian History of the University of Latvia (LU) Uldis Neiburgs and the deputy of the Riga City Council Rita Eva Našniece will take part in it. After the ceremonial opening, a short excursion is planned under the leadership of the co-authors of the exhibition, Jānis Tomaševskas and Valdas Kuzmins.

In the open-air exhibition, the story of the destruction of the Latvian cities Rēzekne, Gulbene, Jelgava, Bauska, Valmiera and Riga, which suffered the most in April-October 1944 during Soviet air raids and the German-USSR hostilities, is told in a visually engaging way, showing how the architecture of the cities and their shape often resulted from the war changed almost beyond recognition.

At the same time, the exhibition, especially in the context of the current Russian aggression in Ukraine, reminds of the devastating impact of war on all areas of society’s life, emphasizes the need to protect Latvia’s cultural and historical heritage and realize the importance of comprehensive national defense.

The authors of the exhibition are historians – Valdis Kuzmins, researcher of the Latvian National Defense Academy, leading researcher of the Institute of History of Latvia, Dr. history Uldis Neiburgs and Latvian War Museum historian Jānis Tomaševskis. The graphic design was created by scenographer Ineta Sipunova, the coordinator of the exhibition project is museologist, head of the Creative Museum think tank Ineta Zelča Símanson.

Exhibition schedule:

• Riga: 8.05. – 17.05. (Freedom Square);
• Rezekne: 18.05. – 9.06. (mound area on Dārzu Street);
• Gulbene: 10.06. – 30.06. (City Centre);
• Salaspils: 1.07. – 21.07. (Salaspils Memorial);
• Jelgava: 22.07. – 18.08. (Duke Jacob’s Square);
• Bauska: 19.08. – 15.09. (Town Square);
• Valmiera: 16.09. – 6.10. (City Centre);
• Riga: 7.10. – 27.10. (Latvian archery range).

The exhibition was created within the framework of the National Research Program project “History of Latvia in the 20th-21st century: social morphogenesis, heritage and challenges” implemented at the Latvian Institute of History, in cooperation with Riga Municipality and the Latvian War Museum.

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