Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum – one of the oldest open-air museums in Europe
Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum (Latvijas Etnografiskais Brivdabas Muzejs) is a large open-air museum near the capital city of Riga in Latvia. It is filled with ways to learn about and experience the rich culture and history of Latvia.
In the summer the museum is filled with events to teach visitors about the folklore of Latvia, with different skill masters, artists and craftsmen from all across Latvia turning up to teach eager tourists.
The museum has been visited by more than 135 thousand people from around the world. The museum itself is one of the oldest open-air museums in Europe. It is spread over almost 90 hectares of pine forest and features 118 decorated and fully installed buildings from many of the different historical Latvian regions.
The museum, created by Latvian farmers, craftsmen and fishermen, is rooted in tradition. There are permanent exhibitions in the buildings of the day-to-day items of traditional Latvian people — living and working items, decorations etc.
As well as offering visitors the chance to look around at historical items from Latvia, you are also able to take part in some of the activities those in Latvia’s history would have done. There is a pottery workshop from 10am-5pm every day that allows visitors to experience working with a ceramic kiln and potter’s wheel, shaping the clay with their own hands in the way those in the past would have done. There are also guided tours for students, pre-school children, pensioners and disabled groups in multiple languages.
