• Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, located in the city centre of Latvia's capital Riga, commemorates the National Socialist and Soviet occupations of Latvia in the years 1940 to 1991.
Image: Moscow, August 23, 1939, Foreign minister Molotov signing the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union, von Ribbentrop and Stalin in the background, public domain
Moscow, August 23, 1939, Foreign minister Molotov signing the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union, von Ribbentrop and Stalin in the background, public domain

Image: Riga, 2008, Museum of Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Riga, 2008, Museum of Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
In 1940, independent Latvia was first occupied by the Red Army and then annexed by the Soviet Union in accordance with a treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union - the so-called Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Tens of thousands of Latvians, including about 23,000 Jews, were deported to Siberia by the Soviet secret service NKVD. Not long after the German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the Wehrmacht took Latvia. SS Einsatzgruppe A (mobile killing squad) was given the task of making Latvia »judenfrei« (free of Jews). Together with members of Latvian paramilitary units, SS Einsatzgruppe A murdered almost all of the country's Jewish population within the first year of occupation.
In 1944, the Red Army occupied Latvia anew. The second Soviet occupation followed, and Latvia became part of the Soviet Union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic - just as it had in 1940. Many Latvians were accused by the Soviets of having collaborated with the National Socialists. As a result of the ongoing »Sovietization«, tens of thousands were deported to forced labour and penal camps in the Asiatic part of the Soviet Union. At the same time, many Russian-speaking people were resettled to the Latvian SSR. Latvia regained its independence only in 1991.
Image: Moscow, August 23, 1939, Foreign minister Molotov signing the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union, von Ribbentrop and Stalin in the background, public domain
Moscow, August 23, 1939, Foreign minister Molotov signing the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union, von Ribbentrop and Stalin in the background, public domain

Image: Riga, 2008, Museum of Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Riga, 2008, Museum of Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Until the end of the war, up to 70,000 Latvian Jews were murdered, almost the entire Jewish population. About 120,000 non-Jewish civilians died in Latvia during the Second World War.
It is estimated that a total of 550,000 Latvians found a violent death between 1940 and 1991, during both the German and the Soviet occupation - the equivalent of one quarter of Latvia's pre-war population.
Image: Riga, June 1940, Soviet troops occupy Latvia, public domain
Riga, June 1940, Soviet troops occupy Latvia, public domain

Image: Riga, 2005, Entrance area to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Stiftung Denkmal
Riga, 2005, Entrance area to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Stiftung Denkmal
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia was established in 1993 in a building in the historic city centre which had formerly housed the »Museum of the Latvian Rifleman«. The Brezhnev-era building inevitably serves as a reminder of the Soviet period. The exhibition is on display in a box-shaped superstructure above the museum entrance. An extension to the museum is planned in order to expand the exhibition space. The Museum of the Occupation deals with Latvian history and the fate of the Latvian nation during the 51 years under German and Soviet occupation. The exhibition begins with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which sealed Latvia's fate in August 1939. However, the central theme of the exhibition is the Soviet occupation beginning 1944. The museum aims to address chapters of Latvian history which have for decades been falsely represented and deliberately distorted. The museum is supported by the Latvian government, private donations from abroad and by the Museum of Occupation Foundation.
Image: Riga, 2008, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Riga, 2008, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs

Image: Riga, 2008, Part of the exhibition at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Riga, 2008, Part of the exhibition at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Name
Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs
Address
Strēlnieku laukums 1
LV-1050 Rīga
Phone
+371 (0) 672 127 15
Fax
+371 (0) 672 292 55
Web
http://www.occupationmuseum.lv
E-Mail
omf@latnet.lv
Open
October to April Tuesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Mondays
May to September daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Possibilities
Guided tours in Latvian, German and English, touring exhibitions