The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia celebrates its 31st birthday

Today the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia celebrates its 31st birthday.

On 1 July 1993, in the former building of the Museum of the Red Riflemen at Riga Strēlnieku laukums 1, an exhibition was opened about the first year of the Soviet occupation of Latvia, known as the Year of Terror. This was the start of the Museum's activities.

Many thanks to the professor of history at the University of Wisconsin, Paulis Lazda, who is the author of the Museum project, and to the other founders of the Museum for their true patriotism, their courage and foresight to preserve the factual testimonies of Latvian history – Rūsiņš Albertiņš, Andris Kolbergs, Gundega Michele, Vija and Ivars Muzikants, Richards Pētersons, Gunārs Priedītis, Leons Taivāns, Jānis Stradiņš, Anna Zoldnere.

Despite regular provocations and attacks, we stay steadfast in fulfilling our mission to "Remember. Commemorate. Remind." about the crimes committed against the state of Latvia and its people by the two occupying powers – the Soviet Union and National Socialist Germany.

We would like to thank all friends and supporters of the Museum and all patriots of Latvia.

It is encouraging to know that we stay united as guards of the state and freedom of Latvia.

“In millennia,
people became part of this land,
became one with this earth
that we call all our own.”

From a poem “Roots” by Valters Nollendorfs.