Herberts Dorbe Memorial Museum

Fax.: 3624467

Info Telefon: 3625004
Besucher-Email: inese.aide@ventspils.gov.lv
http://www.ventspilsmuzejs.lv...

Ventspils Museum

Wed-Sun 11-17 h

The most important part of the collection is the writer’s extensive library, his manuscripts and study furnishings. A small exhibition tells of the life and creative work of Herberts Dorbe-writer, translator, teacher and regional historian. The museum collects all kinds of material relating to writers of Ventspils and the region, and to the history of schools.

Dorbe’s garden is a pleasant meeting place for pupils from schools and kindergartens in Ventspils, who have come to love the museum, and in autumn 2002 the garden was augmented with a sculpture ‘Dwarf and the pumpkin’ by Krišs Erdmanis.
 

Sea Side Open-Air Museum

Fax.: 3624467

Info Telefon: 3624467
Besucher-Email: brivdaba@ventspils.gov.lv
http://www.ventspilsmuzejs.lv...

Ventspils Museum

May-Oct daily from 10.00 - 18.00 h
Nov-April Wed-Sun 11.00 - 17.00 h

The collections of the Seaside Open-Air Museum include more than 20 000 items reflecting a very wide variety of aspects of the life of Latvian and Liv farmers and fishermen. About 600 exhibits are on view in the indoor and outdoor exhibition (total area: 4.8 ha).

The largest is the windmill, and the smallest is a needle for attaching floats to a net. In 1958-1959 the first fishermen's houses and outbuildings, boats and anchors were transferred to the new location and restored.

In 1962 the open-air museum was opened to the public.

The museum has an impressive collection of anchors (60 anchors of different types, of which the oldest possibly dates from the 17th century). In 2002 the collection was significantly augmented, with 31 more anchors, the heaviest of which weighs 13 tonnes, while the oldest of the new acquisitions is from the 19th century.

The exhibition hall was built in 1970. It contains an indoor exhibition telling of the main phases in the development of fishing and the methods used to fish for herring, cod and flounder, and how boats were built. The exhibition hall also contains a small gallery for temporary exhibitions of works of art and items from the collections.

Also on display at the museum are a very wide variety of boats - one of the fishermen's main items of equipment, which, unlike the rest of the fishing equipment, was made by boatbuilders. The traditions and skills of boat-building were usually passed down from generation to generation, and the makers were very able at building boats suitable for fishing at the particular village. Fishing success largely depended on how stable the boat was in the waves, how easily it could be rowed and steered, and not only that. Even more important was a successful return home. A boat can be steep sided, with a flat bottom, or pot-bellied. No item of fishing equipment has preserved so many interesting names for the different components. Also on view is the so-called 'Oscar's Boat', featuring in the film 'Son of a Fisherman' (1939).

The fisherman's homestead - includes the house, barn, barn for small stock and bath-house. The buildings seen here were built in the first half of the 19th century. They were brought to the museum from Buðnieki village in Târgale Parish of Ventspils District and restored between 1957 and 1961.

The fishing hut for keeping equipment usually did not form part of the homestead, but was located at the seashore, and at the museum too it has been placed away from the other buildings. It was built in 1920-1921 at Luidas homestead in Lapmeþciems Parish of Tukums District. The hut was brought to the museum in 1975 and provided with fishing equipment: nets, fish-traps, buoys, ropes, fish-carrying baskets, cod hooks etc.

Liv fisherman's homestead - brought to the museum from Târgale Parish in Ventspils District in 1958-1959. It includes a house from Buntiki homestead at Miíeïtornis and a smokehouse (ancillary building) from Dçliòi homestead in Lûþòas village. The buildings date from around the middle of the 19th century.

Further from the rest of the buildings is a fish smoking hut, for cold-smoking fish, brought to the museum in 1974 from Lielirbe village in Ventspils District. The building was constructed in the 1920s.

'Boat-hut' for hot-smoking fish (made from a boat sawn in half). Built in 1967 at Birìeïi in Ragaciems, Tukums District. Brought to the museum in 1976.

Fishing trawler MB-20. Built at Mangaïi Shipyard in 1953-1954. Used for marine fishing until 1977 and brought to the museum in 1978.

Threshing-barn for drying and processing grain. The building dates from 1885 and comes from Mazpintes homestead in Jûrkalne, Ventspils District. Brought to the museum in 1999.

Granary from Beíeri homestead, Pape village of Liepâja District. Built in the early 20th century and brought to the museum in 1979. The building houses an exhibition on flax and wool processing, and on washing and ironing clothes.

Windmill - built in 1864 at Piòíi in Uþava Parish, Ventspils District. Brought to the museum in 1973-1978.

Smithy - altered from a threshing-barn in 1932. From Brendzenieki homestead in Ugâle Parish of Ventspils District. The smithy was in use until 1960 and was brought to the museum in 1978. It is used at special occasions, when the smith displays his skills.

Clock from Zlçkas Estate. Said to have been made by the smith on the estate, and may be about 150 years old. Brought to the museum in 1962 and restored in 1999.

Narrow-gauge railway - The rails are 600 m wide, which is the smallest railway gauge in Latvia. The locomotive was built in Germany in 1916. Maximum speed: 20 km per hour. The locomotive arrived in Latvia during the First World War and served on a line linking Ventspils with the fishing villages to the north: Staldzene - Jaunupe - Ovîði - Lûþòa - Miíeïtornis - Lielirbe - Sîkrags - Mazirbe - Slîtere - Aþi - Dundaga - Plintiíi - Cîruïi - Talsi - Stende. Once a convenient means of transport for the local population, it served the needs of foresters and fishermen up to the early sixties. It has been at the museum since 1964, and in recent years is run on Sundays during the summer for visitors to ride. A 1.4 km long railway line through the Seaside Park was opened in 1996.

Urn for donations - a mine from the First World War. In 1937 the fishermen of Ventspils lifted it out of the sea near the Island of Saaremaa. The Ventspils Port Authority made it into an urn for collecting donations in aid of the life-saving society. The donations were also used to help the families of fishermen whose breadwinner had been lost at sea. Brought to the museum in 1954.
 

Ventspils Museum and Castle

Tel.: +371 63626288
Fax.: 36 22031

Info Telefon: 36 22031
Besucher-Email: muzejs@ventspils.gov.lv
http://www.ventspilsmuzejs.lv/...

Nov-April 10.00 - 17.00 h
May-Oct 9.00 - 18.00 h

The museum is to be found in the Livonian Order Castle: “(1290) – the oldest medieval fortified castle in Latvia, sympathetically restored to retaining its original exterior. Inside there is a well equipped museum of the town, which tells the fascinating story of Duke Jacob of Courland, whose rule transformed the region into a significant maritime power. " (LatviaTourism)

1. Archaeological collection
The collection consists of stray finds and artefacts recovered in the course of archaeological excavation.
Many artefacts come from burial sites destroyed by farming. Over the past decade, the collection has been significantly augmented with material from excavations in Ventspils and the region (Ance ancient cemetery in 1991-1992, Popes Lazdas Couronian cremation cemetery in 1999, excavations in Ventspils at Kuìinieku iela, Skolas iela, the Market Square and the Castle of the Livonian Order in the 1980s). The artefacts in the collection reflect the material culture of the people living in the town and the region, from the Stone Age up to the Late Middle Ages.
The richest part of the collection consists of ornaments: brooches, armbands, neck-rings, pendants, finger-rings, dress-pins etc. The collection also includes weaponry: axes, spears and swords, as well as horse-trappings, tools and other archaeological material.
2. Collection of documents
The oldest original documents in the collection date from the 18th century: the archives of the churches of Ugâle, Landze, Piltene, Puze and Zlçkas, commands issued by the rulers of the Russian Empire and various authorities, and also the archive of Çdole Parish Board. A large part of the collection consists of the personal archives of prominent individuals of Ventspils and the region.
3. Collection of published works
The oldest works in the collection are religious books published in the early 17th century (including the so-called Glück Bible). A large part consists of teaching literature and periodicals published in various periods. An important part of the collection consists of books, calendars and press published in Ventspils, and works by authors from Ventspils and the region.
4. Ethnographic collection
The items in the collection have mainly been obtained in the course of fieldwork organised by the museum in the villages of Ventspils District. It reflects the material culture and everyday life of the population from the 19th century onwards. A rich part of the collection consists of items relating to flax processing, and everyday utensils. The most elaborate item is the Ventspils regional costume.
5. Collection of postcards and photographs
The rich collection of postcards provides an impression of the city, its development and changes in its appearance over time. It has been brought together from private collections and separate donations. The most important part of the collection consists of postcards printed in the early 20th century-in the 1920s and 30s. The collection includes a rarity: several daguerreotypes.
6. Art collection
The collection consists mainly of works by Ventspils artists, and many of the paintings show views of Ventspils. The collection is characterised by a diversity of genres and styles. The most important part of the collection consists of work by Jânis Tîdemanis. There is also quite a large collection of work by Kârlis Danne and works by Jânis Straume. Unusual are the so-called 'na?ve paintings'. In recent years the collection has been augmented with works by teachers of the Latvian Academy of Art from plein aire sessions in Ventspils.

Ventspils Museum's permanent exhibition in the Castle of the Livonian Order can be regarded as consisting of two separate parts-the digital exhibition Living history, and the exhibition arranged in the rooms of the castle, begun in 1999. The concept behind the exhibition was created by Dr. hist. A. Radiòð, and the museum staff took an active part in augmenting and detailing it in 1999-2002. In 2000-2002 the artistic design of the first part of the exhibition was undertaken by the Support Foundation of the Jânis Rozentâls Riga Art School. The digital exhibition was created according to a commission from Ventspils Museum by the Digitâlâ darbnîca company.
The concept behind the permanent exhibition includes several basic principles that apply to the structure of the existing exhibition and the parts still to be created:
1. the exhibition maximally respects the castle as an architectural feature to be exhibited;
2. the chronological limits of the exhibition on the history of the region and the town are: 8th mill. BC to the turn of the 20th century;
3. the exhibition is created as an attraction involving the items to be exhibited, as well as models and audiovisual information;
4. in parallel with the traditional way of presenting the museum artefacts and information, widespread use is to be made of modern information technology;
5. the exhibition forms an organic part of other activities and functions to be developed in the castle-the conference hall, concert hall and children's activity areas.
The theme of the main exhibition is the history of Ventspils region, the city and the port.
Particular rooms in the castle house, or are planned to house, exhibitions on the following themes:
1. Prehistory of the Ventspils region.
2. Material culture of the Couronians, Livs and Latvians in the Ventspils region in the 13th-19th century.
3. Ventspils as a town of craft-workers and traders in the 14th-19th century
4. Life in the castle under the Livonian Order.*
5. The Ventspils woodcarvers in the second half of the 17th and the early 18th century.*
6. Life in the castle under the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.*
7. Life on estates in the Ventspils region and the lifestyle of the landowners in the 16th-19th century.*
8. Life in the castle in the 19th century.*
9. The history of Ventspils Castle.
10. The history of the city of Ventspils.
11. The port of Ventspils through time.

* - parts of the exhibition still to be created

The permanent exhibition is located on the first and second floor of the castle, in the castle tower and in the prison building in the outer yard.
The exhibition on the first floor of the castle:
Room 110. Prehistory of the Ventspils region. The exhibition tells of the earliest history of the region, from the arrival of the first inhabitants, the Stone Age communities of hunters, fishers and gatherers, up to the farmers and stock-keepers of the Iron Age. In chronological terms, the exhibition covers the period from the 8th mill. BC up to the early 13th century AD. The exhibits are stray finds from the collections of Ventspils Museum and the Latvian History Museum.
Room 111. Material culture of the Couronians, Livs and Latvians in the 13th-19th century. The exhibition reflects changes in the material culture of the local population from the beginning of the Middle Ages up to the end of the Early Modern Era. The main themes are dress, ornaments, utensils, weapons and items of everyday use, which permit an insight into the way of life and thinking of people in the past.
Room 112. The exhibition Ventspils as a town of craft-workers and traders in the 14th-19th century uses material from the museum's collections to show the way of life of the townspeople, their activities and economy, and changes in the ethnic composition of the town's population over the course of history.
The exhibition on the second floor of the castle is to include:
Room 201. The Ventspils woodcarvers of the second half of the 17th and the early 18th century. Displayed will be works by the Soeffrens family of woodcarvers, and others.
(To open for viewing as the exhibition is further developed.)
Room 205. Life in the castle under the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. A display of interiors intended to give an impression of life in the castle in the 17th-18th century.
(To open for viewing as the exhibition is further developed.)
Room 206. Life on estates in the Ventspils region and the lifestyle of the estate-owners in the 16th-19th century. Displaying objects and furniture connected with life on the estates in the 16th-19th century.
(To open for viewing as the exhibition is further developed.)
Room 207. Life in the castle in the 19th century. Displaying objects and furniture characterising the way of life of officials of the central authorities during the time when Ventspils was under the rule of the Russian Empire.
(To open for viewing as the exhibition is further developed.)
Room 208. The so-called Burgomaster's Room, where items will be displayed relating to the heads of the city administration and their lifestyle.
(To open for viewing as the exhibition is further developed.)
Exhibition in the castle tower:
Room 201. The Commander's Room. A display giving an impression of the quarters of the head official at the castle under the Livonian Order-the commander. In historical terms, this part of the exhibition is connected with the Livonian period (13th - mid 16th century), i.e. the original period of existence of the castle and the time of origin of the town of Ventspils. It consists mainly of replicas that give an idea of life in the castle at this time. The only original item found in this room in the course of restoration, a bronze Jew's harp, is also on display.
Room 301. The display The Castle of the Livonian Order in Ventspils tells the history of the oldest building in Ventspils, connected with the origins of the town and also the present museum building. On display are the artefacts recovered in archaeological excavation-coins, cannonballs, pottery vessels and other items relating to military activity and the everyday life of the castle's inhabitants, as well as the most interesting structural elements (bricks, stove tiles, roof tiles). At the centre of the display is a model showing the castle as it was in the 16th century.
Room 401. The display The city of Ventspils tells the history of the city through material evidence of its past-structural elements and everyday items, and shows the city's development as seen in historic maps. Interesting artefacts found in excavations over the past decades are displayed, including a 15th century wooden door. A display of old postcards gives the visitor a feel for the milieu of the town in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Room 501. The exhibition on the top floor of the castle tower is devoted to the history of the port of Ventspils. There is a model of the port as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, models of ships that arrived in the port of Ventspils at various times in history, maps and a compass. The visitor can also view the port, the ships and the city at the present day with the help of modern computer-guided technology.
The exhibition in the castle's outer yard:
The prison in the castle: an exhibition about a period in the history of the former castle of the Livonian Order from 1832 until 1959, when it served as a prison. In the building constructed in the 19th century to house the prison administration and in the solitary cells the visitor can see the interior of the cells and objects connected with the everyday life of the prisoners.