The Museum’s outstanding value is its varied archaeology, ethnography, numismatics, history and art history collections, developed since 1870s. The Museum’s collection covers 12,000 years of diverse evidence of material and spiritual culture.

The LNMH operates from four locations in Riga: the exhibitions are housed in Riga Castle (from 15 September 2025 the museum is open only for school groups), the Dauderi Villa and the Popular Front Museum, but the collection and administration are in the Museum Storage Facility (Repository).

“Streaming Time” – a new exhibition on Latvian history

Beginning 21 March, a new contemporary exhibition on Latvian history, “Streaming Time”, will be displayed at the Latvian National Museum of History in Riga Castle. This exhibition marks the first of several new displays created by the LNMH at the museum’s historic home.

The “Streaming Time” exhibition occupies an area of 620 m2 on the 4th floor of the castle. Historical objects and engaging digital content, combined in a unique design, tell the story of Latvia and its inhabitants from the earliest times to the present day. The passage of time is depicted through people’s affiliation with a larger community – such as a household, social class, congregation, association, movement or party – up to the present day, when we are experiencing novel forms of cooperation and new unifying goals.

The 12,500 years of Latvian history are split into nine themes: Inventive Humans, People of the Hillforts, City Walls Unite, Together in the Congregation, Born into One’s Class, Power of the Movement, Becoming a Citizen, Totalitarian Stranglehold and Return to Europe. Each section features a unique architectural form – a sculptural display. Together, these displays form a series of unusual shapes, winding like a river of time and allowing visitors to pass through.

The exhibition demonstrates that in the flow of time, everything exists simultaneously. It is evident in Latvia’s landscape – ancient hillforts and Baroque castles, sacred trees and stone churches, manor parks and collective farm centres coexist side by side. Our spiritual life, too – thoughts, ideas, perceptions of the world and ourselves – are shaped by the imprints left by previous generations forming a co-created cultural heritage. The theme of identity, belonging and the elements that unite society remain relevant today. What do I belong to today? What connects me with the rest of society? Has the meaning and scope of individual belonging changed, and if so, how? The exhibition encourages visitors to seek answers to these questions.