The Lipke family lived and still lives in Ķīpsala, in an area known as Mazais Balasta Dambis (Little Ballast Dam). A tiny cul-de-sac that cannot be spotted from the river, it is often left out of city maps. The Lipke Memorial, though by no means on the small scale, is probably Rīga’s best-hidden museum. And this concealment is not only factual, but also symbolic – back in the day, the place both hid and was hidden.

In the yard at the end of a tiny street, an underground bunker had been dug out. That is where Žanis Lipke had made a hiding place for the people saved from the Jewish ghetto. During World War II, eight to twelve people were permanently huddled in this 3 x 3 metre hole, often for extended periods of time. It is important to stress that the German police never found the shelter, Lipke was never caught and none of the people involved were ever betrayed.

The Lipke Memorial was built next to his house. The ascetic wooden structure resembles an upturned vessel pulled ashore – like a ferryman’s boat that has completed its mission. Or a Noah’s Ark descended back on dry land after the flood with the lucky survivors. Finally, the building also resembles a black shed, formerly typical for a neighbourhood once populated primarily by fishermen – a tarred construction made of barge boards that seems to be leaning in the wind.

A number of versions exist regarding his calling as a saviour, from personal disdain of the German occupiers to daredevil adventurism and exceptional “goodness” of character. The memorial aims to be not just a temporary base for stopping by, looking back and remembering, but also a place for continued exploration of who Žanis Lipke actually was.