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9 Mazais Balasta Dambis, Riga

private museum

accredited

member

Offer and services

  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. free admission
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. opening hours after 18:00
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. easy to reach with public transport
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. suitable for people with reduced mobility
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. guide or mobile app
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. outdoor activities
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. rental of premises
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. offer for pupils

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.


 

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Working hours

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Monday Closed
Tuesday 12:00-18:00
Wednesday 12:00-18:00
Thursday 12:00-20:00
Friday 12:00-18:00
Saturday 10.00-16.00
Sunday Closed

 

 



Admission fee

Free of charge (by donation)


 


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.

 

 


 

Žanis Lipke Memorial


9 Mazais Balasta Dambis, Riga

private museum

accredited

member

Offer and services

  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. free admission
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. opening hours after 18:00
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. easy to reach with public transport
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. suitable for people with reduced mobility
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. guide or mobile app
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. outdoor activities
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. rental of premises
  • Material-icon/24/dark Copy 6 Created with Sketch. offer for pupils

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