The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, A Must in Riga

I pulled out the stuff collected on a late fall trip to Latvia, today to begin writing about it. I always get a kick of seeing what I tossed and what remains. This little book of Propaganda was such a find for me. I am fascinated by propaganda art work and the posters done during the period between WW I and the fall of the Soviet Union and this little book has plenty with the words in English in sidebars. I bought the book in Riga at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Latvia went through two occupying totalitarian regimes from 1940 to 1991, German and Soviet. At first the Latvians counted on the Germans to protect them from the Russians, then the Russians to expel the Nazis. The slogans and art work are remarkable similar, as is the artifacts inside the museum covering 51 years of occupation. It was a no win situation for Latvia.

The Museum was established in 1993 in the center of Riga with funds donated by Latvian organizations from around the world, mostly from America, Canada and Australia. Since 1997 the maintenance of the museum is funded by the Latvian Government, donations are gratefully accepted. If in Riga take some time from its beautiful city center and glimpse a strange and troubling time Latvia went through and survived.