1991 Barricades Museum Museum
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The museum is located in Old Riga near the Riga Cathedral. It was founded in 2001 to preserve historical evidence of the events of 1991 in Latvia. A virtual tour of the museum is also available. In January 1991, in Lithuania the Soviet Army opened fire on people who had gathered at the Vilnius TV tower and drove into the crowd with tanks. In response to these events a demonstration of about 500,000 people was organised in Riga to show support to Lithuanians and the readiness of the Latvian people to continue their struggles towards Latvia’s independence. In order to prevent similar events from happening in Latvia, residents began to build barricades in the narrow streets of Old Riga in order to prevent possible attacks of the Soviet Army on the defenders of the barricades. These barricades were also created at various strategic objects not only in Riga, but throughout all of Latvia. Around 50,000 people from all over Latvia participated in defending the barricades. Barricades was a popular movement that helped to regain Latvia’s independence. This is a great example of non-violent resistance in the history of the whole world.
Used sources and references:
The official website of the Barricades Museum. Available: http://barikades.lv/par-mums/ [Accessed: 22.03.2021].
Educational programs
CV of barricades
Students are offered various activities in the halls of the museum. In the first hall, students can get an idea of life in the USSR, about the Revival, see posters on social topics. In the second hall, students watch the film "The time of our barricades", discuss the strategically important, protected objects. In the third hall, "With courage against troops", students learn about the two opposing forces, the People's Front and the Interfront, other Latvian cities, which were also very important points in the barricades, as well as you can view the model of the Council of Ministers and on the touch-sensitive screens you can view photo and video materials from the 1991 collection of the barricade museum. In the hall dedicated to the January 20 shooting, students have the opportunity to watch a specially created animated film, where the January 20 attack on the Ministry of the Interior has been reconstructed. In the "Echo of Barricades in the World" hall, you can see a car from the time of the barricades and a satellite dish that transmitted information about the barricades to other countries. After viewing the exhibition, students are given worksheets. In order to fill them in, the students must remember what the tour guide told them, and independently look for clues and answers to questions in the exposition.
Let's play barricades
Students are offered various activities in the halls of the museum. In the first hall, students can get an idea of life in the USSR, about the Revival, see posters on social topics. In the second hall, students put on three characters of the time of the barricades, dressing up one of the group members as a barricade defender, a member of the militia of the Republic of Latvia or an OMON fighter, choosing suitable items from the props boxes. In the third hall, students place models of equipment on specially designed city maps in those city objects that they think need to be defended today and that were defended in 1991. In the hall dedicated to the January 20 shooting, students have the opportunity to watch a specially created animated film, where the January 20 attack on the Ministry of the Interior has been reconstructed. In the "Echo of Barricades in the World" hall, you can see a car from the time of the barricades and a satellite dish that transmitted information about the barricades to other countries. The students are given a task to divide into three teams and the leader of the excursion determines the task of each team - to prepare a short message about one of the events of the barricades, which will be broadcast 1) on the radio 2) on TV or covered in the press.
To the barricades
Students are offered various activities in the halls of the museum and in Riga, at the barricades. In the first hall, students can get an idea of life in the USSR, about the Revival, see posters on social topics. In the second hall In the second hall, students watch the film "Time of our barricades", discuss the strategically important protected objects. In the third hall, "With spirit against troops", students learn about the two opposing forces, the People's Front and the Interfront, other Latvian cities that were also very important points in the barricades, as well as they can see the model of the Council of Ministers and on the touch-sensitive screens they can view photo and video materials from the 1991 barricades museum collection. In the hall dedicated to the January 20 shooting, students have the opportunity to watch a specially created animated film, where the January 20 attack on the Ministry of the Interior has been reconstructed. In the hall "Echo of barricades in the world" there is an opportunity to see a car from the time of the barricades and a satellite dish that transmitted information about the barricades to other countries. The students are given the task to divide into three teams and the excursion leader determines the task of each team. Later, accompanied by a guide, the students visit the main barricade sites in Old Riga, which they have heard about before - Dom Square, the Saeima House and the memorial plaque of the barricades placed next to it, Bastejkalni and the former Ministry of the Interior building, the Freedom Monument, the 11 November embankment and Kaļķu Street - as the only entry way into Old Riga in January 1991.
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Vaidavians on barricades
In 2020, in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the 1991 barricades, Vismants Priedīte shares a story about the participation of locals in these historical events.
Memoirs of Talava Megnis from Kocēni about the events in the 1991 barricades in Riga
Memoirs of Talava Megnis from Kocēni about the events in the 1991 barricades in Riga.
"On January 13, about 40 residents of Kocēni left Laz, driver Vitālijs Sprukts and minibus Latvija, driver Jānis Grava for the demonstration in Riga.
After the demonstration, when we met at the buses, we repeatedly heard on the radio the call of the Latvian People's Front, those who can, to stay in Riga and defend strategically important objects to make it more difficult to capture them, similarly to Vilnius television. We saw these footage filmed by Podnieks before leaving for Riga.
From Rezekne to the 1991 barricades
The narrators describe the moods and personal experiences of the Barricade period. Memories illustrate well how information can reach the people of Latvia throughout its territory.