Liepāja - at the crossroads of various historical events
The inhabitants of Liepāja were among the first in Latvia to experience the outbreak of the Second World War and among the last for whom the war ended both literally and symbolically. The Second World War and the Soviet occupation of Liepāja ended only in 1994, when the last troops of the USSR's heir, Russia, left the city.
After the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact demarcated the spheres of influence between the USSR and Nazi Germany, the USSR forced Latvia to sign a mutual assistance treaty and allow its military bases to be located on Latvian territory. At the end of October 1939, the first Red Army troops entered Liepāja and were stationed in the northern part of the city – in the War Port. At the same time, one of its largest minorities – the Germans, who were repatriated by Hitler to Germany and part of occupied Poland – left the city.
The year 1941 became a tragic year in the history of Liepāja. In June 1941, the Soviet authorities deported several hundred Liepāja residents. In the Liepāja Cheka building at Republikas Street 19, which was nicknamed the “Blue Miracle”, many Liepāja residents who did not accept the Soviet occupation were detained and tortured. The war affected Liepāja already on June 22, 1941. Soviet propaganda later tried to make the battles for the defense of Liepāja one of the Soviet heroic myths. The time of German occupation brought a new tragedy - most of the Jews of Liepāja were killed in an episode of the German-initiated Holocaust in the Šķēde Dunes. The city suffered greatly during the war - the war in the city ended only on May 8, 1945. This was followed by a second Soviet occupation, deportation of the population, the establishment of a Soviet naval base, and the industrialization of the city, significantly changing the composition of the city's population.
Only in the late 1980s, with the collapse of the USSR, did the opportunity arise to restore Latvia's independence. The Latvian People's Front, whose former Liepāja city branch headquarters houses an exhibition opened on January 21, 2001, played a major role in this process. The Liepāja branch of the People's Front was the second largest, right after the Riga branch – it united 13,000 members. It was from this place that volunteer buses were organized during the barricades of January 1991 to go to protect objects in Riga.
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Liepaja Museum exhibition "Liepaja under the occupation regimes"
The Liepāja Museum exhibition "Liepāja under the occupation regimes" is located in Liepāja, 7/9 Klāva Ukstiņa Street.
The exhibition covers the period from 1939 to 1991 during the double Soviet and German occupation. The inhabitants of Liepāja were among the first in Latvia to experience the outbreak of the Second World War and among the last for whom the war ended both literally and symbolically.
It was not until the collapse of the USSR in the late 1980s that the opportunity arose to restore Latvia's independence. The Latvian People's Front played a major role in this process, and its exhibition, opened on 21 January 2001, is housed in the former headquarters of the Liepāja City Branch. The Liepāja branch of the Popular Front was the second largest after the Riga branch, with 13 000 members. It was from here that buses of volunteers were organised during the barricades in January 1991 to go and defend the sites in Riga. On 23 August 1991, the day of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Lenin Monument, a symbol of Soviet power in the city, was dismantled. In later years, 500 bronze bells were made from it in Germany - souvenirs of a bygone era. One of these bells is also on display.
World War II and the Soviet occupation of Liepāja ended only in 1994, when the last troops of the USSR's heir, Russia, left the city.
The museum regularly organises thematic exhibitions of its collection and artworks, as well as lectures and meetings with historians and eyewitnesses of recent Latvian history. The museum building is currently being renovated and the exhibition is being renewed.
