"Corner House" - former USSR KGB Building Museum
Exploring the “History of the Cheka in Latvia”
Students in grades 7–12
In a conversation with a specialist, students learn about the history of the temporary detention center of the former Latvian SSR State Security Committee (KDK) and the Corner House.
On June 17, 1940, the USSR occupied Latvia. Already in the autumn of the same year, the headquarters of the occupation regime’s repressive institution – the KGB or “Cheka” – was established in a building on the corner of Brīvības and Stabu streets in Riga. Later, the building became popularly known as the Corner House. People who were considered opponents of the regime by the occupation authorities were imprisoned and interrogated there. During the Soviet occupation, approximately 48,000 criminal cases were initiated in Latvia for so-called crimes against the communist regime. After Latvia regained its independence in 1991, the KGB was liquidated.
The lesson is intended for students in grades 7–12. If the number of students exceeds the recommended number, the lesson can be organized into multiple groups.
- Visitors:
- Groups
- Length:
- Ap stundu
- Contacts:
Riga, Brivibas Street 61, contacts:
veronika.basarina@gmail.com
The lesson is also available in digital format online. Professionally produced video material introduces students to the authentically preserved rooms of the Corner House – the main hall, the detention registration room, the cell block, the walking area, the basement and the place of execution. The online narration also reveals the history of the building and the fates of the people imprisoned there.