Turaida
Museum Reserve

A New Significant Exhibition “On the Way to the State of Latvia. Corevée Peasant. Independent Farmer. Citizen” has been opened in the Turaida Museum Reserve


Since May 4, in the renewed House of Corvée-peasants of the Turaida Museum Reserve there is opened a new exhibition “On the Way to the State of Latvia. Corvée-peasant, Independednt Farmer. Citizen.”

The exhibition covers more than hundred years of the history of Latvia from abolition of serfdom in Livonia (Vidzeme) in 1819 until the adoption of the Law on Agrarian Reform of the Republic of Latvia in 1920.

At the same time it is a message on the  development of individual freedom and legal equality. Director of the Turaida Museum Reserve Anna Jurkāne says:  “The renewed Corvée-peasant House together with the exhibition is the monument to a Latvian farmer who, with his work, determination, perseverance and love for his land, provides the basis for an educated and cultural nation. The idea of statehood cherished in several generations was achieved and implemented by establishing the State of Latvia on 18 November 1918.” This historical period

is characterized by both social and economic stagnation of the Times of Corvée in the early 19th century, rapid technical modernization, cultural and economic prosperity in the second half of the century and significant social changes, revolutions and wars in the early 20th century.

Exhibition “On the Way to the State of Latvia. Corevée Peasant. Independent Farmer. Citizen.” is open each day from 10:00a.m.-6:00p.m. Admission fee for adults: 3.00 EUR, pensioners: 2.00 EUR, full-time foreign students: 1.50 EUR, school-age students: 0.50 EUR.

Exhibition is rich in information, collection objects and it consists of three spacial parts: “Corvée-peasant”, “Independent Farmer” and “Citizen”. The basic themes for this message are the following:  Struggle for freedom; Land and Work; The Idea of Statehood – State; Education and Culture; Family and Everyday life through which 35 historical stories have been revealed. Exhibition is supplemented by feeling paintings, animation films, video stories and digital programmes. On the second floor there is arranged interactive information room for children. Exhibition is exciting for both adults and young people because information is multi-layered, rich in modern technologies as well as  different interactive elements have been used in order the Story about the 19th century in Livonia (Vidzeme) and the Way to the State of Latvia everybody could discover in various and exciting ways. Information in the exhibition is provided in four languages – Latvian, Russian, English and German. There is no doubt that the new exhibition will give opportunity to the foreign guests to understand better Latvia and history of  its formation.

Director of the Institute of Latvian History at the University of Latvia Guntis Zemītis, at the opening ceremony of exhibition said: “Complex of the Turaida Museum Reserve has regained another beautiful, lost at the time feature – the House of Corvée-peasants, but we – Latvian society and foreign guests – the Story about the period of time, when symbolically the foundation was laid for a building - the building, that we nowadays call our home - the State of Latvia. This story is told using those possibilities that provide modern technologies, at the same time allowing to enter into the spirit of the 19th century”.

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