A six-year process has come to an end – the new building of the Seaside Open-Air Museum has been constructed, commissioned and will be opened on April 27 this year to offer visitors a new permanent exhibition "By the Sea and on the Land. The Traditional Way of Life in Northern Kurzeme in the 19th–20th Century. The Nature of Northern Kurzeme. "
On January 17, 2018, an agreement was signed with the Central Finance and Contracting Agency for the implementation of the project “Preservation and Exhibition of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Northern Kurzeme and Development of Tourism Offerings.”
As part of this project, the Ventspils Museum, together with the Ventspils City Municipal Administration, implemented two activities:
1) construction of infrastructure in Ventspils, in the southwestern district, for the accessibility and preservation of the gray dunes;
2) construction of the Ventspils Seaside Open-Air Museum.
The new footbridge to the sea and parking lot in the southwestern district of Ventspils have been open to visitors since September 2018. Work related to the museum's new building — design, construction, exhibition creation, equipment procurement and installation — has also been completed.
The new building, which resembles a ship docked on the shore (architect Ija Rudzīte), houses the new exhibition of the Seaside Open-Air Museum, which engagingly displays the daily life of the inhabitants of the Kurzeme coast and reflects the lives of Latvian and Livonian farmers and fishermen. The exhibition features more than 300 items from the museum's collection.
The story of the Soviet-era border zone and the particularly harsh ban imposed on fishermen to approach the sea is significant and unusually presented.
The digital elements of the exhibition visually express how fishing boats and roofs were made, while short animations provide information about farm work.
There is also an exhibition on the nature of Northern Kurzeme — a diorama with the most characteristic animals and birds, whose voices can be heard, creating the feeling of being in a real forest.
In addition to the exhibition, which was created by SIA "Dd studio" (Ltd.) in collaboration with museum specialists, the new building houses workspaces for museum staff, restoration workshops, and an educational space.
A mobile app, which can be downloaded when visiting the museum, complements the museum tour and outdoor exhibition.
The building was constructed according to a design developed by SIA "Balts un Melns" (Ltd.), with construction work carried out by SIA "Warss+" (Ltd.) and construction supervision by SIA "Firma L4" (Ltd.).
The total cost of the building and exhibition was €4,926,115, including €3,388,594 in EU funding.
Information prepared by:
Ilva Zavicka,
Project Manager of Ventspils Museum
Tel.: +371 63621309
http://muzejs.ventspils.lv/
(Translated with the help of DeepL Translate)
