LNMH at Riga Castle opens the new exhibition of the history of Latvia “Streaming Time”

Starting from 21 March 2026, the Latvian National Museum of History at Riga Castle will host a new, modern exhibition on Latvian history entitled “Streaming Time (Straumējot laiku). It will be the first of several new exhibitions created by the LNMH at the museum’s historic home.

With the opening of  the “Streaming Time,” the museum will once again be open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday (Tuesday–Thursday 10:00–18:00, Friday 10:00–20:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00), offering visitors the opportunity to view both the new exhibition and the restored Riga Castle.

The exhibition “Streaming Time” is located on the 4th floor of the castle and covers an area of 620 square meters. Historical objects and exciting digital content, combined in a special design, tell the story of Latvia and its inhabitants from the earliest times to the present day. The passage of time is depicted through people’s belonging to larger communities – families, classes, congregations, societies or movements, parties – up to the present day, when we are experiencing new forms of cooperation and unifying goals.

Latvia’s 12,000 years of history are divided into nine themes: Inventive Humans, People of the Hillforts, City Walls Unite, Together in the Congregation, Born into One’s Class, Power of the Movement, Becoming a Citizen, Totalitarian Stranglehold, Return to Europe. Each theme has its own architectural form – a sculpture-like stand – which together form an unusual series of shapes through which visitors pass like a winding river of time.

The exhibition allows to realize that everything exists simultaneously in the stream of time. This can be seen in Latvia’s cultural landscape – ancient hillforts and Baroque castles, sacred trees and stone churches, manor parks and collective farm centres stand side by side. Our spiritual life, thoughts, ideas, perceptions of the world and ourselves are also shaped by the imprints left by previous generations – a shared cultural heritage. The theme of identity, belonging and various elements that unite society is still relevant today. Where do I belong today? What connects me to the rest of society? Has the meaning and scope of each person’s belonging changed, and if so, how? The exhibition encourages visitors to seek answers to these questions.

The exhibition “Streaming Time” was created by the staff of the Latvian National Museum of History – researchers, collection curators, restorers, etc. – in collaboration with a wide range of partners: under the leadership of architect Didzis Jaunzems,  “DJA” developed the exhibition design, while “SOLAVI” and “AD PRODUCTION” ensured the production and installation of the exhibition, as well as the development of multimedia.

Alongside the opening of the exhibition, a catalog will be available in the museum shop – “Streaming Time: A Journey Through Latvian History” – a richly illustrated publication in English. The catalog includes items from the museum’s collection that are on display in the exhibition, as well as exhibition texts that together form a brief and comprehensive story of Latvian history. The author of the introductory essay is Deniss Hanovs, while the exhibition authors created the texts and selected the items.

The exhibition will feature events for various audiences: the general public, pensioners, school groups (follow the information in the Calendar section of the website or on the museum’s social media pages).

Renovation of museum’s premises and creation of new exhibition are being carried out with European co-fundation secured by the Ministry of Culture.