From June 2, 2016 until October 23 in the small exhibition hall of the National History Museum of Latvia, located on Brīvības bulvāris 32, new exhibition – “The Age of the Vikings and the Swedes in Latvia” is exibited.
The exhibition combines images and texts showing the importance of the inhabitants of Latvia in the context of northern and eastern Europe from the 7th to the 12thcentury, revealing the richness of their culture and their impact in the region, as well as contacts and interaction between the inhabitants of eastern Baltic and Scandinavia, thus confirming that Latvia is a significant part of the world with its own permanent importance. The exhibition uses written sources and archaeological evidence to reveal its theme.
The exhibition consists of several parts: I) The Age of the Vikings; II) Latvia: land, nation, country; III) Scandinavian written sources regarding eastern Baltic; IV) The Daugava trade route and Daugmale; V) Archaeological evidence of the Scandinavians in Latvia; VI) The Age of the Swedes in Latvia.
The exibition provides a brief background information on Latvians and Latvia. It also reveals the knowledge found in Scandinavian runic inscriptions, sagas and chronicles regarding the geography, ethnic structure, contacts and conflicts of the eastern Baltic, as well as presents one of the most significant eastern European trade routes – part of the route from the Varangians to the Greeks – the River Daugava. The visitors are able to study the results of archaeological excavations in the urban settlement of Daugmale that served as the entrance and exit “pass” of the route. In addition, life of small Latvian nations is described. The visitor can also get acquainted with the archaeological complex of the Scandinavian Grobiņa and Scandinavian antiquity finds in the Couronian, Livonian, Semigallian and other monuments.
The exhibition is made as a double-sided folding stand. The visual part mainly consists of drawings, maps and photographs that have been united in a common design which both provides informative and visual conception and preserves the individuality of each detail.
In addition there are also original objects from the collection of the museum.