Latvian museum of Architecture Riga

Preliminary work for the establishment of Latvian Museum of Architecture was done in 1992, when Architectural drawings and manuscripts sector was established in Heritage Documentation Centre of State Inspection for Heritage Protection. The collection of drawings and biographies of architects, granted by architect Leons Plaucins, was systemised and collection of other items was continued.
Latvian Museum of Architecture was established upon order No.100 of the Minister of Culture of Latvia, dated 28 July 1994, and it started functioning as a structural unit of State Inspection for Heritage Protection located in the Old Town, Maza Pils iela 17. Mr. Janis Lejnieks was appointed Director of the museum by the order of the Minister of Culture. The official opening of Latvian Museum of Architecture took place on 19 April 1995 and was done by the Minister of Culture, with participation of the Prime Minister. The opening was marked by an exhibition of drawings from the collections of the newly established museum.
The mission of the museum is to collect, study and popularise Latvian architectural heritage. The collection of the museum includes biographical index of Latvian architects and the collection of drawings of the most eminent masters. By organising exhibitions and issuing publications the museum gives the public an idea about the development of contemporary architecture and promotes understanding of the role of Latvian architectural heritage in world culture.
The collections of Latvian Museum of Architecture contain more than 1000 items. The Museum does not have a permanent exposition, and access to its archives can be provided to specialists with prior notification.
Collections of the museum are formed of the original works of architects, including outlines, sketches and drawings. Good quality sepia transparency copies or photocopies can be accepted in cases when the originals have not survived. The museum can also accept models, though in case of larges-scale models photo pictures are preferable. To ensure complete understanding of the architect's ideas, explanatory articles of the architectural part of the design are appreciated. The designs by C. Haberland (1750-1803), J.D. Felsko (1813-1902) and V.N. Bockslaff (1858-1945) are the oldest works in the archives of the museum. The archives also contain some design sheets of the first professional Latvian architect J.F. Baumanis (1834-1891).
The largest collections are those of Aleksandrs Birzenieks (1893-1980), Aleksandrs Klinklavs (1899- 1982), Voldemars Vasilis (born in 1922), Pauls Kundzins (1888-1983), drawings of Ivars Bumbiers (born in 1932), and the works of students of the Faculty of Architecture of LU. Several architects living abroad, such as Gunars Birkerts (born in 1925), Eizens Janiss (born in 1911), Stanislavs Borbals (1907-2000), Janis Manfreds Sarma (born in 1909), Alfreds Ginters (1910-2000) and others, have presented the museum with their own works. The manuscripts of prof. Eizens Laube (1880-1967) and the donations of his family were a very valuable contribution.
In Latvia the register of certified architects was established by Latvian Association of Architects (LAA) in early 1990's. In cooperation with LAA the museum works on a list of architects who had practice in Latvia. The list contains over 2000 personalities, with biographical data of more than 900 architects.