History and Navigation Museum, Riga

The Museum of History and Navigation in Riga was established in 1773, when Nikolaus von Himsel’s mother donated his private collection to the city. Initially, it was housed at 34/36 Kaleju iela, and bore the name of van Himsel. In 1791, the van Himsel Museum was moved to Dom Complex, part of the Riga Dom (Riga Cathedral), which was an extension specifically built to accommodate the museum. During the 19th century and the first part of the 20th the collection had grown significantly, courtesy of numerous donations from different societies within Riga. World War II had its toll on the museum, seeing many of its exhibits expropriated by the Germans and later by the Soviets, who nationalized the museum and eliminated some of its artefacts, which, in their view, were not historically accurate or ideologically appropriate.

Nowadays, the collection includes over 500,000 items, which can tell volumes about Latvia’s history. Items dating back to the Bronze Age, Medieval artefacts, and 16th century objects are displayed on the second floor. In 1990, in a bid to boost the country's national spirit, an exhibition dedicated to the Latvian Republic of 1918-1940 was established. A special place in the museum is allocated to the maritime collection, featuring ship models, parts of ships, maps, plans, sailors’ personal effects, naval school textbooks and navigation instruments. From time to time, the museum also hosts temporary exhibits.

Apart from the Dom Complex, the History and Navigation Museum incorporates two more branches, located in Mentzendorff's House and the Photography Museum.