Exhibitions

The Liepāja Museum’s collection exhibition “Bustling Liepāja” is a tribute to the 400th anniversary of Liepāja, reflecting the economic prosperity and achievements of Liepāja from the end of the 19th century until the Second World War through objects, documents, and photographs.

The exhibition’s content is structured around the three facets of Liepāja’s development during this period: “Liepāja Manufactures,” “Innovative Liepāja,” and “Liepāja Manages.”

“Liepāja Manufactures” is dedicated to the city’s industrialization, opening new enterprises, and economic prosperity. “Innovative Liepāja” tells the story of new and progressive things, displaying inventions and architectural achievements that highlight the abilities and courage of Liepāja’s citizens and introduce innovations to modernize economic processes. “Liepāja Manages” presents Liepāja’s bustling daily life, diverse offers, crafts, and trade.

One of the reforms that most directly affected Liepāja’s socioeconomic situation was the adoption of the Russian Empire City Regulations in 1870, which led to the election of the first city council in 1877. The reformation of the city system coincided with rapid and favorable changes in Liepāja’s economic life. Liepāja experienced its greatest prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it grew from a small provincial town into a bustling and modern industrial center with a well-equipped entrepôt and rail traffic linking Liepāja with Romny in northeastern Ukraine. It had branch lines to Jelgava and Daugavpils and connections to Voronezh, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and other Ukrainian cities.

The boom of commerce and industry in Liepāja at the end of the 19th century resulted in rapid population growth, and a trade rush began in the city. Several thousand people chose Liepāja as their place of residence because they saw high economic and professional growth potential.

Compared to other Latvian cities, Liepāja was far less affected by the First World War and could rebuild its industrial activity more quickly. However, in the post-war years, Liepāja’s economic sector lacked markets. The city had to concentrate its economic development on the West rather than the East. The consulates of Belgium, Germany, France, and Estonia, as well as the vice-consulates of Great Britain, Finland, Holland, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Norway, and Lithuania, representing their countries’ interests, especially economic interests, reinforced this goal.

In the 1930s, the city’s economic situation improved rapidly. As the port became a free port, the number of businesses and commercial transactions in the city increased. Liepāja had two railway stations, Rīga and Aizpute, and five active passenger railway lines, for example, Liepāja–Saldus–Rīga, Liepāja–Alsunga, and Liepāja–Rucava. Passenger ship traffic connected Liepāja with Bremen, Hamburg, Szczecin, Klaipėda with London and Copenhagen. The number of businesses within the city increased.

In 1940, after the occupation of the Republic of Latvia, most industrial and commercial enterprises were nationalized.

Entrance fee: adults EUR 1,50, schoolchildren, students and senior citizens EUR 1,00.