Ogre Museum of History and Art

OBJECT OF THE QUARTER

Laura Tuča — Wed, 13 May 2026 08:46:55 +0000

OBJECT OF THE QUARTER
A Communist Crime Comedy in Ogre, July 1940
[..]

“In July 1940, J. Gucevičs bought two mercury thermometers in Riga, while J. Nemo purchased apple pies at the buffet of the Ogre railway station. The contents of one broken thermometer were poured into one of the pies. The ‘enhanced’ pie was then fed by J. Nemo to V. Jupatins at the Ogre Community Hall, following a ceremonial rally held in honor of a visit by commanders of the occupation army.

J. Gucevičs did not know that ingesting mercury is not lethal. The harm done to V. Jupatins was limited to severe stomach cramps and groaning while lying on a couch in his office.”

📍You can read the full story in the permanent exhibition “The Path to Freedom”

Photograph: Organizers of the parliamentary elections at the Ķegums open-air stage. 1940. Collection of the Ogre History and Art Museum.

Opening of the travelling exhibition

Laura Tuča — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:15:09 +0000

The travelling exhibition is organised by the Ogre Region Institution for Interest Education. The pop-up exhibition will be on view from 16 May to 24 May in the foyer of the Ogres History and Art Museum.

MINECRAFT EDUCATION: CHURCHES IN THE OGRE REGION

This exhibition is the result of months of research work. Around 40 students from the Ogre region studied archival plans and measured church walls on site in order to later create 10 accurate digital models of churches in the Minecraft Education environment. These models have now been 3D printed at a scale of 1:250 and are ready to travel across the Ogre region.

It is a unique combination of history and modern technology, where every digital block corresponds to the real proportions and scale of the buildings.

Discover the region’s heritage through the eyes of the younger generation!

“Museum Night 2026” at the Ogres History and Art Museum

Laura Tuča — Thu, 07 May 2026 09:22:34 +0000

This year, during the international event Museum Night, museums across Latvia will introduce visitors to the adventures and stories behind historical objects. The Ogres History and Art Museum has also prepared an educational and engaging programme for its visitors.

ADVENTURES OF OBJECTS: WITH A HAT ON YOUR HEAD AND A FLAG IN HIDING

May 23 | 19:00–23:00

19:00 – In the exhibition “The Path to Freedom”, visitors will have the opportunity to meet participants of the Latvian Independence Movement and hear the story of how the Latvian flag was hidden in the early 1980s.

20:00 – A guided tour of the exhibition “The Queen of Hats and Her Batiks” will take place at the museum building on Brīvības Street 36 together with curator Irēna Bužinska.

21:00 – Visitors are invited to join a hat-making workshop led by Liena Subatiņa-Brazeviča.

“MUSEUM NIGHT” EVENTS IN OTHER CULTURAL VENUES OF THE OGRE REGION

On May 23, the event “Who Lives in the Closet?” will take place at Ciemupe Community Centre, featuring the exhibition “Even a Rag Was Once a Festive Shirt”, the animated short film series “Wonder Closet” at 18:00, and the feature film “The Perfect Ones” at 19:00.

On May 16, the Museum Night event will be held at the Birzgale Museum “Rūķi”.

On May 23, from 16:00 to 24:00, the event “Adventures of Objects” will take place at Tome Library and the Ķegums Museum together with the Animation Brigade. Visitors are invited to enjoy an exhibition of animation film puppets and take part in puppet-making activities.

Admission to all events is free of charge.

Dārta Madara Cielava’s solo exhibition “BELONGING”

Laura Tuča — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:48:37 +0000

On May 16, 2025, the competition-exhibition “Artists of Ogre Region” was opened at the Ogre History and Art Museum.

The winner of the exhibition “Artists of the Ogre Region” was Dārta Madara Cielava with the work “Grandpa Doesn’t Know My Name.” The recipient of the main prize earned the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition in 2026 in the museum’s Great Hall.

About her upcoming exhibition, the artist says:

“Everyday rhythm leaves its traces in the environment around us. The meaning of objects in life is no longer purely practical. Space is not just space. Within it, an object becomes a reference point of human attachment. It tells a story about its user and keeper, about habits, about socioeconomic status. Daily experiences leave their imprint on the environment we maintain around ourselves. It is a diary that holds what cannot be expressed in words. I am an anthropologist. I am a detective. I know myself differently. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I know myself less than those who deduce, research, observe. You look at me like a bird locked in a cage through screens, paintings, and loudly declared theses in moments when I do not play along with the staged performance of my own persona.

I am a student; I have school, work, and home. And at home I also work—I paint, write, send endless chains of emails. Routine emerges from comfort and the combination of small problems and joys.

I am affected by expensive heating in a rental building; I am affected by foolish, thoughtless remarks made by people whose staged performances we are all subjected to. My bed is my safety—it is like the origin point of a coordinate plane. I am not untouchable; I am in a cage I have built myself. When I step out of it, a new act begins.”

In her works, the artist perceives each object as a sign or a word. Nothing is accidental. Compositions form naturally; the artist assigns them context, seeking correlations between the physical and its emotional foundation. There are not answers to everything—it is important to accept that.

The exhibition searches for the boundary between the personal and the public. The paintings become a place where silence and information overload collide, revealing how conditional and fluid our understanding of private space is today. The body of work forms a reflection on social structure, our mechanisms of adaptation, and the tension between the collective and the individual—creating a distinctive documentation of the era.

In the paintings, impasto brushstrokes and vivid colors interact with bare areas of linen canvas, allowing the detail-rich works to breathe. What remains unpainted stays in shadow; its existence is neither emphasized nor diminished. Within the overall context, it becomes an axis of balance—important, yet forgotten.

Although the artist is trained as a painter, more unconventional media often find their way into her works and collections. Materiality plays a significant role in her practice; every choice of technique and material is grounded in intention. Painting evolves into an ideological practice, becoming a language without attempting to confine itself strictly to a medium or a conventional form.

The exhibition will be open at the Ogre History and Art Museum from July 3.

WHERE DID THE BAT COME FROM?

Laura Tuča — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:42:29 +0000

Museum detective, answer the call!

Can you help uncover the story of this object? What is it? Where does it come from?

We are looking for answers together with you — perhaps you have an idea or a memory about it!

Send us a message: ogresmuzejs@ogresnovads.lv; muzejsogre@gmail.com

Exhibition “Between Two Occupations.”

Laura Tuča — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:21:59 +0000

The exhibition “Between Two Occupations” tells about events in the Ogre region from June 22 to July 6, 1941. It was a time when the troops and officials of the communist occupation regime were leaving the territory of Latvia, while the period of Nazi occupation had not yet begun.
It was a complex and chaotic time, characterized by uncertainty, looting, deaths caused by military actions, and the murder of civilians. At the same time, it was also a moment of bold and sometimes desperate hope, when many inhabitants of Latvia, with weapons in their hands, tried to drive the communist occupation regime from their land, believing that the worst was already behind them.

Exhibition author: Inese Dreimane
Design: Rolands Vēgners
Graphic design: Estere Vītola

Translation to English:
In the images:
Notices published in a newspaper in 1941 about looting carried out by employees of the Jumprava Parish Executive Committee while fleeing.
A notice published in a newspaper in 1941 searching for a driver who had been forcibly taken away.
Jumprava parish partisan Kārlis Balodis (1911–?). Arrested on April 30, 1949. On July 18, 1949, the Military Tribunal of the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the Latvian SSR sentenced him to 25 years of imprisonment and 5 years of exile. He was imprisoned in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Released on June 11, 1955.
Pēteris Zelkāns–Kūkseliņš (1896–1941). Lived in Riga. Taken off a train at Ogre station and shot on June 24, 1941, on suspicion of attempting to seize a Red Army officer’s pistol on the train.

Ogre History and Art Museum received Jānis Kuga’s paintings for its collection.

Ogres Vēstures un mākslas muzejs — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 07:49:42 +0000

Ogre History and Art Museum has received three paintings by Jānis Kuga, one painting by Māra Cepurīte-Reynolds, and one drawing by Edvards Dzenis into its collection. The museum team extends heartfelt gratitude to Anna Reynolds for this generous donation.
Pictured: Jānis Kuga. Untitled, 1949. Oil on canvas. 102 × 82 cm. Gift from Anna Reynolds.

Senior Mornings at Ogre History and Art Museum

Ogres Vēstures un mākslas muzejs — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 07:48:17 +0000

The Ogre History and Art Museum invites seniors to special Senior Mornings – warm, unhurried museum visits led by our specialists.
Once a month at 11:00 – an opportunity to view exhibitions together, share thoughts, and enjoy the cultural atmosphere at a relaxed pace.
Senior Morning dates in 2026:

February 17
March 17
April 21
May 19

Location: Ogre History and Art Museum, Brīvības Street 36
More information: +371 65024345

Ārija Skudra – Personal Exhibition

Ogres Vēstures un mākslas muzejs — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:10:50 +0000

Ārija Skudra’s first personal exhibition introduces an artist who worked as a designer at the Hat and Felt Products Factory “Rīgas Filcs” for many years, where she created standard hat models that were later mass-produced for society at large – for children, women of various age groups, and men. As a result, it can be said that for several decades a large part of Latvia’s population wore hats designed by Ārija Skudra.

The artist’s designs were regularly featured in fashion shows organised by the Riga Fashion House; however, her name – like those of many designers working with mass-produced items – remained unmentioned. This exhibition is therefore a deliberate step towards inscribing Ārija Skudra’s name into the history of Latvian design of the second half of the 20th century.

Ārija Skudra received secondary art education at the J. Rozentāls Riga Art High School but was unable to pursue higher education. Alongside her work as a designer, she developed a second field of creative activity – painting. She participated not in the professional art scene, but in exhibitions organised by amateur artists, presenting landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and figurative compositions executed in oil.

Her most significant artistic achievement, however, lies in her work with the batik technique, which she practised from the 1970s until the beginning of the 21st century. These works are distinctly decorative, characterised by a virtuoso rhythm of lines and a high degree of generalisation in both natural and human motifs.

The exhibition features selected press photographs, materials from Riga Fashion House magazines, and a collection of the artist’s batik works.

Exhibition curator: Irēna Bužinska

Exhibition scenographer: Ineta Sipunova

Tours

Ogres Vēstures un mākslas muzejs — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:05:54 +0000

Guided tours offer an engaging and educational way to explore Latvian history, art, and culture. They foster an understanding of significant historical events, encourage critical thinking, and stimulate imagination through an authentic museum experience.

The Ogre History and Art Museum offers guided tours led by museum specialists at two locations: Brīvības Street 36 and Brīvības Street 2. At Brīvības Street 36, visitors can explore current history and art exhibitions with a guide. Tours are currently available for the exhibitions “Ogre’s Dawn” and “Boy, Listen!”. At Brīvības Street 2, the museum offers guided tours of the permanent exhibition “The Road to Freedom”, as well as the exhibition “Us or Them”, located on the third floor of the museum (recommended for visitors aged ten and above).

THE MUSEUM OFFERS THEMED TOURS

Tour of the permanent exhibition “Stop Ogre”

The origins of the once-popular Ogre resort date back to 1861, when the Riga–Dinaburg railway line was opened. In the 1930s, 30. following the devastation of the First World War, the resort experienced a period of rapid development. Buildings designed by renowned architects – including Vladimirs Šervinskis, Dāvids Zariņš, and Teodors Hermanovskis – were constructed, and a vibrant cultural life emerged. The town and its surroundings attracted visitors with picturesque landscapes and a health-promoting environment.

BOOKING

Tours can be booked by calling +371 65022251 or by visiting the Ogre History and Art Museum at Brīvības Street 36, Ogre.

Tour of the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions.

Individual visitors or groups of up to 30 people:
– €15 (Latvian-language tour)*
+ €0.50 entrance ticket per person
– €20 (English-language tour)*
+ €0.50 entrance ticket per person
– Free of charge for Ogre Municipality school groups