Daugavas muzejs

About the museum

The Daugavas muzejs was founded in 1969 and opened to visitors in 1977. Initially it was called the Doles vēstures muzejs (Dole History Museum), but in 1993 it received the name Daugavas muzejs. Since 1996 it has been run by the Salaspils novada pašvaldība (Salaspils Municipality). The idea for the museum arose in connection with the construction of the Riga hydroelectric power station: archaeological excavations in the planned reservoir area revealed evidence of life on the banks of the Daugava from the earliest inhabitants onwards.

The museum is located in the new manor house of Doles muiža (Dole Manor), in the middle of Doles sala (Dole Island), on the bank of the Sausā Daugava (Dry Daugava), opposite Ķekava. The house was built in 1898; in the 1920s it housed a primary school, and from 1954 it was the club of a fishermen's collective farm. The roots of the manor go back to the Jaundoles pils (New Dole Castle), built in the 14th century and destroyed in 1627.

The collection is devoted to the history of the Daugava and its surroundings, from the first inhabitants to the present day. The most valuable items are the collection of fishing equipment, including a unique tool for salmon and sturgeon fishing, photographs of trades on the Daugava, postcards and ethnographic objects.

Highlights

• Exhibition designed as the bends of the Daugava
• Open-air ethnographic farmstead “Mellupi” with four buildings
• Park exhibition of fishing equipment
• Ikšķile castle and church complex in the exhibition
• New manor house of Doles muiža from 1898

Permanent exhibitions

• Daugavas muzeja pastāvīgā ekspozīcija – The 176 m² exhibition in the manor house of Doles muiža is designed as the bends of the Daugava, each with its own theme. It tells the history of the Daugava and of the Salaspils area in the 19th and 20th centuries; interactive displays let visitors choose which history to explore.
• Brīvdabas etnogrāfiskā sēta „Mellupi” – The park displays the farmstead of a fishing family that lived in the lower reaches of the Daugava, with a residential house, cowshed, bathhouse, granary and a reconstruction of a salmon and lamprey fishing platform. It shows life at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
• Parka ekspozīcija – Fishing equipment is displayed in the manor park, including a unique tool for salmon and sturgeon fishing.

Founded

1969

Operated by

Salaspils novada pašvaldība

Admission & discounts

Families with three or more children enter free of charge.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The park has paths of compacted gravel. Access to the main exhibition is adapted as far as possible for wheelchair users, but the interiors of the buildings of the “Mellupi” farmstead are not accessible by wheelchair. The park has an adapted portable toilet. Visitors may enter the building with a guide dog or an assistance dog; if necessary, staff help to open the doors.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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