Jāņa Akuratera muzejs

About the museum

In 1933, to a design by the architect Verners Vitands, the poet Jānis Akuraters and his family built a wooden detached house in Torņakalns. Akuraters was the first laureate of the Tēvzemes balva (Fatherland Prize), and his house was a meeting place for writers, artists, musicians and actors.

The house preserves the mood of the creative intelligentsia of the 1930s. Biedermeier furniture from the mid-19th century, authentic objects and imitations made in the 1920s and 1930s coexist in a functionalist layout. Works by well-known Latvian artists hang on the walls: Niklāvs Strunke’s sketches of small Italian towns, a view of Old Riga painted by Oļģerts Saldavs, Oskars Kalējs’s landscapes, a portrait of the poet by Georgs Jānis Šenbergs and a painting by Voldemārs Tone showing Laima Akuratere.

The museum was founded in 1991. In 2016 the building was restored within a project financed by the European Economic Area financial mechanism. Visitors can look into the poet’s study, the bedrooms, the dining room, the kitchen and the fireplace room. For people with mobility impairments, the first-floor exhibition is accessible via a virtual guide on a tablet on the ground floor. Today the house is one of the cultural centres of Pārdaugava.

Highlights

• Authentically furnished 1930s rooms
• The poet’s study, fireplace room and the family’s living rooms
• Works by Latvian artists on the walls
• Virtual guide for the first-floor exhibition
• Functionalist layout with Biedermeier furniture

Permanent exhibition

• Jāņa Akuratera ģimenes māja – The poet’s study, bedrooms, dining room, kitchen and fireplace room are authentically furnished in the spirit of the 1930s, with works by Latvian artists on the walls.

Founded

1991

Operated by

Memoriālo muzeju apvienība

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On Jānis Akuraters’ birthday, 13 January, on the last Saturday of every month, on International Museum Day (18 May) and during the “Eiropas Muzeju nakts” (European Museum Night) from 19:00.

Free admission for pre-school children, orphans and children without parental care, staff of Latvian museums, ICOM and ICOMOS members, politically repressed persons, the group leader (guide) for a group of 20 or more visitors, and Ukrainian civilians who have left their country because of the war (on presentation of a card).

Accessibility

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

Visitors with functional impairments enter through the gate on Torņakalna Street, and the car can be parked in the museum courtyard. Assistance may be needed to climb the slope up to the entrance. There is a ramp at the veranda entrance. The first-floor exhibition can be viewed through a virtual guide (360° filmed projections) on a tablet on the ground floor. Visits should be booked in advance by phone on +371 6761 9934 or +371 2670 3293.

Kids & families

Family ticket and educational programmes for children and pupils.

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.

Plan your visit