RSU Anatomijas muzejs

About the museum

The Anatomy Museum of the Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte (Rīga Stradiņš University) is an unusual museum: a historic collection with a modern approach. It is based on the first teaching collection used for anatomy studies in Latvia, which was assembled in the 1920s and 1930s. The collection is housed in the anatomical theatre and for a hundred years has been an integral part of Latvian medical education. Today the museum is open to everyone, and the public can see what is usually seen only by anatomists or surgeons.

The museum’s collection holds several thousand unusual objects: specimens of normal and pathological human anatomy, embryology and teratology, comparative anatomy specimens, and extensive anthropological material from excavations and expeditions of the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition includes more than a thousand specimens preserved in fluid, bone preparations, corrosion casts, skin specimens with tattoos, around 250 anatomical models and photographic plates.

The most famous exhibit is the legend-shrouded skeleton of Lukstiņš. Teodors Lukstiņš (1898–1925) was the first person to donate his body voluntarily to the anatomical theatre, and his skeleton has been in the museum since 1925.

Highlights

• The historic anatomical theatre
• More than a thousand human and animal specimens preserved in fluid
• Corrosion casts with fine networks of blood vessels
• The Lukstiņš skeleton and a collection of around 600 skulls
• Tours in Latvian and English

Permanent exhibition

• Anatomijas muzeja pastāvīgā ekspozīcija – Human anatomy, embryology and pathology specimens, bone and corrosion preparations, anatomical models and the Lukstiņš skeleton in the anatomical theatre.

Operated by

Rīgas Stradiņa universitāte

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Thursdays from 18:00.

Free admission also for orphans, children without parental care, students of Latvian medical colleges and of the Latvijas Medicīnas akadēmija (Latvian Medical Academy), staff of Latvian museums, ICOM members, group leaders and citizens of Ukraine.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

The museum is accessible for people with disabilities: there is a lift, there are no steps at the entrance, and vehicles can drive right up to the museum.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 14+

• Family tours & workshops

The museum is intended for visitors aged 14 and over. The exhibition includes organs, body parts and embryos, including pathological specimens, so some younger children may be upset; children under 14 are advised to visit together with an adult.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

There is a bookshop in the museum.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit