Valmieras muzejs

About the museum

The origins of the Valmieras muzejs go back to the 1880s, when a history room with old objects and archaeological finds was set up in the house of the Valmieras Latviešu biedrība (Valmiera Latvian Society). The museum was officially opened in 1943, but the collection gathered over decades was lost in a fire in September 1944. The decision to found the Valmiera museum was taken in 1959, and this year is regarded as the founding year of the present museum.

The museum was first given rooms in the basement of the former State Bank, and in 1961 it was granted four rooms in the building on Varoņu laukums (today Bruņinieku iela 3). In the same year the first permanent exhibition opened. Today the museum operates in a complex of buildings from the 18th–21st centuries, reconstructed and restored, on the site of the ruins of the Valmiera Livonian Order castle. Its collection comprises about 70,000 items.

The museum has two permanent exhibitions. The exhibition “de Woldemer” introduces the earliest history of Valmiera and shows how the people of Valmiera lived from the 13th to the 18th century. The open collection “Mājā un sētā” (In the House and Farmstead) in the Izstāžu nams (Exhibition House) tells five stories about light, the pūrs (dowry chest), milk, bread and laundry in the Latvian cultural-historical farmstead. The museum also has the Maršnera nams (Maršner House) with a local history and visitor centre and a reading room, as well as the Garšaugu dārzs (Herb Garden) at 2 Pilskalna iela.

Highlights

• Exhibition “de Woldemer” on the history of Valmiera in the 13th–18th centuries
• Open collection “Mājā un sētā” (In the House and Farmstead)
• Museum complex on the site of the Livonian Order castle ruins
• Collection of about 70,000 items
• Herb garden and inner courtyard

Permanent exhibitions

• de Woldemer – Exhibition on the earliest history of the Valmiera castle and town and the life of the people of Valmiera from the 13th to the 18th century.
• Mājā un sētā – Open collection in the Izstāžu nams with five stories about light, dowry, milk, bread and laundry in the Latvian cultural-historical farmstead.

Founded

1959

Operated by

Valmieras novada pašvaldība

Admission & discounts

Prices are for the exhibition “de Woldemer”. Free admission also for pupils of educational institutions of Valmiera municipality, employees of other museums and ICOM members, politically repressed persons, media representatives and residents of Ukraine.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Wheelchair users can access the exhibition “de Woldemer”, the Izstāžu nams, the Maršner House, the museum's inner courtyard and the Herb Garden. The exhibition “de Woldemer” and the Izstāžu nams have lifts to the first floor and toilets for people with mobility restrictions; in the Maršner House a lift serves the plinth floor (cokolstāvs) and the reading room. The content of “de Woldemer” is partly adapted for people with visual impairments. There are chairs and benches in the exhibition and in the Izstāžu nams.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

In the exhibition “de Woldemer” the toilets have a baby changing table; visitors can move around the museum with pushchairs.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Plan your visit