ABOUT SALASPILS MEMORIAL

The Salaspils Memorial is located on the site of the Salaspils Camp, erected by the occupying Nazi regime and that was in operation from 1941-1944. The emotionally impressive ensemble was unveiled in 1967 during Soviet occupation and covers 25 hectares. The designers of this exemplar of modern architecture are architects Gunārs Asaris, Olģerts Ostenbergs, Ivars Strautmanis, Oļegs Zakamennijs and sculptors Ļevs Bukovskis, Oļegs Skarainis, Jānis Zariņš. The creators received the highest Soviet honour – the Lenin Award – in 1970. Today it is part of the cultural canon of Latvia.

THE EXPOSITION
The Salaspils Memorial exposition was created in 2017 and has been open to visitation since February 7 th 2018.
Its curator is the director of the Daugavas museum Zigmārs Gailis and its main authors are historian of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia Uldis Neiburgs, artist Ģirts Boronovskis and architect Līga Gaile.
The new exposition was created to dispel certain misconceptions about the history of both the Salaspils Camp and the Memorial. It provides visitors with information based on historical facts and the conclusions of the latest scientific studies, as well as information regarding the creation of the Memorial Ensemble, an object of architecture and design included in the Latvian Cultural Canon, from its conception as a project entered in a competition to its opening in 1967. Such information was not available in the Salaspils Memorial beforehand.
The new Salaspils Memorial exposition is located in several parts of the main memorial building. – the entrance gallery that is dedicated to the history of the Salaspils Camp and the creation of the Salaspils Memorial, as well as multiple objects in the memorial territory- a stand in the parking lot that provides information about events in the Salaspils County during World War II and the environmental object “Panorama” that is located on the so called “Road of Death”. Two information stands concerning the occupying regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union are located nearby. In addition to traditional expositional elements such as objects, documents, photos and models, a multimedia device allows visitors to watch videos where various inmates share their accounts on the Camp.

The information is available in Latvian, English and Russian.

Tours of the Salaspils Memorial Ensemble:

The tours involve historical accounts of both the Salaspils Memorial and the Salaspils Camp based on an exhibition opened in the Memorial in 2018. The thematic emphasis and the format of the tours is adjusted according to the interests and needs of the particular group. A tour lasts for about 60 minutes and is available in Latvian, Russian and English.

The tours need to be arranged in advance by calling the number 67216367 or
via email salaspils.memorials@gmail.com

*Guided excursions are available from March 31 to October 31

Foto: Inese Kupšāne, Māris Lapiņš, Jānis Riņķis – AS “Būvuzņēmums Restaurators”