Top 6 museums in Jurmala

Dubulti Art Station (Dubultu mākslas stacija)

This place is worth visiting for several reasons at once. You will see a unique architectural work of the modernist era, created by Igor Yavein in 1977. The station’s image is based on a giant reinforced concrete curve, referring to the shape of a sea wave. 

In 2015, the building was restored, and an exhibition hall was opened in the former train waiting room. The result is an original space with the railroad ticket office and free exhibitions in one room. The themes of the exhibitions can range from current political events to broader issues. For information about current events at the art station, please visit their Facebook page.  

The best way to learn about the history of Jūrmala, as well as to get to know the biographies of famous visitors and residents of the city, is to go to the central museum. There are about 20 art and cultural-historical exhibitions a year — a significant number for a relatively small museum. Connoisseurs of the work of the iconic Latvian poet Rainis will be interested to see the mesmerizing multimedia installation. 

The museum has a good souvenir shop. You can follow the current temporary exhibitions as well as cultural events and workshops on the museum’s Facebook page.

The exhibition is free of charge.

The current resort image of Jūrmala began to take shape around the middle of the XIX century, when wealthy people flocked to the coast of the Gulf of Riga. They actively bought land here, built rich mansions, as well as invested in the creation of infrastructure for treatment and recreation. Before the construction boom, Jūrmala consisted of small fishing villages — the long and narrow strip of land between the sea and the Lielupe River is very good for fishing.

The open-air museum tells about the life of Latvian fishermen, who settled along the sea coast, as well as along the banks of neighboring rivers. Here you will see: wooden dwelling houses, barns, sauna, smokehouse of XIX — early XX centuries. A significant part of the exposition is devoted to the collection of fishing boats, anchors and rope making accessories. 

The items and buildings were brought here from various fishing villages: Kauguri, Ragaciems, Engure.

For information about the events held at the museum, please visit the official Facebook page.

Entrance to the museum’s exposition is free of charge.

We also recommend visiting the Rainis and Aspasia Summer House at Pliekšāna iela 5/7, where you can see temporary exhibitions and beautiful wooden architecture. 

This small exhibition space is housed in a historic wooden building built in the 1920s. The house is set away from the hustle and bustle of the resort, but only a two-minute walk from Bulduri train station. New temporary exhibitions are regularly opened on the first floor, while the first floor features a permanent exhibition by the famous Latvian landscape painter Valdis Bušs. Art objects are also displayed in the surrounding garden.

Artist Vitaly Yermolayev invented and patented a special technique for creating paintings using luminous paint. The glow from his works comes from contact with soft ultraviolet light. But don’t worry, ultraviolet lamps are not of the bactericidal kind, which means they do not provoke various skin diseases. You can’t get tanned by lying under Vitaly’s works for a few hours.