"Ornaments of the Latvian Soul" exhibition opens in Munich

On Thursday 19 March, an exhibition dedicated to Latvian national costumes and the tradition of Song and Dance Celebration opened at the Museum Five Continents in Munich. The exhibition is entitled “Ornaments of the Latvian Soul  and it is part of the cultural programme of the Latvian EU Council Presidency.

The exhibition tells the story of the development of the Song and Dance Celebration tradition and of national costume as one of the forms of expressing national self-awareness. It consists of 26 groups of regional costumes from the Senā klēts national costume centre. The exhibition also features photographs, ethnographic and archaeological objects, Latvian ornaments and their explanations. Through audio-visual materials, the spectators get the opportunity to experience the togetherness of Latvian singing and dancing tradition in various times.

“This is the first exhibition of this kind that offers an insight into Latvia, the development of Latvian nation, traditions and folklore. We are delighted that this exposition will make Latvia’s name known in the world and in summer it will return to Riga,  says the project manager of the exhibition, Linda Rubena.

"Ornaments of the Latvian Soul". Photo: LNKC

Latvian Ambassador to Germany, Elita Kuzma, the director of the Munich Museum Five Continents, Dorothee Schäfer, the president of the Bavarian parliament, Barbara Stamm, the president of the Upper Bavarian government, Christoph Hillenbrand, as well as the director of the Latvian National Centre for Culture, Signe Pujāte, and Latvian MP, the Chair of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with Germany, Solvita Āboltiņa, took part at the opening of the exhibition.

“Today, a week-long cultural and political programme of the Latvian presidency ends in Bavaria. During this time, we have had the opportunity to present our culture in one of Germany’s politically and economically most important regions. We have established new contacts, started friendships and built new links between Latvia, Munich and Bavaria,  the Latvian Ambassador Elita Kuzma said during the opening of the exhibition.

“I am very delighted to open this exhibition, dedicated to Latvian national costumes and our Song and Dance Celebration, here in Bavaria where national traditions are highly valued,  she emphasised.

"Ornaments of the Latvian Soul". Photo: EU2015.LV

The exhibition is organised by the Latvian National Centre for Culture in cooperation with the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia, the National History Museum of Latvia, the Bank of Latvia, the National Library of Latvia and several regional museums.

The exhibition will be on display in Munich until 19 April. It will also be on show at the Neumünster Abbey in Luxembourg from 8 May to 7 June and at the Riga Art Space from 25 June to 30 August. The opening of the exposition in Riga will coincide with the start of the 8th Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival and it will be supplemented with Baltic and Scandinavian national costumes.

The “Ornaments of the Latvian Soul  exhibition forms part of the Latvian EU Council Presidency cultural programme whose main values are contemporaneity, uniqueness and excellence. The programme consists of almost 200 events worldwide, and is the largest presentation of Latvian cultural excellence abroad since the country regained its independence.