The round Powder Tower dates back to the 14th century and is the only survivor of the 18 original towers that punctuated the old city walls. Nine Russian cannonballs from 17th- and 18th-century assaults are embedded in its walls. In the past the museum has served as a gunpowder store, a prison, a torture chamber and a frat house. The museum details the political and military history of Latvia from medieval times to NATO and the present day.
Latvian War Museum
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Museum of the Barricades of 1991
0.22 MILES
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Nearby attractions
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The entire north side of Torņa iela is flanked by the custard-coloured 18th-century Jacob’s Barracks, inhabited by cafes and boutiques.
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A former tower hill, which used to be a part of the city wall, It is now the highest and arguably the most romantic feature of the park that runs along…
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Built into the city’s medieval walls in 1698 while the Swedes were in power, this arched gate is the only one left in Old Rīga. Set in the largest…
5. Statue of Rūdolfs Blaumanis
0.11 MILES
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6. Memorials to Victims of 20 January 1991
0.12 MILES
On 20 January 1991 Soviet riot police stormed the nearby Latvian interior ministry, killing five people. The stone slabs serve as a memorial to the…
0.13 MILES
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8. Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
0.16 MILES
This museum colourfully details Latvia’s Soviet and Nazi occupations between 1940 and 1991. Some of the exhibits are disturbing, including first-hand…
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