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Exhibition “Toy secrets at the Castle”
The exhibition is meant for both children and adults. While parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts can remember their childhood – admire dolls, bears and cars of their youth, children can play “Riču-raču” (a board game), walk the labyrinth, live the stories of well-known characters from children books – Pippi and Karlsson (A. Lindgren), Little devils (R. Blaumanis), Tom Thumb (A. Brigadere) and princesses.
There is a special showcase for gifts – everyone who wants to donate a gift (a certain toy) to the museum can do so by putting it in the showcase.
Brief insight into the history of toys in Latvia
Up to the 1930ies, the most beautiful and elegant toys in Latvia were brought in from abroad or custom-made. Children treated their toys with care, fixed them if it was necessary. Several generations could use the same toys over and over again.
The most famous toys factories in the world were The Lehmann Company, Kraus-Fandor and Margarete Steiff GmbH. Their toys have historical value nowadays and some of them are present in this exhibition.
In 1938, there were 17 toys factories in Latvia. They made toys from wood and cloth.
Due to World War Two, toy manufacturing was suspended in many countries (including Latvia). Children played with self-made toys: self-made rag dolls, wooden figures. Toys were expensive and rare in the post-war period as well.
In the 50ies, USSR picked up the production of celluloid toys, which were popular before the war. Factories made rubber dolls, which precisely reflected the most characteristic children hairstyles and clothes of that time. Painted papier-mâché horses with wheels were very popular.
The factory “Straume” produced mechanic toys – a doctor and a cook, which appeared in the store shelves in all of Latvia in the 1960ies. Clockwork toys – birds and animals – were among the most popular. Back then a new theme emerged in the toy world – space.
In the early 70ies, animated cartoons had the major influence on the production of toys. Famous Soviet cartoon heroes – crocodile Gena, Cheburashka, Karlsson and Buratino – were reproduced in toys.
Shops offered expensive toys working on batteries – dogs carrying suitcases, dolls pushing baby carriages etc.
Boys loved to play with weapons and military equipment.
Shops offered dolls dressed in different types of national costumes of Soviet peoples.
In the 80ies, the factory “Dobele” started to produce rubber toys, which became popular and demanded in all of the USSR.
At the exhibition it is also possible to see witnesses of ancient times – dices, which were popular during the Middle Ages, pipes, brummer etc.
Āraiši Museum - Park joined with the National History Museum of Latvia
On the 13th of March, at press conference in the Ministry of Culture it was officially declared that Museum Park of Āraiši joined with the National History Museum of Latvia. Minister of Culture Helēna Demakova, director of National History Museum of Latvia Arnis Radiņš and archeologists Jānis Apals and Zigrīda Apala participated in that press conference.
The Museum Park of Āraiši is the cultural-historical monument which is located in the district of Cēsis. The museum is the Lake Castle, which consists of reconstructions of buildings of Stone and Bronze Age where settlement of Latgalians in 9th – 11th century was. There are also ruins of medieval castle dated back to Livonian time. Up to now this museum park was managed by Lake Castle fund of Āraiši, but now the complex became a part of National History Museum of Latvia.
On the 2nd of January, 2008 according to the decision of Ministry of Culture a new department of archaeological museum park of Āraiši was organized within the National History Museum of Latvia. The head of department is an archeologist Anda Vilka. Now a full name of the museum park is Open-air archaeological museum of Āraši Lake Castle.
The Museum Park of Araiši joined the National history museum due to some reasons. First, it was not accredited as a museum. Secondly, reconstruction of buildings was used up and it was necessary to change and to restore some buildings, to preserve castle ruins as well as to conduct a number of other works, which the structure with the limited museum functions cannot carry out.
From 2008 till 2012 the National history museum of Latvia plans to finish the reconstruction and restoration of Lake Castle and to preserve medieval ruins and to provide accommodations for activities and offices for museum staff, to provide water supply and electricity; as well as to enlarge the exposition about archeological excavations in Araiši and to prepare different museum- pedagogical programs with contemporary interactive methods to study the history of Latvia. According to the plans, the museum park will receive the visitors during all the year.
The Museum Park of Āraiši is Jānis Apals’s creation and life-work. In Soviet Latvia a special attention was given to a study of the territory of ancient Latagalians. And archeologist Jānis Apals began to research the underwater archaeological monuments of Latvia.
In 1965 - 1969, 1975 - 1979 archaeological excavations were carried out in Araiši Lake Castle because the water level of the Araiši Lake was low enough. In the result of that excavations about 2 000 antiquities were found, which became the evidence about a way of life of Latgalians in the 9th – 11th centuries.
Reconstruction of Araiši Lake Castle was started in 1980. It became one of the most popular and attractive tourism objects in Latvia. Until 2007 Araiši Museum Park was under the jurisdiction of the Fund of Araiši Lake Castle, which was managed by the archeologist Jānis Apals - one of the founders of the European association of Open-air archaeological museums, and also one of the participants in the project of European cultural program “living archeology”.
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