Mentzendorff’s House – Rigans’ 17th–18th century House-Museum invites to explore the permanent display and exhibitions!
The Mentzendorff’s House, a branch of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, with its 17th-18th cent. ambience is the only Museum of its kind in the Baltics and was opened to visitors on May 18, 1992.
The exposition is located in a house built in 1695, which until 1939 was a residential house with a shop and warehouse floors. The building was reborn under the care of the Polish restorers of “PKZ” and the architect Pēteris Blūms.
The Rigans’ House-Museum introduces visitors to a well-to-do Rigan’s traditional everyday culture. A significant part of the exhibition consists of unique 17th-18th cent. ceiling and wall paintings. Matching historical interior items from the collection of the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation create a peculiar character and mood for each room.
The historical basement vaults and the romantic attic accommodate exhibition halls.
The Museum is named after the family name of the last owners of the house, the merchants Mentzendorff. Around the turn of the 20th century, August Mentzendorff’s colonial goods shop offered to buy a variety of sought-after goods, such as spices, green and black tea, cigars, sweets, etc., including the best coffee in Riga. The house still has close ties with the descendants of the Mentzendorff family, who support various Museum activities.
