What the museum offers:
- In the museum’s exhibition hall, “Viļaka’s History Through the Ages”, visitors can explore a collection of coins covering the period from the 18th century to 2013, as well as Jānis Laicāns’ matchbox label collection.
- The museum’s collection is complemented by paintings donated by local artists V. Bukšs and N. Breikšs.
- The museum features a White Room, displaying portraits of the leaders of Viļaka’s religious congregations, religious artefacts and old spiritual books.
- The exhibition of old tools and household objects creates an authentic atmosphere of the past. Among the exhibits are traditional flax-processing tools, a wicker baby carriage and a hay rake, as well as other objects once used in everyday life.
- The museum regularly hosts art exhibitions, thematic exhibitions and temporary exhibitions.
- The museum offers guided tours of the town, including “Viļaka Through the Twists and Turns of History”, a tour of the National Partisan sites in the Stompaki Marshes, and a tour of the Livonian-period castle ruins on Viļaka Island.
- The museum offers various museum education programmes.
- An interesting and modern exhibition features Spravnika’s collection of Latvian bird eggs.
New digital exhibition
In 2025, a new addition to the permanent exhibition was created at Viļaka Museum, inviting visitors to explore the complex and heroic history of Northern Latgale. The new section combines the traditional museum exhibition with modern digital technologies, offering new insights into historical events and their echoes in the present day.
The central element is a digital exhibition dedicated to the National Partisan movement in Northern Latgale. Visitors have a unique opportunity to learn about the everyday life of the partisans in the Saliniņi partisan shelters in the Stompaki Marshes, discover the dramatic events of the Battle of Stompaki, and learn about the courageous men and women who fought for freedom.
Particularly valuable is the previously unpublished information about the events of World War II in Viļaka, which helps fill an important gap in understanding the region’s history. The exhibition also provides detailed information about the Holocaust of the Jewish community in Viļaka. At the new digital display, visitors can learn more about each family that was killed, including information based on their former residential addresses. This part of the exhibition is an important step towards acknowledging the truth of the past and preserving its memory.
The story of the National Partisan movement is further enriched with valuable testimonies, photographs and artefacts from the Battle of Stompaki. Visitors can also learn about sites of military heritage in Viļaka and its surrounding area.
One notable example is the Monument to the Freedom Fighters in Jaškova, which commemorates courage and perseverance. The monument was demolished during the Soviet period and restored in 1990. The exhibition also pays tribute to the stele dedicated to the recipients of the Lāčplēsis War Order, commemorating the heroes who sacrificed themselves for Latvia’s freedom.
