War Museum, Riga

War Museum, Riga - darkometer rating : 4 - A well-established museum in the Old Town of Riga that presents the war history of Latvia (and the country has seen more than its fair share of wars over the centuries!). It's a classic war museum where artefacts (old weapons etc.) play a more important role than background information or interactive hi-tech. Fortunately, there's a certain focus on the 20th century, i.e. parts of history that are of more relevance to the dark tourist than the older ones. But the museum could do with catering for non-Latvian-speaking foreign visitors better. > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos What there is to see: The Riga war museum is housed in a massive old brick former powder tower from the 14th century and as such is quite a landmark to behold. Inside you find an old-fashioned kind of war museum, in terms of exhibition design, and also a bit of Soviet -era deja vu in that there are lots of museum wardens (mostly elderly ladies) who not only watch your every step intently but at times even follow you around! It might be a little disturbing to some visitors. Another aspect you quickly notice that is not exactly perfect is the fact that the texts in the museum are mostly in Latvian only. There are laminated sheets in several places that provide some translations into English, but these are a bit fiddly being chained to their boxes. And often they provide only part of the information, not full translations. But never mind. It's better than nothing. Apparently you can also hire audio guides or even go on a live guided tour.