Riga Museum of History and Navigation (Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs)
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Founded at the end of the 18th century, the Riga Museum of History and Navigation is one of the oldest museums in Europe. Located in the former monastery of the Riga Dome Cathedral, the museum provides a fascinating insight into the social, economic and cultural history of Latvia's capital city and its surroundings, covering a period of about eight centuries.
The museum's numerous exhibit pieces include documents, maps, ancient curling tongs and powder-cases, as well as the 18th-century sword of the city executioner, which is displayed in a glass case alongside the well-preserved, severed hands of two unfortunate counterfeiters.
The valuable wooden sculpture entitled Madonna on the Crescent Moon is one of the finest examples of late Gothic art in the Baltic countries. It was recently returned to the museum after having been transported to Germany during the Second World War.
The museum's Column Hall (Kolonnu zāle), which once served as the municipal library, was built in the Classicist architectural style and houses a wide array of 18th and 19th-century artefacts, including an intricate, Empire-style wedding gown that will interest fashion history buffs.
The Silver Cabinet (Sudraba kabinets) is another highlight that further attests to the city's prosperous past, with about 300 objects made of precious metals between the 17th and 20th centuries, including goblets, crucifixes, cutlery, sugar bowls and punch spoons.
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