On 27 May at 17.00 on the Level 1 of the National Library of Latvia, you are welcome to the tour through the exhibition "B for Baroque" under the guidance of Deniss Hanovs, culturologist and co-author of the exhibition. The tour will be in English. Free entry.
An exhibition marking the 10th anniversary of the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation and the centenary of diplomatic relations between the US and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, is open at the Level 1 Atrium of the National Library of Latvia until 28 May 2022. It is based on people's stories, experiences and events the BAFF has helped to shape. The exhibition has been created by artist Alise Ķīnasta, and its creative idea is centered around a tree as a symbol of the BAFF and its diverse support and cooperation activities. Entrance is free.
On 8–10 June 2022, the National Library of Latvia (NLL) will host the international conference ELAG 2022, the leading conference in Europe on the use of information technology in libraries and other cultural heritage institutions.
The beloved Latvian broadcaster and television host Mārtiņš Ķibilds had before his death begun adapting his major documentary television series Keys. Treasures of Latvia's 100 Years' History (in Latvian – "Atslēgas. Gadsimta vēstures atradumi") into a book form. Through fifty exciting, factual, and accessible stories accompanied by a wealth of photographic material, the book will examine key events of the Latvian history from unusual perspectives, from 1918 until today. However, the world has changed while the book is being produced. Russia's war in Ukraine forced us to become witnesses to a shocking turn of events and compelled a twenty-first century reconsideration of statehood, unity, freedom, and the high price they demand. There are no immediate, obvious answers about how to go on living, but one might find a guiding light for the future by looking into the past. Mārtiņš Ķibilds would have said, "Whatever once was, will never come to an end." The book will be in Latvian, English, and Russian and is scheduled for launch in November 2022, at the National Library of Latvia (NLL).
An exhibition Awakening. The Story of the Herrnhutians will be open in the Level 5 Exhibition hall at the National Library of Latvia until 30 July 2023. The exhibition is one of the central events of the 500 Years of Latvian Books cycle in 2022, and the patron of the programme, the President of Latvia Egils Levits, has taken part in its opening. Entrance is free.
On 1–3 June 2023, the National Library of Latvia in collaboration with Faculty of Theology of the University of Latvia, Francke Foundations in Halle, Interdisciplinary Centre for Pietism Research at the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg organize the international conference "Baltic Mission? Halle Pietism and the Moravians in the Baltics in the long 18th century", with aim to address the fields of activity of Halle Pietism and the Moravians in the Baltic region and in Livonia in the 18th century from a comparative perspective. Call for papers until 26 August 2022.
An exhibition Witness to a Century. An Encounter with Valentīna Freimane, celebrating the renowned film and theatre researcher's centenary will be opened at 16.00 on 13 April. The exhibition will be open until 3 September; entrance is free.
The National Library of Latvia (NLL), also known as the Castle of Light (located at Mūkusalas iela 3, Rīga) invites Ukrainian people who have found their home in Latvia during the war. There is a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, light and warm premises, computers and the Internet, books, audio and video recordings, films, information about the collection and services, exhibitions, concerts and lectures, a meditation room, board games and creative activities for both adults and children, tours of the building, a beautiful panoramic view of Rīga, a book and souvenir shop, etc. Free entry.
From 1 April to 9 October 2022, the Level 1 exhibition hall of the National Library of Latvia (NLL) will host the B kā baroks (B for Baroque) exhibition, dedicated to seemingly forgotten but extremely important cultural heritage – the Baroque. Uncertainties in its periodisation, definition and regional variations in the history of the Baroque have stimulated a desire to understand the Baroque as a global cultural phenomenon of the 17th–18th centuries, disregarding borders as much as possible, catching sight of the forgotten, looking from unusual angles, searching for contexts, listening to alternative views, creating one's own version of what the Baroque is. Free admission.
