RIGA - If you could travel back in time to the snowy, bitterly cold January of 1991, you would have seen a completely different Riga. It was transformed into a city spotted with little fires, sand bags, overturned trucks, wires and burning cars.
The 13th to the 27th of that important month were known as the Barricade days, a time when the nation banded together to form human shields to protect the areas and monuments deemed targets for OMON (Russian special military).
The radio tower on Zakusala and the international telephone exchange are the most famous examples. As Lithuania was cut off from telephone communication during this time, all outside phone calls had to be routed through Riga. The radio was also an important tool, calling people together and organizing shift schedules so those brave enough to stand the cold overnight didn't have to do so constantly.
A museum illustrating all the events during these days is the Barricade Museum. This little seen museum is tucked away on Kramu street right next to Rozengrals medieval restaurant. For the longest time, the museum was unmarked 's but with a new endowment, the museum has put up a sign in hopes of attracting more visitors. The move was prompted by successful attendance during the White Night, when thousands of museum goers were able to visit Riga's museums until 2 a.m.
The Barricade Museum (Barikazu Muzejs) pays tribute to the seven men who lost their lives during the events of those days.
Walk up the winding stairs to the second floor and open the door. More than likely, you'll be greeted by a surprised woman who was not expecting visitors (on a good day the museum sees about seven to 10 people).
However, I'd highly advise you to take advantage of the empty surroundings to fully soak in just how amazing this tiny museum is. Though just three rooms, the museum packs a punch about the 1991 Barricade Days. The museum also features artifacts, books and posters that were made to support the fight for independence during Soviet times.
Entering the first room you're greeted with the sight of a retro, homey living room, complete with an old TV set, dishes and magazines of the era. After you have finished browsing through the old Soviet textbooks and propaganda sitting on a shelf by the entrance, shuffle over to the side wall and look through the peepholes to catch a glimpse of some of the images forbidden during Soviet times.
Upon entering the second, dark room 's complete with a mock fire pit and barricades 's look out for the ominous man with the AK-47 hiding behind the door. This room replays the news broadcasts of the events of January 1991 so visitors can get the full picture of what happened the night of the OMON attacks on the Interior Ministry where five people, including a schoolboy and cameraman, were killed. Overall the museum is very well put together in a very natural, unmuseum-like setting that allows visitors to slowly soak in all the information and come out with a full understanding of how and why the events unfolded as they did.
The alarm was sounded by the Popular Front party on January 13 to begin building the barricades and organizing demonstrations attended by tens of thousands of people, and is most commonly when big events are held.
Throughout Latvia in the next two weeks, expect to see quite a few memorials popping up as well as events to commemorate the brave fight of so many to protect the nation's strategic points in the fight for freedom. o
For more information, visit
www.barikades.lv 
