Last year marked Aspazija and Rainis' 150th birthday - the two are considered to be cornerstones of Latvian letters - and this year three of their memorial houses have been renovated, including Rainis' home in Tadenava, the Rainis and Aspazija summer house in Majori.
Upon entering the renovated house, you can hear soft piano music, street noises of the 1920s Rīga, a phone ringing and the shadow of Aspazija running on the wall – the designers aspired to create an authentic feeling at the museum.
"This is the furniture Aspazija bought after Rainis had died," said long-time museum head Gaida Jablovska, pointing towards the blue couch and the chairs.
This was the last residence of Rainis and Aspazija in Rīga, where Rainis resided until his death in 1929 and Aspazija until 1933. Part of the interior have been preserved, and part has been restored from photographs.
The once run-down house has regained a stately facade with shutters and gates from which Rainis can be seen passing in movie clips from the 20s. The second, smaller yard house will hold exhibitions and events, while the ground floor of the main house features a library with more than 6,000 books in 17 languages, with a computer and gloves placed in the corner for researchers.
A unique object – a card file by Rainis, reminiscent of the cabinet of Dainas (Latvian folk poetic forms) – will be on show for three weeks.
The museum will be open from September 10.
