Located in the courtyard of Pils iela 12 in Cēsis, which once housed the detention cells of the infamous Soviet "Cheka", a permanent exhibition titled "Burning Conscience" will be opened after many years of preparatory work by curator Elīna Kalniņa.
Devised in partnership with the Latvian Association of Politically Repressed Persons and artists Krists and Reinis Dzudzilo, the exposition focuses on events in Central Vidzeme (the former Cēsis District) between 1940 and 1957.
The exposition highlights the process of occupation and reveals the courage of the former inhabitants of the Cēsis district - the diverse forms of resistance to occupations (both Soviet and Nazi), tells the stories of individuals and records how the flame of Latvian independence was kept burning even in the worst of circumstances.
The curator of the exhibition, Elīna Kalniņa, sais: "It is about justice, honor, freedom, independence, democracy. In essence, the exposition will be a story about the significance of these values on an individual level and, therefore, on our consciences, and so the name of the exhibition is "Burning Conscience".
Several different languages will be available to visitors: Latvian, Russian, German and English.
The creation of the exhibition is supported by: the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the local municipalities covered by the subject matter.