Expatiperro

We woke up our only morning in Riga to swirling skies, howling wind, and pelting, cold rain. Days like this make you want to stay in bed, but with only one day to spend exploring the capital of Latvia, we knew had to get out and do some sightseeing, weather be dammed. Armored up in multiple layers and waterproof jackets, Kyle and I marched out the door to battle the elements.

The weather suited the mood of our main destination of the day, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Like all the Baltic States (and much of Europe), Latvia was the victim of a series of invasions and occupations, starting in 1940 and not ending until 1991. The history is simultaneously fascinating, incredibly depressing, and nearly totally unknown in the US. In the years after WWI, the three Baltic States were some of the most developed in Europe, with democratically-elected governments and living standards on par with the Scandinavia countries. Unfortunately, they were located between two of the most powerful and bellicose countries in Europe, Germany and the USSR, and in the years immediately before WWII they essentially became their doormat. Germany gave control of the three Baltic States to the USSR (notwithstanding that at the time they were independent, autonomous countries); the USSR invaded and occupied them; Germany turned on the USSR and invaded the occupied territory; the USSR fought back and eventually took them back.

In the German and both Soviet occupation, the population was terrorized and many were deported en masse to concentration camps or Siberia. During the German occupation, he Jewish population on Lithuania, for example, went from nearly 200,000 to zero. The Russians, in just ONE YEAR, arrested and deported to Siberia nearly 10% of Latvia's population. Estonia suffered similar tragedies. In each of these three States, institutions were wiped out, and the intellectuals, scientists, teachers, and politicians were persecuted and killed, leaving just a shell of what each country used to be.

Given this history of repression and destruction, it's incredible that all three Baltic States emerged from the Soviet years as vibrant, active, and most importantly, historically aware places. Each capital city has its own museum dedicated to those years, and the one in Riga was arguably the best, with fabulous displays of original propaganda posters, artifacts from exiled Lativan in Siberia, and exhibits illumination many aspects of life under occupation. It's sobering and a bit depressing, absolutely. But there's no better way to appreciate your own freedom and fortune than seeing how others have had theirs taken away.