Elektrum Museum of Energy in Ķegums is a place where history, technology and future vision meet. It is the only museum of its kind in Latvia that provides an opportunity to delve into Latvia's energy development, explore our industrial heritage and gain creative inspiration. The museum functions as a knowledge, continuing education and research centre, promoting the energy sector and fostering young people's interest in STEM subjects and engineering professions.

The museum was founded in 1995, and its collection houses more than 30,000 items – technological equipment, documents, photos and domestic electrical appliances that reveal Latvia's energy development from the beginnings of electrification to the present day. Of particular significance in the museum's collection is Eduards Kraucs' glass photonegative collection, which documents the construction of the Ķegums hydroelectric power station (1936-1940) and is included in the Latvian National Register of UNESCO's "Memory of the World" programme.

The open-air exposition showcases historic power plant turbines, transformers and other evidence of industrial heritage, whilst Interactive exhibits invite visitors to engage creatively – to operate and simulate the functioning of Ķegums HPP or to virtually participate in fish resource restoration.

In the museum, every visitor can:

• explore the Ķegums hydroelectric power station in an interactive model with educational games;
• discover energy generation in hydro, wind and solar power stations and thermal power plants;
• learn about electrical appliances used in Latvia in the 20th century, discovering the versatile applications of electricity in everyday life;
• view the most characteristic historic evidence of the power industry of Latvia.

While visiting the museum, you can use an audio guide with rich narration, view historical photos and newsreels, as well as participate in educational activities. The Elektrum Museum of Energy is not just a repository of historical evidence – it is a centre of knowledge and inspiration, which strengthens the connection between past and future, preserves unique industrial heritage and serves as an important partner in educating young people in STEM fields.

The Museum of Energy promotes public understanding of Latvia's energy history and the development of the Latvenergo Group, whilst encouraging young people's interest in technology, physics and engineering sciences. In accordance with the corporate social responsibility practices of international energy supply companies, the museum documents, promotes and preserves nationally and internationally recognised energy heritage for future generations.

* To visit the museum in person, we invite you to complete the application form 
 and purchase tickets at least two working days before your planned visit

The Museum's of Energy collection has housed more than 30,000 historical items telling the story of development of Electrical Power Engineering in Latvia and the history of the Latvenergo Group. The repository provides an opportunity to discover how technologies, working methods and infrastructure have evolved over the centuries, as well as offering insight into the daily work of energy specialists.

When visiting the repository, you can view unique exhibits, including an ancient Liepāja street lighting lantern. Also featured are electricians' tools, measuring devices, instruments, an extensive collection of insulators, diverse communication and electrical equipment, fragments of dispatch control schemes, as well as the control panels from the Valmiera high-voltage substation.

In the repository, visitors can examine more than 500 electricity meters, which showcase their development in Latvia from the early 20th century to the present day. Here visitors can also view Latvia's first registered electric road vehicle – FIAT Fiorino Elettrico, a transformer manufactured at the VEF factory in the 1930s and numerous electrical appliances used in everyday life. The museum collection also includes art objects, featuring paintings by Arijs Skride and Anšlavs Eglītis. In the repository, visitors can view photographer Eduards Kraucs' original glass photonegatives and photo albums that document the construction of Ķegums power station from 1936 to 1940.

The collection is also available at energetikasmuzejs.lv, allowing visitors to digitally explore the energy heritage.

The museum exhibition tells about Latvia's energy history – from the first electric light bulb to the commencement of operations at Ķegums HPP and Latvenergo's growth, becoming the most significant energy supply company in the Baltic states. In the open-air exhibition, visitors can view Ķegums HPP and Pļaviņas HPP turbines, the AEG transformer used at Bolderāja substation, the 1905 Riga electrical grid transformer substation and other historic technological equipment.

The interactive exhibits invite visitors to engage creatively and learn about environmentally friendly energy generation. For example, in the exhibit "Electricity in the City" visitors can simulate a city's electricity supply using wind energy and solar panels, as well as electricity generated by hydroelectric and thermal power stations. Meanwhile, in the interactive model of Ķegums HPP visitors can explore power station operations and simulate plant start-up, while educational video stories showcase Latvenergo's fish resource restoration projects, allowing virtual participation in habitat and migration improvement.

Visitors also have the opportunity to use an audio guide to learn about Latvia's energy history, the growth of the Latvenergo Group and the museum's unique exhibits. For people with mobility impairments, the audio guide also offers a view of the exhibition of electrical appliances used in the 20th century "Electricity Does Everything!" located on the 2nd floor of the museum.

Special offer for pupil groups!

When going on excursions or attending educational classes at the Energy Museum in Ķegums, groups of schoolchildren are offered a great opportunity to ride an electric train. The railway passenger carrier Vivi offers a 50% discount on train tickets (one-way or return) from any railway station to Ķegums throughout the school year.

The "Electricity Does Everything" exhibition showcases electrical appliances used in Latvian households during the 20^th century, revealing everyday life from the past and the versatile applications of electricity.

Do you remember the first television, vacuum cleaner, washing machine or refrigerator purchased by your family? The exhibition allows you to trace the development of electricity consumption and how safety warnings were previously given when working with electrical appliances. Visitors can view the most interesting household electrical appliances from the 20^th century, unique prepay electricity meters that operated similarly to telephone booths, old electricity payment receipts and bills, as well as various posters, including electrical safety posters created by artist Juris Dimiters in the 1990s.

The collection "The Construction Process of the Ķegums Power Station (1936-1940)" with photo negatives and glass plates by Eduards Kraucs (1898-1977), a Latvian photographer and documentary filmmaker, was included in the Latvian National Register of UNESCO's "Memory of the World" programme in 2009.

1,736 collection photos create an impression of the construction of Ķegums HPP, giving viewers a sense of presence both in the heart of the power station – the machine hall and control panel, as well as allowing them to experience the contemporary dynamics of the Daugava waters, technologies and human values. Eduards Kraucs' collection is the only known photographic documentation of such a large-scale construction project in Europe.

In the digital exhibition "Ķegums Hydroelectric Power Station in Eduards Kraucs' Photographs" you can view the most outstanding photos by Eduards Kraucs documenting the creation of Ķegums HPP more than 86 years ago. The photographic narrative is supplemented with fascinating facts from the Ķegums HPP construction diaries, as well as information about outstanding Latvia's engineers who organised and led the construction of the power station.

Those interested can view the digital exhibition at http://energetikasmantojums.lv/

Similarly, at energetikasmuzejs.lv you can view all 1,736 photos taken by Eduards Kraucs of the Ķegums HPP construction, captured between August 1936 and July 1940 here.