The Latvian National Museum of Natural History explores nature through collections of animals, fossils, plants and minerals. Its history reaches back to Riga’s nineteenth-century naturalists, whose specimens now support research, education and conservation.
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In 1895 a Riga merchant persuaded an ornithologist to sell a remarkable collection of birds. The specimens were unusual: many had colours or other traits that differed from those normally associated with their species. Paul Hoflinger then gave the collection to the Riga Naturalist Society for its fiftieth anniversary. The birds still belong to the Latvian National Museum of Natural History, where they are evidence of both biological variation and the people who chose to preserve it.
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- The museum traces its origins to the Riga Naturalist Society, founded in 1845.
- A collection of unusual birds assembled by Theodore Lorenz was donated to the society in 1895.
- The museum moved to Krišjāņa Barona iela 4 in 1951.
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