On October 2, with the opening of the exhibition "Senators' Gifts to the Supreme Court Museum", the Supreme Court began its journey towards the 30th anniversary of the reconstituted Senate of Latvia, which will be celebrated a year later, on October 3, 2025.

During these years, more than 70 Senators have served in the Senate. Memories of them will remain not only in the Senate's decisions, but also in the Supreme Court Museum. Its collection contains interesting and valuable donations from former and current Senators, which testify to the times in which they worked, as well as to the Senators themselves as versatile individuals. Some of these gifts are on display in the exhibition.

The first exhibits come from Gvido Zemrībo, the first President of the restored Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia. These include a President’s bell of symbolic meaning, which he handed over to his successor Andris Guļāns in 1994, and the Collection of Laws 1918, including the Law on the Senate of Latvia, donated to the restored Senate.

Former Court’s President Andris Guļāns donated several gifts to the Museum, some of which are on display: a photograph from an international conference of judges from all over the world dressed in their official attire, a typewriter that had been in his office since his first day as a judge, history books about the Senate of Latvia, various awards and his father's wallet with a picture of the Palace of Justice.

The exhibits tell the story of the Senators' work – there is a plan of the distribution and examination of court cases in the Department of Criminal Cases, handwritten in a notebook by Pāvels Gruziņš in the 1990s, there are certificates of office and parts of official attire of Senators, special pens and photographs of historically significant court cases. Also, books by several Senators, both legal and autobiographical, are displayed.

Several Senators have donated significant awards that they received. For example, the Grand Medal of the Latvian Academy of Sciences by Kalvis Torgāns can be viewed.

Through their gifts, the Senators also reveal themselves as artistic persons – the exhibition features paintings by Zigmants Gencs and Jautrīte Briede, books of poetry and prose by Vilnis Vietnieks, photographs of the Barricades by Pāvels Gruziņš, a painted mug by Veronika Krūmiņa, a photo calendar by Zane Pētersone, etc.

The exhibition features items related to the life and work of Senators Andris Guļāns, Zigmants Gencs, Mārtiņš Dudelis, Zaiga Raupa, Fricis Jaunbelzējs, Rolands Krauze, Mārīte Zāģere, Pāvels Gruziņš, Ilze Skultāne, Jautrīte Briede, Veronika Krūmiņa, Dace Mita, Valda Eilande, Vilnis Vietnieks, Kalvis Torgāns, Marika Senkāne, Ivars Bičkovičs, Dzintra Balta, Ināra Garda, Zane Pētersone, etc.

 The exhibition "Senators' Gifts to the Supreme Court Museum" is open to visitors in the lobby of the Supreme Court. Other interested persons are welcome to make an appointment at the Division of Communication for visiting both the exhibition and the museum. The exhibition will be on display until October next year.

 

 

Information prepared by

Rasma Zvejniece, Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: +371 67020396, +371 28652211