Elvis Presley museum was founded in 1987, during Latvian Soviet period.The founder of the museum is well-known Latvian art and antiquities collector Valdis Freimantals.
Unfortunately,during the existence of museum, it had many times confronted with differently-minded people with soviet ideology.

„Elvis Presley changed the world . Before Elvis there was nothing”, said John Lennon .
For Soviet citizens Elvis was a ray of light , a symbol of freedom from the distant America .

In the early 80-ties Latvia’s SSR capital Riga was visited by group of American journalists . Pitt Anderson (19 -2015. ) and Valdis Freimantals (1943.) rashly seeking to meet them , Overcoming fear of the KGB . right on the street they song „That’s all right , mama ! ” for The guests from US . This street concert was immediately broadcasted on TV as a sensation Across all USA states TV programs . Americans until then could not even imagine that the Soviet Union had known about and loved Elvis Presley’s music / creation .
Whilst not arested , a few years later , Valdis Freimantals founded in Riga first Elvis Presley Museum throughout the territory of the USSR . Next year Elvis Presley museum in Riga will
Celebrate it’s 30-th anniversary . In the meantime , the museum has suffered the worst persecutions and repressions , without financial assistance from the state or cultural institutions responsible . Therefore , the Elvis Presley museum launched a collaboration with the legendary Latvian musician Austris Grasis (19 ) and a private Latvian Art Museum owner Raitis Cinks (1954.), Whom , within their capabilities , regularly provided moral and financial support .

At this moment , the museum is in need of resources to continue it’s existence . To raise funds we Offered Elvis fans his commemorative medals , made from either : porcelain , cooper , silver and gold . The medal 1987 were designed by the outstanding Latvian painter Miervaldis Polis (194 .) . As gratitude For the donations , the medal will be sent to donors , and their names will be published in Elvis Presley Museum yearbook and in private Latvian Art Museum websites : www.plmm.lv and www.l-mm.lv.

Elvis Presley museum asks to donate arts and music-related items ( sound boards , discs , paintings , books , musical instruments etc. ) for the expansion of the museum’s exibition.
The donated funds are intended for the restoration and improvement of the museum’s building . Similary , funds are also intended for maintenance and management .
Music and art brings nations together within common cultural process and contribute to maintaining peace in the World .

According to the founder of the museum Valdis Freimantals :
“I was carried away by the music of Elvis since I was young , I began collecting memorabilia and records . On the 16th August, 1977 I was replacing the windows at my house on 7th Liduma street, Riga, a news program broadcast the gutting news about the death of Elvis , I cried. This was the moment an idea of a museum to honour the memory of Elvis on this side of the Iron curtain. Since I was an enthusiastic motorcyclist, antique cars grabbed my attention as well . At that time many antique cars were restored at my house. Abrham Leibowitz spent 6 years restoring the french sports car “Amilcar Racer”. As well as Stalin’s sons Vasiliy’s car- Jaguar SS100 was restored at my home. To be able to buy 327 BMW cabrio, in the beggininng of the 1980’s I travelled to Moscow, it’s owner was the foundation layer for the soviet motorsports Sergey Vasilyevich Glazunov, he told me that on the premises of Lihachov automobile factory a Auto Union 16V racing car is kept, with which Bernd Rosenmeyer set many world speed records. By my recommendations the car was transferred to Riga for free, this way the Antique car club Riga, got this world-class historical relic car in their collection.

The first time the „Elvis Presley museum of Riga” was robbed in 1981, Stalin’s right hands Lawrentiy Beriya’s BMW-327 was amongst the stolen items, it used to be my favorite. This way the KGB tried to kill my passion for collecting. After five years of exhausting fighting I finally managed to spread the word of the robbery to Moscow which resulted in a court case. A total of 60’000USD worth of the museum’s collection was stolen. In 1986 the High court of Soviet Latvia ordered the Central Police bureau of Riga to pay 30’000USD to me, as a victim, for the loses he had encountered due to their actions. A person whose initials are V.G., a communist, the senior inspector of criminal investigation, was imprisoned for a few years.
On the eve of the same day I had received the aforementioned sum of 30’000 USD, two armed policemen dragged me out of my car, into a marked police vehicle and proceeded to strangle me. I was resisting. One of the kidnappers pulled out his service pistol, but the bullets intended for me, in the heat of the fight, wounded the policemen instead. By that time several patrol cars had pulled up, as well as an ambulance that was meant to carry away my dead body. There were too many witnesses by now. The two policemen with shot wounds were taken away on an ambulance. I was locked up in the basements of Police administration building for approximately, a week. The bag which contained part of the money that I had on me at the time of the kidnapping had vanished without a trace.

Elvis Presley museum was moved to much more spacious and publicly accessible premises in the center of Riga, in the building of Riga’s Latvian Society. Largest part of my collection was transferred to the new premises. In the exposition at the Elvis Presley museum of Riga, there were approximately 2000 paintings and 8000 collectible items and memorabilia.
On the night of the 18 February 1993 an aggressive raid, speculated, to have been carried out by the Special ops of the Republic of Latvia, was carried out on the building, causing bodily injuries to the guards, and threatening them with gunshots fired towards the ceiling as per eyewitness testimonies. Everything of any value, including records, vinyls, paintings, artwork, furniture and etc., were stolen and was distributed amongst Latvian prominences.
The value of the stolen items is 12’000’000 Euros.
Prosecutors Office of the Republic of Latvia, initiated a criminal procedure in 1998. The case has not moved forward since. Only one painting worth 14’000 USD has been recovered. We are in need of funding to speed up the process of recovery.
Elvis was the one who mildly shattered the communist ideology, and sowed doubts about the ideological and military strength. USSR “perestroika”- is an immediate success of Elvis – translated it means-”restructuring”.
This is why I appeal to all Elvis fans and fan clubs of the world to help us rebuild the exposition and materialize the Elvis museum in our beautiful country, Latvia.
I want the “Elvis Presley museum of Riga” to preserve the beauty of his music for the next generations.”

Helping us in finding sponsors would be appreciated, please send the donations to:

Bank: DNB
IBAN: RIKOLV2X
Account No: LV06RIKO0002013007435
Receiver: “Latviesu makslas muzejs”

Contact person: Ronalds Cinks Phone: +371 26440761