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On 21 August, when the 20th anniversary of the de facto restoration of Latvia’s independence was celebrated, the Saeima opened its doors to visitors, and 2,399 persons took advantage of the opportunity to see the main building of the Saeima, its interior, the Plenary Chamber, representation rooms and exhibitions devoted to the anniversary.

On Sunday, visitors had a chance to see the exhibitions devoted to August 1991. Guests of the parliament could watch a video on the adoption of the Constitutional Law at the Supreme Council that took place 20 years ago; they could also watch video interviews with eyewitnesses of that time, including Anatolijs Gorbunovs, Dainis Īvāns, Juris Bojārs.

Visitors actively took part in a quiz containing questions about 21 August and the Latvian parliament. A total of 78 out of 454 quiz takers responded correctly to all 10 questions, 150 made one mistake, and 112 quiz takers made 2 mistakes.

Some quiz takers incorrectly replied that one needs to be 18 years old to be eligible to become an MP; actually, only those who are at least 21 years old can be candidates. Several quiz takers also incorrectly named Kurbads as the Latvian mythical hero who can be seen on the facade of the main building of the Saeima; in fact it is Lāčplēsis, the main character in the national epic, who is ensconced in the niche by the main entrance of the parliament building. Furthermore, some visitors thought that 100 members of the Supreme Council had voted for the de facto restoration of Latvia’s independence on 21 August 1991 when in reality this historic decision was adopted with 111 votes.

Before the celebration, the website devoted to the 21 August www.21augusts.lv was actively used, and in August it was visited by nearly 5,000 people daily. The website was consulted mainly in order to obtain information on the adoption of the Constitutional Law and its historic significance, as well as to view photos and videos reflecting the events of that time.

The website is available also in English and Russian, and its viewers have included people from the United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Sweden and other countries. It will continue to be maintained, and the interview series History of the Rebirth of Latvia will be supplemented by other unique video interviews with eyewitnesses of the events of 21 August 1991. Currently the website contains excerpts from 25 interviews.

The main building of the Saeima can be visited on weekdays by applying for a tour by telephoning +371 6708 7535 or by sending an application by e-mail at ekskursijas@saeima.lv.

Photos are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157627482032836/ 
Video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/user/SaeimaSAB#p/a/u/0/hZuPXBSlh3o
When using the material, please give credit to the Saeima.

Saeima Press Service