Country Summary for LATVIA

Definitions

'Cultural Monuments'—are a part of the cultural and historical heritage. (PCM § 1)

Cultural monuments shall be divided into the following typological groups:

(1) Archaeological monuments—including ancient dwelling sites, ancient burial sites, medieval and Early Modern Period cemeteries, ancient cult sites, ancient sites of economic activity, ancient sites of battles, ancient roads, structures of military nature, sunken ships and the cargoes thereof. Archaeological monuments may be located in the ground, above the ground or in the water;

(2) Architecture and urban construction monuments—including historical city centers, villages, gardens, parks, cultural and historical landscapes, manor development, folk construction objects, and buildings;

(3) Monuments of art—including sculptures, paintings, church installations, easel drawings, rare printed works, miniatures, water-color paintings, examples of applied, decorative arts (ceramic, glass, metal, wooden, stone, bone, leather, textile objects), cinema documents, photo-documents, video-documents, sound recordings, era and a certain locality of art;

(4) Industrial monuments—including buildings, structures, installations, articles and other objects of technical nature, which reflect the development of production, crafts, transport, agriculture and the development of the infrastructure of territories, as well as military history; and

(5) Sites of historical events—territories, buildings, and other objects related to important historical events or famous persons. (Reg. 474, Art. 4)

‘Immovable Cultural Monuments'—

(1) Individual objects—buildings, works of art, facilities and articles, individual burial sites; and

(2) Complex objects—archaeological sites, architectural ensembles and complexes, historical town centers, streets, squares, blocks, cultural layer, cemeteries, cultural and historical landscapes, memorial places, and historical places and territories. (PCM § 2)
‘Movable Cultural Monuments'—
(1) Individual objects—archaeological finds, antiquities, elements of immovable monuments, historical relics, works of art, manuscripts, rare printed matter, cinema documents, photo-documents and video-documents, phonograms;
(2) Complex objects—historically evolved complexes, holdings and collections of separate objects with an indivisible cultural and historical value; and
(3) Antiquities—objects created as a result of an intentional act of a human being; artifacts (for example jewelry, weapons, household objects, ceramic articles, and coins as intact objects or as fragments), which have been found in the ground, above the ground, or in water. (PCM § 2)

Registry

Cultural objects shall be subject to State registration irrespective of who owns, possesses, or utilizes them. State registration shall encompass assessment; inspection of monuments and determination of their historical, scientific, artistic, architectonic, archaeological, ethnographic, or other cultural value thereof; the geospatial data on immovable cultural monuments; as well as the inclusion thereof into the State information system, the State Protected Cultural Monuments Register. The State Protected Cultural Monuments Register shall be maintained and updated by the National Heritage Board. (2022 PCM § 12)

The National Heritage Board has the right to inspect objects that have cultural value to make a decision regarding the inclusion of such objects in the national register. (PCM § 13)

Lists of immovable cultural monuments shall be submitted to the Land Registry offices by the relevant regional office of the National Heritage Board. (PCM § 7)

Relevant State Agencies

The National Heritage Board (“Board”) is a direct administration institution subordinate to the Ministry of Culture that implements State control in cultural monument protection, performs survey and research of cultural heritage, and registration of monuments. The Cabinet shall approve the by-laws of the Board. (PCM § 26)

Protection, utilization, and restoration of cultural monuments shall be ensured by the Cabinet, which shall issue regulations that shall be implemented by the Board. (PCM § 5)

The Board may:

(1) verify compliance with legislative enactments regarding the protection of cultural monuments;

(2) bring an action to recover payment from any person who has caused harm to a cultural monument;

(3) examine antique and commission shops, art galleries and auctions to prevent illegal transactions with cultural monuments or, if necessary, take the monuments under State protection;

(4) carry out expert-examination of cultural monuments and issue permits for exportation thereof; and

(5) take part in the work of the customs service by controlling the legality of exportation of cultural monuments. (PCM § 26)