Ogre's Dawn

Starting August 8th, the Ogre History and Art Museum will host the exhibition “Ogre's Dawn”, dedicated to one of the less exhibited yet significant elements of the city's cultural and historical environment – the historical fence posts.

The exhibition highlights the development of Ogre as a resort town, starting from the second half of the 19th century, when the construction of summer cottages became a significant factor in urban development. Later, during the Soviet era, Ogre was transformed into an industrial center, altering its historical structure and architecture. However, despite the changes, historical fence posts have been preserved in many parts of the city – as evidence of old property boundaries, local craftsmen's skills, and owners' tastes.

In 2018, the Ogre Development Association identified historical summer cottages in Ogre and created several educational walking routes. In studying the urban environment, attention was drawn to fences – a small architectural form that marks the boundary between public and private spaces. These fences reveal decorative elements on the concrete post façades – ornaments, symbols, and patterns that contain both aesthetic and potentially historical messages. Often, a stylized sun is depicted on the fence posts. What might be the origin of this motif? Are the decorations merely aesthetic, or do they hold a deeper meaning?

Let us look at the origins of the city of Ogre and the state of Latvia – a time when the urban environment was still being formed. Perhaps, in these small forms where the practical and symbolic from the past converge, answers can be found to the questions of whether the romanticism born over a hundred years ago is still relevant today?

The exhibition will feature – original concrete fence posts found in the Ogre area, analog photographs of them in the urban environment, thematic expositions on their types, and manufacturing technology. The aim of the exhibition is to provide a historical insight and to inspire the idea of preserving and restoring the characteristic fences of the cultural and historical environment, thereby emphasizing the uniqueness of Ogre's urban landscape.

The exhibition “Ogre's Dawn” will be on display from August 8th to October 10th. On the opening day – free entry and the opportunity to create a unique concrete post imprint on a T-shirt. To participate, please bring your own T-shirt! 

The idea author and curator of the exhibition: Zigmārs Jauja

Project manager: Ilze Staģīte

Photographer: Zigmārs Jauja

Historical research and concrete post inspection in the urban environment were conducted by: Zigmārs Jauja and Uldis Apinis

Exhibition educational section artists: Signe Kraukle and Karīna Kēberga

Exhibition graphic publicity: Signe Kraukle, Zane Kalniņa

Drawings: Sarmīte Munde

Video story author: Pēteris Zilberts

Technology description: Laura Zunda-Poča

Concrete post measurements and drawings: Laura Zunda-Poča and Ilze Mekša

Newly cast concrete post at SIA “MT Sēta” production, Intars Sniedze

Ogre History and Art Museum working group: Jānis Ziņģītis, Elīna Cērpa, Laura Tuča, Māris Grosbahs, Nils Miķelsons and Guntars Andersons

The exhibition was made possible with financial support from the Ogre Municipality and the State Cultural Capital Fund, as well as technical support from the Ogre History and Art Museum, SIA “SND”, SIA “Parrot Telpa” and SIA “MT Sēta”. Special thanks to the Cinītis family, Jānis Balodis, Edīte Kalniņa, and all members of the Ogre Development Association and their family members for their support in creating the exhibition.