Bobrovka museum and the preservation of the Latvian ethnocultural heritage

The article is devoted to the Bobrovka Museum in the Tarsky District of the Omsk Province. The museum is established in the town of compact residence of Latvians, and preserves the Latvian ethno-cultural heritage. The Bobrovka Museum has not been subjected to scientific research yet; hence, there is no information about it on Russian electronic resources about museums. The article follows three goals. The first goal is to describe the history and exposition of the Bobrovka Museum. The second is to determine the status of the Museum and its role in preserving the ethno-cultural heritage of Latvians. The third one is tofind important problems that interfere with its effective work. The author collected the materials for the article during the ethnographic study in Bobrovka village in 2023 and 2024. The article provides brief information about the number and history of the dispersal of Latvians in Russia. The subsequent information concerns the village of Bobrovka in the Tarsky district of the Omsk region. The article contains information about the founders of the Museum, its premises, and a detailed description of the museum displays. Information about the most valuable exhibits of the Bobrovka Museum is provided. The most important subjects of the history of Siberian Latvians described in the Bobrovka Museum are the hard work of Latvians and their ability to adapt to very difficult living conditions in Siberia. The Museum is faced with such problems as the lack of legal status, funding, and catalogue of the museum displays. The author concludes that the Bobrovka Museum preserves the historical and cultural heritage of Latvians, not only in Siberia and Russia, but also far beyond.