Latvia for the next 45 years. The peaceful Singing Revolution, starting in 1987, called for Baltic emancipation from Soviet rule and condemning the Communist regime's illegal takeover. It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990, and restoring "de facto" independence on 21 August 1991. Latvia is a democratic sovereign state, parliamentary republic and a very highly developed country according to the United Nations Human Development Index. Its capital Riga served as the European Capital of Culture in 2014. Latvian is the official language. Latvia is a unitary state, divided into
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia of Lenin. Until 1991 it served as a museum commemorating the Red Latvian Riflemen. However, planned reconstruction of the building, which began in the summer of 2018 after years of planning and negotiations, means that since November 2012 the museum is temporarily housed in Raiņa bulvāris 7 (Rainis Boulevard), the site of the former US Embassy, nearby the Freedom Monument. It is planned that the renovated museum building, dubbed "House For the Future" by its architect Gunnar Birkerts, will be completed in 2020. Museum of the Occupation of Latvia The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia () is a museum