VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

Lithuanian Energy and Technology Museum (Lietuvos
Energetikos ir Technikos Muziejus) I-3, Rinktinės
2, tel. (+370) 5 278 20 85, www.emuziejus.lt. Housed
inside Vilnius’ first power station, built in 1903, this tremendous
museum is packed full of displays including a room full of old
cars and motorbikes, a fascinating collection of machines and
photographs dedicated to the post-war Soviet industrialisation
of the country and the history of Lithuanian manufacturing in
general plus, on the top floor, two rooms for children complete with
touch-screen displays and interactive games aimed at explaining
the basics of science, which is in English as well as Lithuanian.
Everything has been built around the old power plant turbines
and steam boilers, giving the place a really special atmosphere.
Highly recommended. QOpen 10:00 - 17:00, Thu 10:00 - 19:00.
Closed Mon, Sun. Admission 10/5Lt.
Lithuanian Radio & Television Museum (Lietuvos
Radijo ir Televizijos Muziejus) F-4, Konarskio 49 (inside
the LRT building), tel. (+370) 5 236 32 14, www.lrtc.lt. A
little gem of a corridor lined with several large, glass-fronted displays
showcasing the history of radio and television in Lithuania
from its inception through to the modern day. Among the old radio
sets, costumes and photographs of stars you won’t recognise
is a fabulous selection of things dedicated to the tragic events
of January 13, 1991, including the telephone used by Lithuanian
television bosses to communicate with the KGB and a video
camera complete with a smashed lens, courtesy of an unknown
Russian soldier who shot it with his rifle. Q Open by appointment
only. Admission free.
Lithuanian Theatre, Music & Cinema Museum (Lietuvos
Teatro, Muzikos ir Kino Muziejus) B-3, Vilniaus
41, tel. (+370) 5 262 24 06, www.ltmkm.lt. Originating in
1926 as a theatre museum and slowly collecting departments
and exhibits over the decades until it became what it is today,
this mildly interesting cultural diversion inside a glorious 18thcentury
former palace and theatre charts the Lithuanian history
of the three arts. Among several badly ventilated rooms full of
harmoniums, 19th-century theatre posters and recordings of
famous Lithuanian opera singers are one or two gems including
several displays given over to the life of the actress Unė Babickaitė
(aka. Une Baye or Bye, 1897-1961), who received a modicum
of cinematic success in the United States in the 1920s. The
museum also features several temporary exhibitions of painting
and photography. If you can prevent the old ladies who guard
the place from pestering you every couple of minutes you might
just find you enjoy this place. Entrance is around the back of the
building. QOpen 11:00 - 18:00, Sat 11:00 - 16:00. Closed Mon,
Sun.Admission 5/3Lt. J
Money Museum (Pinigų Muziejus) B-2, Totorių 2/8,
tel. (+370) 5 268 03 34/(+370) 5 268 00 77. Featuring five
small rooms on two floors celebrating the history of world and
Lithuanian money, despite the inclusion of lots of fancy interactive
bits and bobs and plenty of information in English, this relatively
new museum’s best attribute is the fact that it’s free to enter. If
money’s your hobby then there’s no doubt it’s worth a visit. If it
isn’t, then it probably isn’t. QOpen 10:00 - 19:00, Sat 11:00 -
18:00. Closed Mon, Sun. Admission free. J
National Art Gallery (Nacionalinė Dailės Galerija)
G-3, Konstitucijos 22, tel. (+370) 5 219 59 60, www.ndg.
lt. Found inside a renovated and enlarged building that once
housed the Museum of the Revolution of the Lithuanian Soviet
Socialist Republic, this bold endeavour showcases the work
of a multitude of artists of Lithuanian origin from the 20th and
21st century. Among the commendable cast of contributors,
examples on permanent display include work from a diverse
range of artists including the Jewish sculptor Jacques Lipchitz
(1891-1973) and the country’s most outstanding documentary
vilnius.inyourpocket.com
what to to see
Vilnius City Card
We’ve been delaying
writing
about the Vilnius
City Card
for a long time
now, based on
the simple fact
that it never really
offered value
for money,
a truth that’s no longer the case. Available from any
Tourist Information Centre in the city (see p.7) and
online via www.vilnius-tourism.lt, there are two different
types of card valid for either 24 hours (58Lt) or 72
hours (86Lt), both of which come with public transport,
with a further 24-hour version without public transport
for just 45Lt. The Vilnius City Card entitles holders
to all sorts of deals including free museum entry
and guided tours as well as discounts on a range of
things including concerts, meals in restaurants and
hotel bookings. Check the aforementioned website
for more detailed information.
photographer Antanas Sutkus (b. 1939). The museum is organised
to highlight particular styles, eras and political attitudes to
art in Lithuania under the numerous regimes of the past century
and also stages temporary exhibitions that are well worth visiting.
QOpen 12:00 - 19:00, Thu 13:00 - 20:00, Sun 12:00 - 17:00.
Closed Mon. Admission 6/3Lt.
National Museum (Lietuvos Nacionalinis Muziejus)
C-1, Arsenalo 1, tel. (+370) 5 262 94 26, www.lnm.lt.
Lithuania’s oldest museum, parts of the collection inside this
intriguing history lesson date back to the 13th century. On permanent
display are religious and secular items highlighting the
cultural and ethnographic life of the nation, including recreations
of traditional homesteads, clothing, paintings and much more.
Also to be found are some of the things unearthed in the mass
grave of Napoleonic soldiers nearby in 2001. The museum also
puts on temporary shows, of which some are truly outstanding.
A vital key for unlocking the secrets of the Lithuanian people.
Q Open 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue (until April 30). Open
10:00 - 17:00, Sun 10:00 - 15:00. Closed Mon (from May 1).
Admission 5/2Lt. J
Tuskulėnai Peace Park Memorial Complex
(Tuskulėnų Rimties Parko Memorialinis Kompleksas)
Žirmūnų 1f, tel. (+370) 5 275 07 04. Between
1944 and 1947 over 700 Lithuanians, Poles and Jews were
executed on this site by the forerunner to the KGB and buried
in what was at the time State-owned property in the grounds
of the 19th-century Tuskulėnų Dvaras manor house. In 1994
the remains of the bodies were discovered and the area has
since been turned into a memorial park. The park complex
comprises the manor house, the former stable building next
door that now houses an art gallery and the Secrets of
Tuskulėnai Manor exhibition, dedicated to both the history
of the estate and the crimes that took place there during
the Soviet occupation. The jewel in the crown however is the
columbarium (kolumbariumas), an extraordinary underground
burial chamber that’s more of a mass a mausoleum and where
the remains of the deceased are now kept. Tours in English
are available, and calling in advance to make sure everything’s
open is recommended. QOpen 09:00 - 16:00, Fri 09:00 -
15:00. Closed Sat, Sun. Exposition open 10:00 - 18:00, Sun
10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon, Tue. Also by appointment.
August - November 2012
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