About us

Kėdainiai Regional Museum – one of the oldest in Lithuania – was established in 1922. The expositions of the Museum and its branches tell about the life of the private Kėdainiai town of the 15th–19th centuries, its national communities of Lithuanians, Poles, Scots, Germans, Jews and Russians as well as confessional communities of the Reformers, Lutherans, Catholics, Arians, Orthodox and Jews.

Only in Kėdainiai Regional Museum and its branches visitors can see the unique furniture made of horns from Apytalaukis manor of counts Zabiełło, a collection of crosses of most famous artist Vincas Svirskis in a former Carmelite monastery, a mausoleum of the Dukes Radziwills and their unique sarcophaguses in the Reformed Church, get acquainted with history of the Jewish community and the Holocaust in the Multicultural Centre, established in a former small winter synagogue, feel the spirit of the 1863 uprising in a former manor of barons Szyłłing in Paberžė.

Multicultural Centre, Old Market Square 12, Kėdainiai, LT-57247, tel. (8-347) 51778, e-mail daugiakulturis@gmail.com

The Multicultural Centre, that was opened in 2002, is established in a restored former small winter synagogue of the 19th century. In the Centre there is an exposition ‘Fellow citizens, we had lost’ about Kėdainiai Jewish community and the Holocaust. The Multicultural Centre organizes various cultural events, concerts of jazz and professional music, exhibitions and seminars, as well as educational and club activity.

Mausoleum of the Dukes Radziwiłłs in the Reformed Church, Senoji st. 1, Kėdainiai, tel. +370 347 53685

It is the first gravesite of the 17th century of the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, established in one of the oldest and biggest Protestant churches in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and restored in 2001. In the Mausoleum there are 6 unique monuments of national significance of art of the 17th century – sarcophaguses of Dukes Christopher the Thunder (1547–1603), Janusz (1612-1655), Mikołaj (1610–1611), Jerzy (1616–1617), Stefan (1624–1624) and Elzbieta (1622–1626) the Radziwiłłs. Sarcophaguses of Christopher Radziwiłł the Thunder and his grandchildren are of the Renaissance style, made of tin and the luxurious sarcophagus of Janusz Radziwiłł is of Baroque style and is made of copper and brass plates, gold-plated rivets and silver-plates. The author of this sarcophagus was a famous goldsmith of Torun, the kings’ Władysław and Jan Kazimierz Vaza servitor Johann Christian Bierpfaff (about 1600–about1680).

The exposition in the Church tells history about Kėdainiai Reformed Church, buried family members of the Dukes Radziwiłłs and restoration of the sarcophaguses.

 

Museum of the 1863 uprising, Paberžė village, Gudžiūnai, Kėdainiai district, tel. + 370 645 12407, e-mail muziejus1863@gmail.com

The unique museum in Lithuania, dedicated to the 1863 uprising, is established in a former manor of Barons Szyłłing, who were supporters of the uprising in Paberžė and where parson Antanas Mackevičius with his men were the first in Lithuania, who actively supported uprising that started in Poland in January, 1863. The Museums exposition reveals the reasons of the uprising, its course, insurgents, results and history of the manor. In order to properly present visitors with the uprising, the base of the exposition is a combination of red and white colors and an aspect of duplexity. These colors symbolize the main groups of insurgents – the reds and the whites. The reds are citizens of democratic view, mostly of them peasants. The whites are noblemen of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Poland. In some spaces of the exposition there also is a dark grey color representing the third side of the uprising, the tsar Russia. At the end of the exposition, a visitor gets into quite different expositional space – presentation of the oil lamps. The exposition consists of oil lamps, collected and restored by Kėdainiai Regional Museum. The exposition also presents an inventor of the oil lamps, supporter of the 1863 uprising Ignacy Łukasiewicz.

Museum of Wooden Sculptures by Vytautas Ulevičius, J.Basanavičiaus st. 36 (1st floor), Kėdainiai, LT-57177

The Museum was established in Kėdainiai district municipality building, in 2004. The exposition consists of more than 50 art works, created by famous artist, a resident of Krakės (Kėdainiai district) Vytautas Ulevičius (born in 1934).

The Arnets House, Radvilų st.21, Kėdainiai, LT-57254

The Arnet’s House is a material heritage of the Scottish community that lived in Kėdainiai in the 17th–18th centuries. The House, built by a Scot merchant John Arnet, is situated next to the Big Market Square – the main market place at this time. By the square there lived a large and influential community of the Scottish reformers.

The House is a sample of the townish residential architecture of the 18th–19th centuries with survived authentical plan of exterior and interior. Beneath the House there is a large vaulted cellar and in the first floor, next to the cupola shaped chimney, a vaulted room for a toilet, so-called ‘luftcloset’, is the lonely room of such purpose in a residential house, survived in the ancient houses in Lithuania.

The Arnet’s House is a sample of the townish residential architecture of the 18th–19th centuries, that during the period of 350 years bypassed large changeovers, reconstructions and readjustments. In Lithuania, there are no more such houses with survived authentic plan of exterior and interior as well as elements of decoration. Therefore, the House is a unique monument and valuable objetc of tourism. Its Scottish origin gives the House some exotic and attraction. The House was also a presbytery of the Reformed Church and a meeting place for priests. The House is an architectural monument, protected by the state.

In 2014–2015 it is planned to establish in the building a multifunctional centre representing the townish culture of the 17th–19th centuries and traditional crafts.

The Arnet’s House belongs to Kėdainiai Regional Museum. Its functions, as one of the Museum departments, will be as follows:

  • Research of archaeological, written and iconographic sources about Kėdainiai town;
  • Educative activity of the town culture;
  • Organization of events related with promotion of the townish culture;
  • Creation and implementation of programs related with youth occupation and socialization;
  • Organization of conferences;
  • Organization of purposive educative and culture popularization events;
  • Organization of meetings for clubs related with research of the town history and popularization;
  • The research centre of the medieval Kėdainiai culture and history;
  • Demonstration and teaching of traditional crafts.

The reconstructed House will be a place for reception and informal communication in the historical environment for town’s guests’ delegations, tourists, youth organizations and citizens. This project will help to preserve and recreate the authentic environment of the 17th–19th centuries, representing not only the theoretical cultural heritage of Kėdainiai, but also illustrating it in the material.