Photo: Hugo.arg · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Kėdainių krašto muziejus

One of Lithuania's oldest regional museums, in the former Carmelite monastery, with exhibitions on the Radvila family, the poet Česlovas Milošas and the woodcarver Vincas Svirskis.

Opening hoursAdmission €3

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About the museum

The Kėdainių krašto muziejus (Kėdainiai Regional Museum) was founded in 1922 and is one of Lithuania's oldest regional museums. Its beginnings lie in about a thousand antiquities donated by the chairman of the county board, Vladas Rybelis; they were first shown in a display of only a few cabinets in library premises.

Between the wars the museum constantly lacked space; in 1937 it was taken over by the Kraštotyros draugija (Local Studies Society). During the Nazi occupation the collections were plundered, but part of the exhibits was saved. For many Soviet decades the museum operated in the building of the Janinos Monkutės-Marks muziejus-galerija (Janina Monkutė-Marks Museum-Gallery). In 1991 the local studies museum was reorganised into the Krašto muziejus (Regional Museum), with several memorial museums and galleries attached to it. Since 2000 the museum has been housed in the former Carmelite monastery building on Didžioji Street.

The exhibitions introduce the town's owners, the Radvila family; Kėdainiai's links with Europe in the 17th century; the multi-ethnic urban communities of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; the life and work of Česlovas Milošas; archaeological finds; and the works of the woodcarver Vincas Svirskis. At the end of 2023 the museum's collections held more than 57,000 items.

Highlights

Česlovas Milošas exhibition about the Nobel Prize laureate born in the Kėdainiai region
More than 20 crosses and roadside shrines by Vincas Svirskis
Interactive Radvila family tree and a model of Kėdainiai's Golden Age in the 17th century
19th-century furniture set made of antlers, awarded a gold medal at the Paris exhibition of 1900
Archaeology halls and a reconstructed monk's cell in the former Carmelite monastery

Permanent exhibitions

Česlovas Milošas – Kėdainių krašte gimęs genijus – Photographs, texts and videos present the life, work and connection with Lithuania of the Nobel Prize-winning poet.
Kėdainiai – daugiatautis Abiejų Tautų Respublikos miestas – The interactive model “Kėdainių aukso amžius XVII a. miesto gyventojų pasakojimuose” (“Kėdainiai's Golden Age in the Stories of 17th-Century Town Residents”) introduces the town's main sites through seven characters of the period.
Vinco Svirskio koplytstulpių ir kryžių ekspozicija – The museum's largest hall displays more than 20 works by the renowned self-taught woodcarver.

Founded: 1922
Operated by: Kėdainių rajono savivaldybės biudžetinė įstaiga
Director: Rimantas Žirgulis

Admission & discounts

Adults	€3
Reduced	€1.50Pupils, students, soldiers, members of the Riflemen's Union, pensioners up to 80, victims of occupations and freedom fighters
Children & teens	–Pre-school children visit free of charge.
Seniors	€1.50A 50% discount applies to pensioners up to 80; free from the age of 80.
Visitors with disabilities	freecompanion free · Persons with disabilities and one accompanying person visit free of charge.
Students & apprentices	€1.5050% discount for pupils and students.
Educational session	€3
Educational session with a tour	€4
Guide service around the Kėdainiai old town and district (group of up to 30 people, per hour)	€30

Free admission: On the last Sunday of every month, during the Kėdainiai town festival, on the European Museum Night and on International Tourism Day. From 1 September to 30 June, pupils of the schools of Kėdainiai district municipality visit free of charge on Wednesdays.

Prices are valid from 1 January 2024. Orphans, persons aged 80 and over, museum staff and ICOM members also visit free of charge.