About us
About the museum
The Gargždai Regional Museum is located in the Klaipėda District, an area distinguished by its unique historical and cultural identity. The district lies at the intersection of two ethnographic regions — Lithuania Minor and Samogitia, which has significantly shaped its heritage.
The museum presents a wide range of historical and cultural themes. The main museum building in Gargždai invites visitors to explore the history of the town of Gargždai and the surrounding region. It hosts the permanent exhibition “Interwar Gargždai, 1918–1939”, which highlights an important period in the town’s development.
Across the Klaipėda District, the Gargždai Regional Museum also curates and manages several branches and exhibitions. Visitors can explore the Agluonėnai Ethnographic Homestead, the Jonas Genys Windmill exhibition “The Story of the Giant of the Wind”, the Stagnai Chapel-Mausoleum, the Museum of Freedom Fights and Exile, the Memorial Museum of writer Ieva Simonaitytė, the Ethnographic Homestead of shipbuilder Jonas Gižas with the exhibition “Opening the Shipbuilder’s Chest…”, and the Jakai Radio Station exhibition.
The Gargždai Regional Museum is dedicated not only to preserving and presenting the cultural heritage of the region, but also to actively engaging visitors in the living experience of history.
The interwar Gargzdai 1918 – 1939
”There was a market square and a well for watering horses next to the church. Quite near, in the city center was a huge pond, which was surrounded by a trail and later by a sidewalk. People used to walk around the pond after worship (just like now in the theatre). In the evenings, the sidewalk was occupied by the youth. The shady pond and a mysterious trail attracted every resident. Here, there was always an uproar. Sometimes a bit muted, sometimes overly saturated, but the spirit was always there. (...)“ From a conversation between P. Dirgelė and J. Lankutis. 11th of June 1986.
Historically, Gargzdai was a border town for a long time. The culture was much different from Kaunas, the capital at the time since customs officers, wealthy shopkeepers, farmers and brook girls naturally created their own, slightly different traditions. How the residents of Gargždai carried out trade, what kind of transport rolled through the streets of the town, what celebrations were mentioned by the residents and many other “frozen” moments in time can be seen in the exhibition: "Interwar Gargzdai 1918 - 1939".
The presented exposition is the result of a project executed in 2014 – 2015. The purpose of the project was to renew and adapt the exposition ”The Images Of the Old City Gargzdai“ to different age groups. The Financial sources funding the project were the Lithuanian Culture Council and the Klaipeda district municipality. Everyone visiting the exhibition of the Gargždai Regional Museum ”Interwar Gargždai 1918-1939” will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about the longest surviving European border, about the intersection of two ethnographic regions, their differences and similarities and the history about the interwar period from Gargzdai to Lithuania and Europe‘s most important events in 1918-1939.
The exposition is adapted for both interactive cognition and more detailed exploration. Educational activities and specialized tours are offered for organized visitor groups.
We welcome you to visit!
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/DREAMWORKS/
Banishment and resistance in Klaipeda district
Museum of the History of Freedom Fights and Exile
During the time period of 1940-1953 Lithuania was sowed by death and loss. The occupant taken "harvest" - the grand banishment to Siberia and other remote regions of the USSR, the killing of innocent people, repression and the destruction of post-war resistance. The exposition on banishment and resistance in Klaipėda district is located in the museum's three building complex. It was formerly a German gendarmerie built in 1909. In the post-war period, the Priekule district security, and later the neighborhood settled there. In 2006 - the museum. The authentic structure and shape of the homestead has remained.
The stationary stand exhibit is located in the three main rooms of the building. In the first two rooms pictured is the post-war resistance struggle that took place in Klaipėda district. The northern part of our district operates Kardas selection of Žemaičių county partisan compounds – Žygimantas, Kaributas and Briedis order. The southwest of the district operates Butigeidis selection of partisan compounds – Rambynas order. The Iron Wolf platoon was operating in the neighboring area of Šilutė, but partisans originating from our area also fought there. The stationary stand exhibits the stages of the resistance, the fighting structure, the places in which the fighting took place, and the depicted freedom fighters and the liaison officers which can be seen in copies of pictures. There are also some original items found, donated or made according to the original specimen - a primus, found in the Aisenas Forest, near a former partisan bunker, a partisan commander's chair and a sleeve cap.
In the third room there is an exposition on exile. Approximately 2402 people were banished from the eleven elderships of Klaipėda district in 1941-1953. They were forced to live in unsuitable barracks and they were met with hard slave labor in the most remote regions of the USSR. Many people died in exile during this period as a result of burnout and disease in the North Snowy Mountains or in the salt deserts of the southern areas. Approximately 443 inhabitants of Klaipeda district were deported to the GULAG camps from 1940 to 1951. This can be said about the 1949–1953 time period when looking at the data from individual documents in the Museum‘s archive. More accurate information collected from five volumes of the Genocide Directory of the Lithuanian population is from the years 1940 to 1948.
The stands show the extent of exile in the Lithuania and Klaipėda region. It also shows how the deportees lived, worked, created, and protected their Lithuanian identity far from their homeland. You can see a variety of handcrafted items, household items, as well as a variety of documents. You can also hear stories not only about regular deportees, but also political prisoners. The material for exhibitions has been collected since 1997. This includes donated photos, items, documents and letters received from ex-political prisoners and exiles or from their loved ones.
A temporary prison of the NKVD-NKGB division of Priekule district was established in the basement of the museum in the postwar period. Now it’s a part of the exhibition. Vaulted ceilings, concrete floors, arched windows, red masonry and an interesting drainage system demonstrates the German domination period. The building itself, or rather, the complex of three buildings, is a typical late 19th-early 20th century East Prussian government building. It serves as an example of gendarmerie which almost didn’t survive in Minor Lithuania. It represents both East Prussian architecture and post-war historical events.
The outdoor exhibit consists of a garden hut where a morgue was built in the post-war period. There, the dead bodies of despised partisans were held locked overnight. Currently it is a chapel - a place of remembrance. Behind the chapel stands an exile wagon. It was made in 1944 Germany and was later used for deportation. Obtained from the Ministry of Culture, the wooden parts of the wagon were restored and the iron parts were kept original. Visitors can board the wagon and sit on the deckchairs; larger groups can test how many people are able to fit in the wagon. The story of the journey to exile being told is based on the memories of the deportees. The museum site has a mass grave of resistance. A memorial is erected there. The story about the stigma surrounding partisans, their burial, and the search for their post-war remains is told once again. There is a typical guerrilla bunker at the back of the site, which can also be observed and tested out. The visitors of the museum can not only learn about exile and resistance, but also about the past of Minor Lithuania. The homestead stands out from the rest of the buildings of its epoch and region due to its good condition showing a more or less authentic exterior, materials, structures and so on. Such special purpose buildings (the gendarmerie) have hardly survived in Minor Lithuania. Therefore, the museum complex is considered to be an uncommon relic of its era.
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/Fermentum-Tristique-Vehicula-22/
Ieva Simonaitytė - chronicler of Minor Lithuania
The permanent exhibition of the Ieva Simonaitytė Memorial Museum consists of two parts.
The first –(and the largest) part of the exposition consists of memorial rooms and the writer's authentic personal belongings which are stored and exhibited. The first room in the ground floor of the house has the dining environment of the 1970s: a large table covered by a tablecloth, chairs and dishes stored in a cupboard. The second room is the living room. It contains living room furniture: a rug, a cupboard with glazed shelves for souvenirs and books and a coffee table to put mugs on. You can see wall-hung paintings and writer's portraits as well as the saved fireplace with a low brick wall next to it. On the second floor of the house is the writer’s office - a desk, a sofa, a table, two armchairs and a bookcase with glazed shelves for books.
Another part of the exposition is on the ground floor of the house - a veranda where a literary exposition is set up. Here you can get acquainted with the most important facts about Ieva Simonaitytė's life, illustrated photos, documents, facsimiles of manuscripts. Also copies of the first editions of I. Simonaitytė's books which are on display.
Visitors can see I. Simonaitytė's typewriter: CONTINENTAL 340.
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/Copy-Of-Fermentum-Tristique-Vehicula2/
Klaipeda region farmer's homestead
The Agluonėnai Ethnographic Homestead complex consists of five buildings: decking (where most of the homestead events took place), barn (room for exhibitions, educational activities), basement ( an equipped lounge with fireplace), arbor (an outdoor exposition site) and the main dwelling house occupying the place of the homestead.
The house holds an authentic late 19th century exhibit interior the Lithuanian farmer lived in and his household and work tools. In the living part of the house, the kitchen, the entrance hall, the cold room exhibits the furniture and the household utensils of the last mistress Marė Vytienė and other items, work tools purchased or gifted by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages.
The left end of the house retains the authentic interior of the last part of the farmstead. The farmstead was the main family room. It was heated by a wood-burning stove. Near it was a bench. Here they used to eat, sleep, weave during the winter, spin and do other farm work. Relations with Germany led to the rapid spread of urban decor which was imported rather than self-made: polished furniture, purchased fabrics and so on. In the middle of the room - table, chairs, near the wall - hosts' beds, cradle, wardrobe. The only polychrome piece of furniture is a bright chest.
There is a variety of work tools (for carpentry, coopering, clog making, etc.) and household items (various forms of butter churners, mills, scales, etc.) which were purchased or donated by residents of the surrounding villages and are displayed in the cold room and in the backyard.
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/Fermentum-Tristique-Vehicula-1/
The Story of the Giant of the Wind: Jonas Genys’ Windmill
We invite you to visit the exhibition dedicated to the unique windmill that once stood in Kantvainiai. More than a hundred years ago, with its wide-sweeping sails greeting passers-by, Jonas Genys’ windmill gradually became a legend that continues to attract curious visitors today. The exhibition, located next to the Agluonėnai Ethnographic Homestead, tells the story of this remarkable “giant of the wind” — its uniqueness, its history of “exile,” and the destinies of its miller owners and local residents.
Jonas Genys’ windmill was renowned for its original engineering solutions. Unlike most traditional windmills, this 13-metre-high structure rotated its entire body to follow the direction of the wind, thanks to a system of wheels mounted on a circular rail. The wind was captured by a turbine known as the “wind rose,” while the sails were covered with wooden shutters rather than canvas, setting this mill apart from others. Records show that the windmill, renovated in 1912, continued grinding grain until the 1970s.
Later, the mill was dismantled and transported with the intention of reconstructing it for public display at the Lithuanian Ethnographic Museum in Rumšiškės. Unfortunately, this plan was never realized.
The dramatic history of this unique technical monument united the local community in an effort to recover surviving parts of the windmill. Today, these authentic elements are displayed in the new exhibition near the Agluonėnai Ethnographic Homestead.
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/VEJO-MILZINO-ISTORIJA-1/
Chapel–Mausoleum
(Stragnai II village, Priekulė eldership, Klaipėda District)
Welcome to a mysterious and atmospheric heritage site surrounded by the winding Minija River, natural beauty, legends, and unanswered historical questions. The Chapel–Mausoleum, standing on a hill east of Priekulė, is a monumental burial structure that has intrigued historians for years.
Built in a secluded location to avoid floods and noise, the chapel-mausoleum marks an important chapter in the history of the area and invites visitors to explore its architectural details, symbolic meaning, and the stories of the people connected to it. Learning about the surrounding region helps uncover the secrets of this unique site.
Step into a historical mystery and discover the past from a new perspective.
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/KOPLYCIA-MAUZOLIEJUS-2/
Jonas Gižas Ethnographic Homestead
The recently reconstructed Jonas Gižas Ethnographic Homestead in Dreverna has opened its doors to visitors. Museum exhibits telling the story of the shipbuilder’s craft, sailing boats, fishing methods, and the history and culture of the Lithuanian coastal region are displayed in the residential house. According to historians, the house may have been built in the second half of the 19th century. It is a traditional two-bay dwelling in which the shipbuilder Jonas Gižas’s daughter, Ieva Gižas, once lived.
At the same time, a barn was most likely built next to the house. After reconstruction, it has regained its pre-war appearance. Between the dwelling house and the barn stands a well with a sweep, while in the western part of the plot there is a wooden, plank-clad building with a double-pitched roof — the former workshop of Jonas Gižas, where he made ship models and kept his tools. Jonas Gižas usually built full-sized boats at his clients’ homesteads.
The historical exhibition “J. Gižas. Opening the Shipbuilder’s Chest…” consists of four main sections. Visual materials and exhibits are arranged in four small rooms of the residential house.
Upon entering the first room, visitors encounter Jonas Gižas’s chest and the tools used by the master craftsman. This is where the story of sailing boats of the Curonian Lagoon begins, introducing visitors to the shipbuilding craft and its technologies. The display includes Gižas’s tools and photographs illustrating the working process.
In the adjacent room, visitors learn how and with what kinds of boats fishing was carried out. This part of the exhibition focuses on flat-bottomed boats of the Curonian Lagoon and their various uses. The most valuable exhibits here are models of sailing boats: kurėnai, kiudelinės, bradinės, and venterinės boats, displayed together with fishing equipment.
The third room presents a fascinating story about the Wilhelm Canal and water-based transportation. At that time, fishermen living in remote areas transported hay and livestock by boat and even traveled to church by water. Through diagrams and photographs, visitors can discover how people moved along waterways and what means of transport they used.
The final part of the historical exhibition is the kitchen. Set up in a small room, it invites visitors to reflect on and imagine the daily life of a fisherman’s wife who remained on shore. Here, visitors can view everyday household items, furniture, and tableware. A significant number of the exhibits once belonged to the Gižas family.
Jakai Radio Station exhibition
Step into the past at the Jakai Exhibition, located in the historic Jakai Radio Station building, constructed in 1935. This striking building is one of the few remaining examples of interwar modernist architecture in the Klaipėda District and tells the story of an important chapter in Lithuania’s history — the integration of the Klaipėda Region into the country’s cultural and public life.
Inside the exhibition, visitors are invited to explore the fascinating evolution of radio and communication technology. Discover a rich collection of authentic objects, including radio receivers from different eras, gramophones, transistor radios, and various sound, measurement, and playback devices.
Listen to the sounds of the past, enjoy music from different periods, and experience how radio shaped everyday life, connected communities, and played a vital role in Lithuania’s historical development. The Jakai Exhibition offers a unique and immersive journey through sound, technology, and history — an engaging stop for curious travelers and families alike.
https://www.gargzdumuziejus.lt/apie-ekspozicija/ekspozicijos/Jaku-radijo-stotis/