Virtual Exhibitions

Algirdas Žukauskas’ photographs of Soviet Kaunas: from streets of the old town to industrial areas

Photographs by Algirdas Žukauskas comprise the largest one author’s collection housed at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art. Black and white, colour images, negatives, slides and other exhibits (more than 52,000 pieces) were taken in between the 1960s and the 1980s. In 2003, a short time before his death, the author donated all his photographic legacy to the museum.

A. Žukauskas was born on 20 May 1925 in Kaunas and lived in this city throughout all his life. He never studied photography but devoted his entire activity to this kind of art. In order to be officially engaged in photography, like other photographers of the Soviet-era, he had to be employed in a state institution or become a member of an official organization. A. Žukauskas joined the Lithuanian Union of Art Photographers and worked at several public organizations. One of his workplaces was a photo studio “Pažanga” (Progress) in Laisvės avenue, not far from the St. Michael the Archangel’s (or the Garrison) Church. Apart from taking portrait or group photographs, his main duty was that of a press-photographer in the editorial office of the Association of Household Service enterprises “Aušra” (Daybreak). This was a rather active occupation, he had to submit a large number of photographs to be selected for weekly publications.

The museum’s collection consists mainly of photographs and negatives taken for the newspaper “Už gražią buitį” (For the Beautiful Household): factories, enterprises, employers and employees, advanced workers or winners of socialist competitions. There are also numerous photographs featuring stores, restaurants, cafes, offices including their personnel, buyers or customers. One more group of photographic images presents various city or factory events, fairs, competitions, sports festivals, Soviet feast parades, arrivals of delegations, meetings, etc.

This virtual exhibition reflects the city of Kaunas of the Soviet period – public or administrative buildings under construction or newly built, new apartment districts. The city’s daily life will surely draw attention: images of the old town of Kaunas, new areas, streets, squares, characteristic buildings, signboards of various institutions, shop-windows, billboards, monuments, sculptures, bas-reliefs, green areas of the town, street illumination, fountains, and, of course, passers-by, their clothing, public and private transport, and a great many of more or less noticeable signs of the time.

Prepared by Aidas Kulbokas

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ANGELS AS AN OLD FOLK SCULPTURE

Self-taught village craftsmen created sculptures of various saints in the fifties of the 20th century. They were usually placed on country roads, chapels, built in homesteads or cemeteries, decorated in churches. Over time, the interior of the churches changed, the chapels collapsed, and the sculptures were preserved at home. Pranas Genys the first founder of Samogitian museum „Alka“ traveled around Samogitia and collected exhibits and donations for the museum. After World War II, the collection of folk art was supplemented with exhibits collected during expeditions and donated by individuals. Thus, the accumulation of collection started of various sacred sculptures. There are about eighty sculptures of angels as they place special meaning in the museum. Samogitians believed that each person has their own guardian angel, who accompanies him for life. Sculptures of angels are usually components of Pieta, St. Isidor, or St. Rocco. They are usually flying, kneeling, standing, piously placing their hands on their chests or holding a candle in their hands angels complemented and visually enhanced the entire composition of the chapel. The oldest sculpture of the collection in the museum is "Angel" made in 1704. Another sculpture of an angel by the same master without a marked date was probably created in the same year. Both sculptures stood in the chapel of Patausalė (Telšiai district), which was demolished after 1863 uprising. Most of the sculptures in the collection date back in the first decades of the 19th-20th century. Among many names of sculpture masters, there are just a few that are known such as Kazimieras Mockus, Kazys Varnelis, Adomas Einikis, Vaitkus.

The exhibition is organized by senior museum specialist Vida Rimkuvienė and museum digitising specialist Loreta Norvaišienė

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Birzai land churches

In this virtual exhibition are presented churches photos by Petras Loceris, Jonas Daubaras and other photographers.

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Book-Smuggler, Lithuanian Army Officer, and Deportee: Story of Kumečiai-Dovydaičiai Family

This exhibition stand tells a story of one Lithuanian family during periods of national revival, re-establishment of the State, and Lithuania’s occupations.
Various moments from Kumečiai-Dovydaičiai family’s life were captured in photographs. These pictures reflect not only the fate of Kumečiai-Dovydaičiai but also illustrate similar fortunes of many more Lithuanian families during the period from the late 19th century to the 20th century. The content of the exhibition was provided by librarian Rita Reda Dovydaitytė-Dagienė, the inheritor of family’s archive. Jonas Kumetis, book-smuggler, was her grandfather, Pijus Dovydaitis, Lithuanian Army officer and deportee, was her father, and Julija Kumetytė-Dovydaitienė, activist, was her mother.

Jonas Kumetis (1850-1924) was long-serving organist and choir leader at Veliuona church, folklore collector, and book-smuggler at the time of Lithuanian press ban. He was persecuted by the authorities of the Russian Empire for his documentation of Lithuanian folk songs. With his second wife Juzeta Safrončikaitė-Kumetienė (1880-1943) he had three daughters, Julija (mentioned below), Aniceta, and Adelė.

Pijus Dovydaitis (1898-1983) was Lithuanian army volunteer, participant of the Lithuanian Wars of Independence (1918-1920). In 1928 he married Julija Kumetytė, daughter of Jonas Kumetis. In 1941 he was arrested as political prisoner, jailed at Gorky (nowadays - Nizhny Novgorod) city prison, and sentenced to 10 years at Unzhensk forced labour camp. After finishing his sentence he was deported to "home for invalids" at Kemerovo Oblast Izhmorky District. He was allowed to return to Lithuania only in 1954. With his wife Julija Kumetytė-Dovydaitiene he had two daughters, Asta and Rita Reda.

Dovydaičiai is an old family of Suvalkija region farmers, coming from Runkiai village, Višakio Rūda volost, Marijampolė County. Known history of the family reaches the early 19th century. Motiejus Dovydaitis, father of Dovydaičiai family, and Marijona Bunkartaitė-Dovydaitienė, mother of the family, brought up seven children, Pranas (the signatory of the 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania), Juozas, Antanas, Pijus (mentioned above), Vincas, Magdalena, Jonas, and Jurgis.

Julija Kumetytė-Dovydaitienė (1903-1973) was singer at the choir "Daina", active member of Lithuanian Grand Duchess Birutė Officers Families’ Women’s Union. Until 1933 economic crisis she worked at post office. After the World War II while trying to survive she sold families’ assets and shipped food as well as various other items for her husband in labour camp. In 1948 she was forced to hide in order to avoid being deported herself. The property of her family was expropriated by the Soviet authorities.

Written by:
Renata Perlibaitė, Senior Museum Specialist at the Open-Air Museum of Lithuania

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Built and Renewed Churches of Samogitian Diocese during the Period of Bishop Motiejus Valančius

During the period when Motiejus Valančius was a bishop (1850–1875) the Samogitian Diocese covered the greater part of the present day Lithuania, only with the exceptions of Vilnius Region, Suvalkija, Dzūkija and Catholic churches of Curland Guvernorate. In 1860 the Samogitian Diocese consisted of 306 parishes. Initially the centre of Diocese was the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Varniai, but by an order of the Tsarist Russian government, residency of the bishop was moved to Kaunas. In 1864, the centre of Samogitian Diocese became the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kaunas.
During the Period of Bishop Motiejus Valančius, on his initiative 29 brick and 20 wooden churches were built across the Samogitian Diocese, moreover, many churches were enlarged and decorated. The brick churches built during this period have attributes of Romanesque, Neoclassicism, Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Gothic styles, and in the wooden churches dominate various forms of vernacular architecture.
In this virtual exhibition 39 churches from the period and both residencies of the Samogitian Diocese are introduced. Pictures of the churches were taken by photographers Jonas Šimkus and Jonas Danauskas.

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Captured but not surviving. Wooden sacral monuments from the collection of the LLBM. Part II

Wooden crosses, chapels, chapel columns until the 20th century. In the middle of the 19th century there were exceptional signs of the Lithuanian landscape. They stood in almost every homestead, roadside, field, village, cemetery, and churchyard.
The virtual exhibition features 40 digital images stored in the collections of negatives of the Open Air museum of Lithuania. 1966 After the establishment of the Open Air museum of Lithuania, the search for buildings and exhibits began immediately. While traveling around Lithuania, the museologists photographed the surviving homesteads, their surroundings and huts. The main focus was on the buildings, which had to be selected for placement in the museum. Along with the residential house or barn, crosses and chapels were included in the "frame". It will be several years and there will be no homesteads or crosses due to the ongoing reclamation.

Senior museologist Sigita Žukauskaitė

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Captured but not surviving. Wooden sacral monuments from the collection of the Open Air museum

Wooden crosses, chapels, chapel columns until the 20th century. In the middle of the 19th century there were exceptional signs of the Lithuanian landscape. They stood in almost every homestead, roadside, field, village, cemetery, and churchyard.
The virtual exhibition features 29 digital images stored in the collections of negatives of the Open Air museum of Lithuania. 1966 After the establishment of the Open Air museum of Lithuania, the search for buildings and exhibits began immediately. While traveling around Lithuania, the museologists photographed the surviving homesteads, their surroundings and huts. The main focus was on the buildings, which had to be selected for placement in the museum. Along with the residential house or barn, crosses and chapels were included in the "frame". It will be several years and there will be no homesteads or crosses due to the ongoing reclamation.

Senior museologist Sigita Žukauskaitė

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Century of Lithuania – in the exhibits of The Museum of Genocide Victims

The Museum of Genocide Victims was founded in 1992 in the former building of the Lithuanian SSR State Security (NKVD-MGB- KGB), from where soviet security authorities lead the imprisonment and deportation of Lithuanian people, and implemented the public control in later years. The museum is interesting not only by the unique history of the building, but also by the collections kept here, that contain over 130 thousand exhibits.

The largest part of the exhibits, that form the basis of museum collections, was found in 1991 in the premises of the former KGB building, when the soviet security agency left. The museum collections are constantly supplemented with the valuable exhibits that are donated and transferred by former partisans and their supporters, political prisoners and deportees, public organizations. The collections contain exhibits documenting the imprisonment of Lithuanian people in detention camps and exile, the armed resistance of Lithuanian partisans from 1944 to 1953, the unarmed anti-soviet resistance that began in the 6 decade as
well as the period of National Revival.

Various items made by the political prisoners (small boxes, prayer books, crosses, handicrafts, greetings cards, spoons) with the national symbols depicted in them (the tricolor flag of the independent Lithuanian state, the castle of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, the coat of arms of the state - Vytis and others)
expressed the pride in the history of their nation and the inexhaustible desire of people to survive and the hope of returning to their homeland.

After the end of the Second World War, Lithuanian partisans were the first to rise to battle against the soviet occupants in order to restore Lithuania's independence. National attributes worn by the partisans- distinctive tabs with the symbol of Vilnius, the capital of independent Lithuania, the Iron Wolf (Geležinis vilkas), the Columns of Gediminas, and the double cross, symbolized the continuity of the independent state, and the rejection of the world-view imposed by the occupants. The underground press distributed by the partisans was a breath of Truth and Freedom for the people of Lithuania surrounded by the flow of false soviet propaganda.

After the destruction by the soviet repressive structures of the armed Lithuanian partisan resistance, patriotic Lithuanians found another, peaceful forms of resistance against the occupants - they published and distributed the underground anti-soviet press (“Chronicle of the Catholic Church of Lithuania”, “Perspectives”, “Vytis”, etc.) demanded the freedom of religion, speech, press, resisted against the forced recruiting to the soviet army, against Russification, demanded the protection of the Lithuanian language and culture, etc.

The bulk of the collections reflecting the activities of the soviet repressive structures consists of the documentary material (photo albums, tracking tools, confiscated prohibited books, printing machines and other equipment), which was found in 1992 at the premises of the KGB building - in the former museum
“Chekist Glory”, the Operational technical department (OTO), the special library, the photo lab and the cabinets of KGB staff.

The exhibits kept in the collections of the Museum of Genocide Victims are the material legacy to Lithuania from the generation of pre-war and post-war Lithuanian people that were proud and never gave up.

The exhibition was prepared in the framework of the project „Centennial of Lithuania in the exhibits of Lithuanian museums”, which is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. The project is dedicated to commemorate and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Restoration of the Lithuanian state.

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Churches of Kretinga Region

In 2013 the 760th anniversary of the first mentioning of Kretinga and the 600th anniversary of the baptism of Samogitia were commemorated.
Christianity was brought to the area of Kretinga in 1252–1253 by German knights, priests, missionaries and Franciscan monks. It was a peaceful process at first. In 1258 people of Kretinga became parishioners of St. Nicolas church in Klaipėda. However, after the Battle of Durbė in 1260 local population rejected Christianity, thus, since the second half of 13th century it was brought again by the Teutonic Knights, this time with the help of fire and sword. The Baptism of Samogitia in 1413–1417 which concluded the process of Christianisation of Lithuania did not include Kretinga region, because it was controlled by the Order of Cross and became the part of Lithuania only after 1422.
The first churches of Samogitian diocese nearest to Kretinga were built during 1540–1544 in Palanga and Mosėdis. Yet, in the middle of 16th century Lutheranism prevailed and paganism grew strong again, with the centres of cult at the sacred hill of Birutė in Palanga and sacred Alka hill in Salantai.
During the turn of 16th and 17th centuries with the spread of Catholic Reformation new Catholic churches were built in Laukžemis, Palanga, Kretinga, Darbėnai, Salantai, Kartena. In 1602 Franciscan monastery was established in Kretinga. In 1636 churches of Kretinga region became part of Skuodas’ deanery, Samogitian diocese. In later years number of Catholic churches in Kretinga area rose: in 18th century new churches opened in Budriai, Grūšlaukė, Jokūbava, Kalnalis and in the first half of 20th century churches in Miloliškiai and Tūbausiai were built.
Currently there are 12 Catholic churches in Kretinga region and one Lutheran church, operating in Kretinga since 1802. Besides, in 1866–1976 Orthodox church was also functioning in Kretinga.

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Daily life stories in photos by Algimantas Kunčius

“I am marginal - neither a pure citizen nor a pure villager, because the structures of both these different spaces have become a part of my identity.” Algimantas Kunčius.

Photographer Algimantas Kunčius was born in 1939. August 14 In Pakruojis. 1963-1965. photojournalist for the weekly Literature and the Arts, 1965-1981. Head of the Illustrations Section of the Culture Bar magazine, 1992-1998. editor of the photography section of this magazine. 1982-1992 Consultant of the Lithuanian Union of Photography Art. 1996-2002 Head of the Photography Art Department of the Fine Arts Department, Lithuanian Art Museum. Created genre portraits, landscape photographs. Photographs are emotional, stand out in their philosophical approach to everyday phenomena, expressive texture. Since 1967 he has participated in photography exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad. Since 1976 Artist photographer for the International Federation of Artistic Photography. 1998 1969 founded the Lithuanian Society of Photography Art (with the Lithuanian Photo Artists' Union since 1989). 1998 In 2001 she was awarded the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Art. - Knight's Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas.

“I go and think, thinking - I see, and when I see - I paint. It all starts with seeing, and the first conscious impressions are also visual: from childhood we remember what we saw and what stuck in consciousness. Through photography I tried to understand and name what I see and feel. Basically all my photography is jazz ... Photography is a hint that opens up endless content. This is not about capturing "beautiful images", but a sense of what first of all acts to the beholder through his or her memory, senses, cultural or natural sensations ... I can no longer imagine taking a picture, just capturing my own thoughts, observations, and surprises, so I don’t forget anything. ”
“The phenomenon of photography provides an opportunity not only to participate in history, but also to capture, preserve and remember it.” Algimantas Kunčius.

In one interview, Algimantas Kunčius mentioned when he started taking pictures: “When I was fifteen years old, my father bought my first camera in Kaunas. It was Broadband Broadband. There is also a photo of me hanging my camera around my neck. Just think, this is 1954 ... Father was the first to reveal the secrets of developing bands. Soon I started to take intensive photography and in Pakruojis I was friends with my mother's closest friend son, three-year-old Algis Venslauskas, with whom we set up a photo lab in the attic of his parents' house. Here I learned how to work with chemistry, paper, and brighteners. Since then, there has been an awareness in my mind that the work of a photographer does not end with photography, and that the subtleties and quality of the imaging work in the laboratory. So far, I've been printing my own photos, and it gives me great peace of mind. Everything must be like in church ... (laughs). Often colleagues have called for photo printing to be passed on to students, but I can't - for me it's a seamless creative process. "
Travel with Bernardinai.lt 2016 No. IV (36). A. Kunčius was interviewed by Gediminas Kajėnas.

The text is based on the personal file of A. Kunčius in the library of the Lithuanian Union of Art Photographers and information published on the Internet.

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Easter symbols in the greeting cards

Easter is the holiday full of traditions and symbols. It is the time when everything borns again. For Christians, Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. For laymen, it represents the end of the winter and the beginning of the summer. It was required to welcome Easter with cleanliness, therefore on The Holy Week (from The Palm Sunday till Easter) the yard, the garden, the inside of the cottage were cleaned. Women laundered everything, shook out the featherbeds, cleaned the clothes, washed the ceilling and walls, scrubbed the floor. On The Maundy Thursday heated the bathhouse. Tidy houses were decorated with greenery, the bird or the garden made out of straws was hung on the ceilling, window frames and shelfs were embellished with paper cuttings. On The Holy Saturday evening people went to church for the holy water and fire. When the holy coals were brought, the old fire was put out and the new one was fired which was attempted to be saved till The Pentecost or even till the next Easter. It was believed that the Easter fire protects against lightning, brings happiness and harmony. Fields, huts, animals, seeds were sprinkled with holy water. The Easter Sunday morning started with The Sunrise Service. After, the food was sanctified: the Easter eggs, the salt, the bread, the cake, the meat, the butter, the cheese – that the first bite would be sanctified. Afterwards, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors greeted one another, wished good years, strong health, happiness in the family. One of the most important and most known Easter symbols is the Easter egg.
Since this beautiful spring holiday and greetings are inseparable, it is illustrated by the selected Easter cards from the Trakai History Museum Philocart collection. More than 400 saved Easter cards could be divided into several conditional groups: religious content (depicting biblical The Resurrection of Jesus holiday images); Easter eggs postcards; chickens, ducklings, bunnies, children, osier and willow twigs postcards; humorous; Lithuanian verses postcards; neutral postcards – just with the greeting inscription; patriotic (with the Lithuanian state symbols, rulers, political issues).

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From Aircraft to Pistol

The Vytautas the Great War Museum is one of the oldest museums in Lithuania. Its establishment started in 1919 by the initiative of general, physician and archaeologist Vladas Nagevičius. The opening ceremony was celebrated in the Old Russian Orthodox Church and former manège of the 111th Don Infantry Regiment on 16 February 1921 – on the day of the commemoration of Lithuania’s Independence. The first exhibits were the trophies of the independence battles. Within a short period of time, the War Museum became an important source of the Lithuanian culture. In 1930, the cornerstone of the new building of the museum was consecrated. The new building, where the War Museum has been operating to this very day, was opened in 1936. It was designed by Vladimiras Dubeneckis and Karolis Reisonas. The crypt to those who lost their lives for the freedom and independence of Lithuania was opened in the museum in 1938 and restored in 1998. The activity of the institution was significantly reorganised by the occupations. However, the activity of the museum as a preserver of the values of the Lithuanian history was restored on 29 January 1990 and it reclaimed the name of Vytautas the Great. In 2006, the rights of the establisher of the museum were taken over by the Ministry of National Defence.

The mission of the Vytautas the Great War Museum is to collect, store and propagate the monuments and exponents of the Lithuanian nation and Lithuanian national battles for freedom and independence that illustrate the history of the Lithuanian military forces, the evolution of weapons and military attributes as well as the values of the material and spiritual culture. The collection of the museum includes archaeological findings, cold weapons and firearms, ammunition kits that illustrate the development of the Lithuanian national and military history. This is also a place of storage of photo negatives and pictures, collections of uniforms of Lithuanian and foreign military forces, sets of documents and books, exponents telling the story of the flight of Darius and Girėnas across the Atlantic with airplane “Lituanica” in 1933. The expositions of the museum are open not only in this building, but also in the other two branches: Underground Printing-House “ab” and Technique and Transport Department in Vilnius.

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