kelmė area Museum

Contacts
Address: Dvaro g. 5, LT-86111, Kelmė.
Tel. (+370 ~ 427) 61 065.
Fax (+370 ~ 427) 61 065.
E-mail: kelmesmuziejus@takas.lt 
http://www.kelmesmuziejus.lt/
Director – Danutė Žalpienė.

Information for Visitor

Opening hours:
September to May:
Monday to Friday 8–12; 13–17.
June to August:
Monday to Friday 8–12; 13–17, Saturday, Sunday 10–14.

Admission:
adults – 4 Lt;
children – 2 Lt.

Guided tours:
adults – 30 Lt;
children – 15 Lt.

Collection
The permanent exhibition features the local history and the mode of life of Kelme area, the landlord Gruzevskis’ family, and outstanding people of the area. It also contains exhibitions of religious art and folk art of the Kelme area.

Expositions

In the Family Exposition of the Owners of the Estate Gruževskiai furniture, plates and dishes, photographs, graphic works, information material about the former owners of the estate are displayed.

In the Exposition of Jonas Vadeikis – German Writer Carl May – American Indians material about the ethnographer and pedagogue Jonas Vadeikis, the first translator of Carl May’s book into Lithuanian, German writer’s Carl May books, various American Indians’ household articles are displayed.

In the Family Life and Folk Art Exposition things and furniture used in household in the 19th beginning of 20th centuries, wooden art articles are displayed.

In the Exposition of the Founder of Union of Riflemen of Lithuania Vl. Putvinskis Vl. Putvinskis’ photographs, documents, books, personal things are exposed.

The Exposition of Archaeological Investigations and Finds of Kelme Area tells about archaeological excavations and finds in the region.Displays telling about the exile, resistant movement, war period and the history of Catholic Church are shown in the Exposition of the History of Kelme Area.

The Exposition of Tillage Tools is arranged in a granary. A great variety of working tools can be seen here.

Exhibitions
Art, folk art exhibitions are organized in the museum, various collections etc. presented by collectors are shown.

Educational program

Educational program

Povilas Višinskis’ Memorial Museum

Užventis Ethnographic Museum

Užventis Ethnographic Museum

Exposition at Šaukėnai Ethnographic Museum. Photo by Danutė Mukienė

Žalpiai Local Lore Museum

Cultural, educational activity
Educational programs, scientific conferences and seminars are organized.

Branch Museums

Šaukėnai Ethnographic Museum
Address: Šaukėnai, LT-86386, Kelmės rajonas.
Mob. tel. (+370 657) 63 149.
Head of the museum – E. Burdulienė.
Opening hours: Everyday when reservations are made ahead of time by phone.
The exposition telling about the history of the town and famous people having lived here is arranged.

Užventis Ethnographic Museum
Address: Dvarčiaus kaimas, LT-86354, Užvenčio seniūnija, Kelmės rajonas.
Mob. tel. +370 682 14 008, +370 624 34 418.
Head of the museum – Gražina Balčiūnienė.
Opening hours: Tuesday – Friday 13–17. Everyday when reservations are made ahead of time by phone.
In the restored granary of the former Užventis estate two expositions are offered:
Writer Marija Pečkauskaitė-Šatrijos Ragana (she lived in this house in 1887-1898);
The owner of Užventis estate, signatory of the Act of Independence of Lithuania Jonas Smilgevičius.

Povilas Višinskis’ Memorial Museum
Address: Ušnėnų kaimas, LT-86356, Užvenčio seniūnija, Kelmės rajonas.
Tel. (+370 ~ 427) 59 721. Mob. tel. (+370 619) 55 662.
Opening hours: Everyday when reservations are made ahead of time by phone.
Two expositions are offered in the museum:
Writer and educator Povilas Višinskis;
Classic of Lithuanian literature Žemaitė.

Žalpiai Local Lore Museum
Address: Žalpiai, LT-86249, Pakražančio seniūnija, Kelmės rajonas.
Tel. (+370 ~ 427) 49 541; mob. tel. (+370 610) 21 966.
Opening hours: Everyday when reservations are made ahead of time by phone.
Director: Alina Žalandauskienė.
Museum founded in 2006.
The exhibitions are devoted to the author Jeronimas Ralius (1876–1921), who first translated Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey into Lithuania; Jonas Garalevičius (1871–1943) an organ player and the initial founder of gliding in Lithuania; and Kazimieras Ralius (1885–1958), a member of the constitutive parliament and social activist.

Other news
The first museum in Kelmė was opened in 1936 in a house, which once belonged to the Home Guards’ Union. During World War II all of its exhibits disappeared. The Kelmė State Museum operated in 1949-1962. Later it became a public museum; its exhibits were taken over by the Kelmė Area Museum in 1990.
The museum is located in the Kelmė estate ensemble, which dates from the 17th century. A former property of the Gruževskis family, the estate reflects the main features of the development of Lithuanian estate architecture, construction, and park planning and farming traditions.
Founder of the museum – Municipality of Kelmė Region.

Kelmė
Kelmė, town in the west central Lithuania, 43 km southwest from Siauliai, on the left bank of the Kražantė river. The population in 1959 (2,890 in 1923, 3,705 in 1940, of which 2,000 were Jews). A great part of the town was destroyed during World War II. After the war, 700 private and public buildings were erected. 
The town has a 175-bed hospital, several secondary schools, music and commerce schools, ethnographic museum, and stadium. On the outskirts of town is a small park and the old estate's hall originally built on the 16th-18th centuries with a gate of baroque style, which was later renovated in the classical style and achieved distinctive architectural merit. 
The 1294 chronicles of the Teutonic Order cite a castle named Kymel. In the 15th century this location was a large royal domain. Kelmė was a seat of one of the districts of Samogitia. 
The first wooden church was built in 1416. It was taken over by Calvinists in 1596. At that time, the Gruzewski family acquired Kelmė estate; the estate numbered over 25 villages. In 1610 the Gruzewski issued a decree for inhabitants. They were obliged to attend Protestant services, to christen, marry and bury according to the Protestant faith, and to send their children to Protestant school. When the Roman Catholics regained their church after prolonged court proceedings, in 1615 the Gruzewski family built a new Calvinist church. Kelmė grew more rapidly after a highway from Latvia (Riga) to Prussia was built across town during 1836–1858. The town was renowned for its great markets and especially its horse fairs. 
Under the Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940), Kelmė had several industrial plants and cultural institutions, including a Jewish high school, which prepared students for the rabbinical vocation. There were also a home for the aged and an orphanage run by the sisters of St. Catherine. The grave of Vladas Putvinskis, founder of Šaulių Sąjunga is in the cemetery of Kelmė.