Address
2/8 Totoriu St, LT-01121, Vilnius
Tel.: +370-5-2680333, +370-5-2680334.
Fax +370-5-2680335.
E-mail: vlaurinavicius@lb.lt
Web site address:
http://www.lb.lt/lt/muziejus/index.htm
Opening times
Wednesdays and Thursdays 9.00-12.00; 13.00-14.30.
Collection
The exhibits displayed in two exposition rooms disclose the history of the Lietuvos Bankas, the development of the banking sector in independent Lithuania and the history of money.
Exposition
The exhibits displayed in two exposition rooms.
The first exposition room contains money of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The minting of Lithuanian coins was commenced in the late 14th century. The first Lithuanian coin in the exposition are two type coins featuring the Gediminaiciu stulpai (Gediminas' Columns - a symbol of Grand Duke Gediminas), Vytis (a mounted knight), spearhead and cross. Under the reign of Grand Duke Alexander (1492-1506) the Mint was functioning in Vilnius.
Beside halfgroats, displayed in the exhibition, denarii and trial groats were coined. In groats, broadly representing the coins of Duke Sigismund the Old (1506-1544/1548) in the exposition, a year of issue was marked for the first time. In the mint founded by Duke Sigismund Augustus (1544/1548-1572) in Vilnius, Vokieciu St, apart from silver two-denarii, halfgroats and groats, exposed in the exhibition, silver halfdenarii, denarii, threegroats, fourgroats, sixgroats, halftalers, talers and golden florins were coined.
In the first room exposition we can see coins issued by Grand Duke of Lithuania Stephan Bathory (1576-1586), by Sigismund Vasa (1587-1632), and by John Casimir (1648-1668).
In 1666 all the Lithuanians mints were closed down. Three-groats and sixgroats struck at the beginning of the 18th century were the last Lithuanian coins.
Beside the first Lithuanian currency some rarities are put on show in the first exposition room, such as the picture of Vilnius from the third volume of the atlas by G. Braun and F. Hogenberg (first published in Cologne in 1581), a map "Regni Poloniae et Ducatus Lithuaniae…" (Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania…), issued by J. Casimir at the end of the 18th century in Augsburg, the second edition (1744) of the Statue of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania "Statut Wielkiego Xiestwa Litiewskiego…" first edited in
1558, and other exhibits.
The second exposition room reveals the history of money and banking in the independent Lithuania
After World War I paper money of many foreign countries were used in Lithuania. In the exposition one can see a great variety of currency units and coupons, issued by Germany, Poland, Latvia, tsarist Russia, Kerensky's Government, RTFSR, Vilnius Bank, Region of Klaipeda, Bermont-Avalov's Military Formation, etc. and used for payments in the territory of Lithuania. As a separate exhibit a treasure of 288 Russian rouble banknotes, found in 1995 in Alytus region, is represented.
Documents, saving-books, cheques, and publications, counting equipment, signboards of bank and other exhibits, witness the inter-war history of the Lietuvos Bankas and commercial banks.
After the annexation of Lithuania on June 15, 1940, the Lietuvos bankas was turned the Lithuanian Republic office of the USSR State Bank, and on March 25, 1941, the circulation of litas was banned.
For the first time the trial printing sheets of litas banknotes of 1991 issue, designs for engraving the portraits of the banknotes of 1993 issue, plastic and nickel printing plates for the production of 50 and 100 litas banknotes, intaglio printing plates of 100 litas banknotes, watermark sketches and moulds for banknotes of 1993 issue, as well as other valuable exhibits are exposed publicly.
One can see gypsum; rubber and epoxy models, production dies and other valuable exhibits put on show in the exposition.
The exposition has been arranged from the exhibits stored in the Museum of the Lietuvos Bankas and the Cash Department.
Other news
On June 25, 1999, the Museum of the Lietuvos Bankas (The Bank of Lithuania) was opened.
Director - Vidmantas Laurinavicius.
