Utena Local Lore Museum

Contacts
Address: Utenio a. 3, LT-28248, Utena.
Tel.: (+370 ~ 389) 61 637, (+370 ~ 389) 61 634, (+370 ~ 389) 52 616.
E-mail: utenoskm@gmail.com
http://www.utenosmuziejus.lt/

Information for Visitor

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday 10–18;
Saturday 10–17.

Admission:
adults – 2 Lt;
pupils, students – 1 Lt;
child under 7, disabled – free.

Guided tour:
adults – 15 Lt;
pupils – 10 Lt.

Additional services:
booking of excursions;
archaeological supervision;
individuals are provided the possibility to use the historical and ethnographic material gathered by the museum.

Collection
The museum contains old books, periodicals, archaeological, numismatic, and ethnographic and art collections.

Expositions

Archaeology expostion
Archaeological exposition set in the basement of Local Lore Museum of Utena features findings from the regions of Utena, Anykščiai and Molėtai. Several pieces are on loan from the Lithuanian National Museum. Short texts, reconstructive drawings of the costumes, maps of the Baltic tribes, the map of archaeological monuments of Utena complement this exhibition. The oldest findings date to 3 century B.C. and the most recent are – the end of 19–20 century.

Ethnography exposition
Modeled pottery, potter's wheels, blacksmith's working tools and things made by him, flax processing tools, photos reflecting flax processing are demonstrated.
Visitors are acquainted with tools for cultivation of land, sowing, reaping, thrashing and sorting, as well as with things used in peasants' family life, means of illumination.

Folk art exposition
Sculptures of known and unknown folk artists are demonstrated. An Upper Lithuanian cottage with a dough-trough stove is arranged.

Forgotten Things. Every-Day Life of Utena: First Part of the (Early) 20th Century

Exhibitions
Folk art exhibitions, exhibitions of professional artists' works', photographs, schoolchildren works are organized.
Currently the museum is undergoing repairs and exhibitions will not be organized for some time. 

Cultural, educational activity
Discussion on the exhibitions;
Meetings with the participants of the exhibitions;
Discussions on archaeological, ethnographic topics;
Lessons of history, ethnography, and folklore.

Branch museums

Literary-Ethnographic Farmstead of the Poet A. Miškinis and Translator M. Miškinis
Address: Juknenu village, Daugailiai prefecture, Utena region.
Tel. (+370 ~ 611) 42 148.
Museum features family photographs, books, domestic objects, furniture and craftworks of Miskinis family. It includes memorial exposition dedicated to the poet Antanas Miškinis and the interpreter Motiejus Miskinis. Homestead also includes three poles of sacral folk sculpture.
Public museum of Antanas and Motiejus Miškinis is established in 1986.

Tauragnai Area Museum
Address: Tauragnai, Utenos rajonas.
Tel.: (+370 ~ 389) 32 311, (+370 ~ 389) 32 356.
More information >

Vytautas Valiušis Ceramics Museum
Address: Topolių g. 7 (Senoji mokykla), LT-28361, Leliūnai, Utenos rajonas.
Tel.: (+370 ~ 389) 60 885, (+370 ~ 389) 60 869, (+370 ~ 389) 60 870.
Mob. tel. (+370 686) 22 807.
More information >

History of the Museum
Founded in 1929 on the initiative or the school inspector and archaeologist Antanas Namikas.
In 1929 the inspector of schools in Utena region A. Namikas (1887-1980) visiting schools encouraged teachers to collect archaeological and ethnographic items, historical material.
On 22 November 1929 the museum was registered.
Until the Soviet occupation A. Namikas, working without a salary, inventoried about 1 500 rather valuable items. 
A. Namikas retreated from Utena with beginning of the occupation. 
During the ruin of the war more valuable displays of the museum were plundered, others were lost or destroyed.
Only in 1972 on the efforts of the director V. Raciene a frayed provincial museum arranged a more attractive exposition.

Other news
Founder of the museum - Council of Utena Region.
Currently repairs of the roof and the facade of the museum are made.
Next year inside of the museum is planned to be repaired.

Utena Region
Utena Region – the Land of Lakes.
The region of eastern Aukštaitija is the land of one thousand lakes.
One of the most interesting places in Eastern Aukštaitija is the district of Utena. The district of Utena is a part of the region comprising the bigger part of ethnographic region of Eastern Aukštaitija, which is second in significance (after the seacoast) tourism area of Lithuania. The district occupies the area of nearly 1 300 square kilometers, 1/3 of which is covered by forests of Minčia, Ažvinčiai, Kuktiškės and Labanoras.
Utena is one of the oldest places of Lithuania. Its beginning has links to the mounds of Norkunai that had been mentioned many times in the chronicles of the Knights of the Sword. In written sources, specifically in the letter of King Mindaugas, the wooden castle by the Utenele stream was first mentioned in 1261. According to the legend, that castle was built by the duke Utenis.
The Uplanders (aukštaičiai) have got their own specific dialect and those who succeeded to comprehend it, like to joke imitating the stress and pronunciation of the words in the manner aukstaičiai.
The old Utena is located in the valley through which even four rivulets flow together: Vieša, Krašuona, Rašė, and Utenėlė. A small town sprang up in this confluence in the 14th century. Later the church was built and merchants and handicraftsmen came to settle down in Utena.
The Warsaw-Sank-Petersburg highway built in 1835 was of major importance to the town. In 1889 the narrow railway Švencionėliai-Panevėžys was built and the large post-office station by the highway changed the face of the town. The oldest horse post-office station with basements has survived up to now. It was built according to the first class project of those days and after the restoration the Picture Gallery was established there.
Today Utena (the capital of Eastern Aukštaitija) is the center of the region with the population of 37 000. There are 28 educational institutions.
This part of Lithuania is known for horse races. Every summer traditionally the lovers of this sport are entertained by the spectacular view of horse racing.
Utena is a developed industrial center with dominating industries of food, textile, machine engineering, building materials and energy production.

Aukštaitija
The largest region covers the north, east and middle of the country. Its name comes from the word aukštai, meaning high, as it includes a range of hilly uplands.
Aukštaitija is a land of pristine forests and beautiful lakes, and is immensely popular with tourists during the summer months.
The country's deepest (Tauragnas – 60,5m) and its largest lake (Drukšiai – 4,479ha) can be found here. Many of forests are very old. The famous oak tree at Stelmužė is thought to be 1 500 years old.
The region has an extremely rural character. Farms here are generally small, as in the last century it was customary among farmers to divide their land between their sons. There are many villages designated "ethnographic" villages, where an older, quieter way of life has been preserved.
There are a wide variety of museums about local folklore and farming, among them a horse and a beekeeping museum. Among the many towns of interest to tourists is Anykščiai, the hometown of a number of writers. The main gastronomic specialty is pancakes, which are often eaten for breakfast. The region is also renowned for its beer.