March 27 Pilininka's house was opened at the foot of Mount Gediminas. This is the newest branch of the National Museum of Lithuania, where the exhibition "Understanding Lithuania" presents the history of Lithuania in a modern way. Here you can get acquainted with the fundamental ideas that shaped the identity of Lithuania and the people who contributed to the development of Lithuanian statehood, culture and science. The new museum, located on Arsenalo st. 1, in Vilnius, during the opening week from Wednesday to Saturday, visitors are invited to view the exhibition for free.
A new story key is a different story
Rūta Kačkutė, Director General of the National Museum of Lithuania, emphasized during the opening of Pilininka's House that, first of all, a different narrative key was sought - the aim was to connect the presentation of the country's identity with the individualized motif of society and human life. In the new museum, visitors are invited to get to know the history of Lithuania through separate themes that reflect the essential aspects of the development of society and human life - creativity, beliefs, struggles, turning points in history, global ties and people. Each theme is revealed in a separate exhibition hall, and they review the most important events and phenomena from ancient times to the present day, highlighting the most important accents that shaped the identity of Lithuania.
"We wanted to create an attractive guide, but an unsimplified narrative of Lithuanian history - recognizable to a foreigner, understandable to young people, all Lithuanian people are welcome here," R. Kačkutė introduced the exhibition for which visitors.
In the new museum, visitors are invited not only to view the exposition. For those seeking deeper historical knowledge, information is conveniently available by scanning the QR code next to the topic or exhibit with a smartphone. The visitors' impressions will also be strengthened and the offered audio guide will allow them to get to know the exposition even better.
Visitors are invited to discover the face of Lithuania
During the presentation, the head of the museum, R. Kačkutė, said that this new exhibition space at the foot of Mount Gediminas is unique in that it highlights the identity of Lithuania and helps to understand how Lithuania looks in the context of the world and how world trends were adapted here. "Without being strongly exclusive, we were inventive: Baroque art was encouraged by the aesthetic ambitions of the nobles, in the work of Kazimieros Semenavičius as early as 1650. the production of rockets was described, and the ANBO planes were in no way inferior to the analogues of the great powers", said the general director of the museum about the uniqueness of Lithuanians and ties with the world, which are presented in the exhibition.
Visitors to the new museum will be invited to express their opinion on which of the thematic halls best reflects Lithuania's identity and contribution to the country's development. "The state-building process is not one-time or static. Constantly emerging new challenges force each of us to ask ourselves the question: what common reality do we want to create next? We hope that every visitor to this museum will feel that he is an important creator of Lithuania's future and will look for his own answer, what is the face of Lithuania", R. Kačkutė described the relevance of the Pilininka House exposition.
At the "Understanding Lithuania" exhibition, visitors will not only be able to view the exhibits, but also create their own. The new technological solutions introduced in the museum will allow everyone to contribute to the creation of the pattern of Lithuanian fabric or to mark the countries on the world globe where Lithuanians who have emigrated also contribute to the creation of Lithuanian identity. Visitors will be able to transfer the Lithuanian fabric pattern created to their e-mail. the device as a wallpaper, and after receiving the instruction by e-mail by mail - to embroider it.
A new attraction in Vilnius
The creators of Pilininka's house wanted it to be not only a modern museum worth visiting, but also a new tourist attraction in the heart of the old town. The exhibition "Understanding Lithuania" is designed to become an attractive space for both young visitors and guests of the city. It is planned that the Pilininka House opening its doors at the foot of Mount Gediminas will become a new place for education, concerts, events and leisure.
At the opening of the new branch of the Lithuanian National Museum, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Simonas Kairys, emphasized that Pilininka's House is turning this page in history as it is fully formed as a cultural space. "This valuable historical building has not only been restored, but its concept, planned activities, and an exposition devoted to the identity of Lithuania have also been formed. When creating new cultural spaces, it is always very important to see the final vision, which is not only restored walls or exposed vaults, but also what kind of narrative will unfold between those walls. It is ideal when form and content coincide, when the space itself and the stories created in it seem to complement each other. I have no doubt that we will see such exchange of form and content here, in Pilininka's house," said the Minister of Culture.
The historic building has come to life
Prior to the reconstruction, historical, archaeological, architectural and polychrome studies were carried out in Pilininka's house and its territory. The cost of the project is more than 4 million. EUR, financed from the funds of the European Regional Development Fund. The building brought to new life is adapted for modern museum activities.
Pilininka's house was reconstructed by the construction and restoration company "Virmalda", and the architecture office "Processoffice" installed an exposition dedicated to the history of Lithuania. "It was a big challenge to convey a balanced and legible idea in a special historical building, the project is really interesting. In a relatively small space, we offer visitors a functional diversity, this museum will also stand out with unique solutions", Vytautas Biekša, director of Processoffice, said during the opening about the process of creating the architecture of the Pilininks house exposition.
Pilininka's house with four separate entrances to the cellars is unique from the 15th-16th centuries. Monument of Lithuanian castles. During the restoration and conservation works, masonry and decorative elements from the Gothic and Renaissance periods were uncovered and are now exhibited here, the northern basement, underground corridors, vaulted spaces with Renaissance openings, wooden beam ceilings were uncovered.
The main exposition of Pilininka's House is complemented by a story presented in the cellars about the craft of Pilininka, Pilininka, stonemasonry and the history of the city of Vilnius as it was 200 years ago.
