Palanga Resort Museum

The establishment of a museum in Palanga was first discussed in the early 20th century, when the Palanga Friendship Society was founded on July 27, 1907. Its founders were brothers Counts Feliksas and Aleksandras Tiškevičiai (1864–1945), professors Janas Ptazyckis from St. Petersburg and Vytoldas Vroblevskis from Warsaw, doctors Tadeuszas Zahorskis from Vilnius and J. Jokielis from Łódź, as well as lawyer Oskaras Szelleris from Warsaw. At first, the society had 32 members, but later it grew to about 200. Its goal was to promote health, medicine, and culture. In 1913, the Palanga Friendship Society published a book describing valuable wild plant species native to the Palanga region. Dr. Stanislovas Karvovskis also published a book in Polish in Poznań entitled “Palanga and Kretinga” (Polish: “Połąga i Kretynga”), which revealed in detail not only the history of the region, but also the construction of the pier. At the beginning of the 20th century, the press called for the collection of exhibits for a future museum in Palanga. However, the museum was not established at that time.

The initiatives of local history societies and the idea of establishing a museum in Palanga were only revived in 1964, when the statutes of the local history societies of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (LSSR) were adopted. Societies operating in various Lithuanian cities actively sought to establish ethnographic museums. In 1966, the Palanga branch of the LSSR Local History Society was established by the Palanga Executive Committee. The chairperson was appointed to be the Lithuanian language teacher Emilija Adiklienė (1906–1993).

Local historians organized a Monument Protection Fund, compiled a list of cultural monuments in the city and a map, organized the writing of chronicles of the activities of collectives and workers, collected memories of fallen Soviet soldiers, described local crafts, compiled folders with biographies of famous people from Palanga, and recorded examples of folklore. Public exhibitions were held every year. During the first exhibition, on February 28, 1969, expectations were expressed for the establishment of a museum and the allocation of museum premises for the storage of exhibits. In 1970, 193 exhibits were collected, many thematic folders were prepared, and the description of old Palanga farmsteads was begun. In 1971, over 500 exhibits were collected. In 1973, it was decided to organize the establishment of a public museum. In 1977, E. Adiklienė resigned as chairwoman and began to independently organize expeditions to continue researching old Palanga farmsteads. When the city authorities failed to make a decision on establishing a museum, all the collected exhibits were transferred to the then Lithuanian SSR History and Ethnography Museum (now the Lithuanian National Museum) in 1982.

On May 30, 2008, a conference entitled “The Cultural Heritage of Palanga: To Be or Not to Be?” was held at the Palanga City Public Library. The conference presented the peculiarities of Palanga’s development in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, assessed the state of the cultural heritage values of the Palanga resort, discussed the impact of urbanization on the coastal landscape, presented the results of a study on the state of the vegetation of the Palanga dunes, knowledge about Palanga’s underwater heritage was presented, myths and reality of cultural heritage protection in Palanga were discussed, and contemporary possibilities for heritage protection and urban heritage preservation were discussed. The conference also addressed the need to establish a museum of the Palanga region.

On October 19, 2011, the second conference was held at the Palanga City Municipality Public Library, during which a resolution was adopted and the most important and necessary first steps for the establishment of a resort museum were outlined. The first point recommended that the museum be named the Palanga Resort Museum rather than the Palanga Regional Museum. And so, a century after the vision of the museum was first conceived, on August 29, 2013, the Palanga City Council made the final decision to establish the Palanga Resort Museum. It is housed in the historic villa “Anapilis.” The first director of the museum was Jūratis Viktoras Liachovičius (1946–2017), a historian from Palanga, coordinator of various archaeological expeditions, and leader of underwater heritage research expeditions.

The Palanga Resort Museum is currently an important multifunctional center that preserves, researches, and represents museum treasures, a significant collection of Palanga’s visual heritage, and cultural treasures found in Palanga during archaeological research. The museum’s collections include archaeology, history, photography, numismatics, phaleristics, philately, art, the Palanga Regional Studies Society, and private collections.

The museum, which was modernized in 2016, organizes contemporary and historical exhibitions from Lithuania and abroad, meetings with authors, history and culture researchers, educational activities, conferences, lectures, film screenings, concerts, and other entertainment activities. Every year, the museum hosts traditional Museum Night events, bustling city festivals such as Palanga Days, the art exhibition “Balta drobulė” (White Shroud), the poetry competition “Haiku Palangai” (Haiku for Palanga), and an exhibition of private collections “Palanga. Reflections of History.”

Although almost a century has passed since the vision of the Palanga Regional Museum was first conceived, Palanga can now rejoice that, after a long search for a suitable location, it was decided to establish the museum in the villa Anapilis, which is of historical significance to the resort. In 2013, the Palanga City Council approved the establishment of the Palanga Resort Museum and its statutes. At the beginning of 2014, museum staff began working at the museum.

As part of the “Museum Without Barriers” project, the Palanga Resort Museum has a special area for people with disabilities. The resort museum is adapted for people with mobility impairments. It has wide passageways and an elevator. People with various disabilities can visit the museum at any time. After touring the museum and learning about the history of Palanga, people with disabilities can play on the interactive floor. Anyone who wants to can test their knowledge of Palanga’s history by answering quiz questions prepared and installed by museum staff. This is an innovative tool designed to develop coordination, reaction, and logical thinking. The interactive floor will help develop not only movement but also other skills.

Palanga Resort Museum opening hours

Off season (January 10–April 30)

Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Season (May 1–September 30)

III–VII 10:00–19:00

Visitors are not admitted to the exhibitions half an hour before the museum closes.

On the eve of public holidays, the museum is open one hour shorter.

The museum is closed on public holidays.

Palanga Resort Museum administration working hours

I–IV 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

V 8:00 a.m.–3:45 p.m.

Advance registration for tours by phone: 0 460 30576