European Heritage Days events will take place across Lithuania on September 18–26. Here are some of the key ones, according to a listicle shared by the country’s Culture Ministry.
Šiauliai. Aušra Museum invites visitors on a richly detailed stroll through the Old Town – “100 Steps Through 300 Years of History” – revealing the city’s interwar modernism. Young heritage enthusiasts can join workshops such as “Modernist Architecture in Šiauliai: Explore, Play, Create”. Participants will learn about modernist design and step into the role of an architect by building their own model of a modernist-style structure.
Radviliškis. The city’s Tourism Centre will host a guided walk in Šeduva. Visitors can explore the soon-to-open Lost Shtetl museum, which presents the culture, traditions, and history of the shtetl’s Jewish residents – a chance to learn about Šeduva’s Jewish past and visit a new museum in the region.
Rokiškis. The Regional Museum is offering a special tour of the Church of St Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. Visitors will have a rare opportunity to descend into the crypt where the church’s builder Reinold Tyzenhaus is buried, while the more adventurous can climb the tower for a panoramic view of Rokiškis.
The Rokiškis Manor will host a heritage walk, “Bridge Through Time”, where guests can learn about the manor’s earliest palace, when and why it was rebuilt, and how it gained its current historicist form.
Kupiškis. The city’s museum is holding open days with a tour of its old pharmacy, in collaboration with educators from Vytautas Magnus University Botanical Garden. Local schoolchildren can take part in sessions on historic spices, aromatic plants, and the origins of pharmacy. The event concludes with visits to the old Kupiškis pharmacy and the Hansa linen warehouse.
Panevėžys. European Heritage Days will follow in the footsteps of legendary theatre director Juozas Miltinis. Participants can tour his memorial apartment, designed with theatrical flair, and view the director’s archive, recognised in UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme.
The route includes the city’s architectural landmark, the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre. Young visitors can join the workshop “Today I Am an Architect”, exploring architectural styles and designing their own vision of a future city.
Ignalina. The Regional Museum will present “Unspoken Architectural Heritage”, featuring ethnographic material about local heritage and discussions on preservation and management.
Guests can enjoy traditional Lithuanian polyphonic songs – Sutartinės – listed as UNESCO intangible heritage, view the photography exhibition “Reflections of Architecture: Witnesses of Being”..
Vilnius. Residents and visitors can rediscover familiar buildings and hear their stories. For example, many know the Central Post Office, but few are aware of its conversion history.
Those keen to learn more about this transformation, and how heritage restoration integrates into the modern city, can join a free event where an architect will reveal the building’s secrets.
Vilnius District Municipality invites the public to a tour of the recently restored Mozūriškės Manor. Visitors can gain insight into the conservation process, the challenges of restoration, and the adaptation of historic architecture to modern needs.
The Lithuanian Association of the Deaf (LKD) will showcase its historic building on St Casimir Street, offering an opportunity to explore architectural heritage and the life of the deaf community. The tour will be interpreted from Lithuanian Sign Language into Lithuanian.
Lentvaris. The Cultural Centre will highlight the fading recreational architecture of the Tiškevičius family. The cafe Riviera (Rivjera) building, once part of a thriving resort, will open its doors to help visitors trace the marks of time, unlock forgotten stories, and spark the imagination. Organisers hope this will be the first step towards the site’s revival.
Kaunas. The city will host the European Heritage Days opening celebration at the Romuva cinema, exploring the links between film and architectural heritage, with interwar melodies, archival footage of Kaunas, and tributes to those who have contributed to cultural heritage.
Kaunas Fortress Park invites visitors to a special exhibition of photographs by a German cavalry officer, on show for the first time. The images capture unique moments before and after the First World War assault on the fortress.
Kaunas District Museum will hold creative cyanotype workshops, “The Count’s Dreams and Journeys”, and guide visitors up the Raudondvaris Castle tower. Participants will create postcard-style blueprints using photographs from the museum’s collection of Count Benediktas Henrikas Tiškevičius.
Kaunas Aviation Museum highlights one of Lithuania’s key aviation heritage sites – the Kaunas Aerodrome. Visitors are invited on an unforgettable walk across the airfield with a museum guide, aerobatic pilot and flight instructor.
Vilkaviškis. Lectures and guided walks will trace the footprints of the past and discuss future visions for the city, with a focus on the customs of ethnographic Minor Lithuania.
Marijampolė. The city will mark the 100th anniversary of its railway station. To celebrate, the Petro Kriaučiūnas Public Library invites visitors to a poetic performance, “Through the Ringing Railway Stations” – an original and creative way to honour the heritage milestone.
Kurnėnai. Visitors will be able to step inside a school built 85 years ago using materials shipped from the United States. People will also discover the building’s preserved authenticity and learn about the prominent local figure Laurynas Radziukynas. In an authentic classroom, they can even practise calligraphy with a goose feather – a playful, hands-on way to explore heritage.
Šakiai District. The Zanavykai Museum will host a conference, “The Manor as a Centre of Learning”, exploring manor culture, history, and culinary heritage. The programme includes sessions on ladies’ accessories and medicinal plants, an exhibition, and a concert by the early music ensemble Šviesotamsa, concluding with a manor-style herbal tasting – history you can savour.
Klaipėda. The Lithuanian Sea Museum invites visitors to the unique “Transformer Fort” tour at Neringa Fort, the only surviving example in Lithuania of late 19th-century Prussian military heritage.
Rietavas. The Oginskiai Cultural History Museum will offer tours of the manor estate, as well as a photo-documentary exhibition, and a lecture on the family’s architectural and cultural legacy.
Vėžaičiai. The Cultural Centre will host a series of events featuring a costumed tour of the Volmer Manor and its surroundings. Manor ladies will guide visitors through key sites, including the stables, the white and red gates, St Casimir’s Church, and other historic landmarks. Those with a keen interest can listen to a lecture on manor architecture and interiors.
Telšiai. The Samogitian Museum Alka invites visitors to explore the city’s modernism. Guests will have a rare chance to view a cubist-style architectural gem – the Telšiai St Nicholas Orthodox Church. The event includes a lecture on modernist architecture and the architects behind the Alka Museum building. It concludes with a historical presentation featuring striking 3D animation created from archival photographs, bringing the past vividly to life.
Some events may require advance registration. Further details can be found here.
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