A museum dedicated to Jewish history and culture that opened last autumn in the town of Šeduva has become one of Lithuania’s most significant recent cultural attractions, drawing several times more tourists to the region than before.
The Lost Shtetl museum, the largest and most modern institution in the Baltic states devoted to Jewish history, opened in September last year. In its first three months, it welcomed about 20,000 visitors from around the world.
“That exceeded our expectations by at least three times,” said Marija Dautartaitė, a representative of the museum.
“Every week we receive foreign guests and organised groups – people who have simply heard about the museum. The geography is very broad: Israel, the United States, Chile. Descendants of Šeduva’s Jews are also coming. Not everyone could attend the opening, but now they are finding time to visit, sharing their stories and spreading the word.”
The museum was created by teams of specialists from Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States. The complex includes a historic Jewish cemetery and several buildings visible from afar.
“From a distance, you can clearly see the museum’s silhouette – many houses, roofs and ridges forming a group of structures,” said museum guide Lukas Jankūnas. “It resembles a ghost town. The grey facade blends into the horizon and seems to disappear, like a town that no longer exists.”
Covering about 3,000 square meters, the museum features several exhibition spaces exploring not only the Holocaust but also Jewish culture, education and daily life. Many exhibits tell personal stories and were donated by descendants of Jews who once lived in Šeduva.
The museum plans to launch free educational programs for schools and expand cultural events, aiming to become a centre for learning and remembrance.
A memorial park surrounding the museum will bloom in spring, including a field of daffodils planted as part of an international project honouring children killed in the Holocaust.
Construction of the Lost Shtetl museum took about a decade. The museum was added to European memorial site lists while still under development. The word “shtetl” comes from Yiddish and refers to a small town with a Jewish community; thousands existed in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 18th century, and about 200 remained in interwar Lithuania.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
