Jurbarkas town and its region was terra incognita for me for a long time so this year's vacation was dedicated to correct this mistake. Naturally my husband and I started our second day in the town itself wanting to get to know its history and its people a little bit better.
My method of getting better acquainted with my surroundings is... to go to the museum. Luckily, Jurbarkas has one and with a price of just 2 € per ticket we were able to look around and to hear about the history of this region. The museum itself is small, established in the former servants' quarters of Jurbarkas manor (because the manor house was destroyed during WWI) but hosts an exhibition of replicas of medieval Lithuanian weapons and armour that the visitors can touch and even wear! It was a fun experience to swing around a replica of a sword! The second floor hosts some authentic furniture and household items from the era before WWI, when the manor and the lands were ruled by the Vassiltchikov family, so this was the part that I have paid my attention to the most.
The second museum that we have visited that day is the Memorial Museum of Vincas Grybas. Vincas Grybas was a sculptor who created many famous monuments in Lithuania during the interwar period. Born in 1890, he was quickly noticed for his woodcarvings of saints and with a help of local aristocracy Vincas Grybas was able to study arts in Warsaw. Later in his life after trying himself in some other fields, Mr. Grybas came back to art and studied sculpture and ceramics in Paris (Acadèmie de la Grande Chaumiére, École nationale supérieure de ceramique, and Conservatoire national des arts et métiers). After returning from France the sculptor established himself and his workshop in Jurbarkas, in the buildings of the former manor. There he lived and created until the last days of his life, which ended tragically: Vincas Grybas was handed over to the Gestapo and killed in the summer of 1941 in Jurbarkas, together with the other victims of Nazi Germany regime.
Today all three buildings that previously belonged to the sculptor accommodate all the exhibitions of the Memorial Museum (run by his granddaughter!). Main house is dedicated to the memory of Vincas Grybas, the workshop tells the story of his works, while the Art House is used for education purposes.
When visiting the museum I highly recommend their audio guide (only 3 € and you are given an audio guide as well as a wireless speaker, so renting one guide is enough for an entire family)! It definitely broadens the experience and the information is delivered and recorded exceptionally well, it is easy to understand and follow. Looking back now, visiting this museum was without a doubt one of the best moments during our stay in Jurbarkas.
Having acquainted ourselves with the region, my husband and I decided to spend half of our third day... thrifting. Stay tuned to know how that turned out!
Photos © Aesthastic
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