Merkine Local History Museum

Merkinė Local History Museum was established in a former mosque built in 1888 at the time when Lithuania was occupied by the Russian Empire. The mosque was constructed from the bricks of an old city hall of the Renaissance style that had stood in Merkinė City for 300 years. The Museum dates back to 1956, when the first exhibition of antiquities was opened in Merkinė High School by Teacher Juozas Vitkus. The exhibition was gradually expanded and then transferred to the mosque in 1968. At that time, the mosque stood empty as it was closed down during the Second World War.

In 2013, the Merkinė Local History Museum opened its doors offering an updated exhibition containing:

• Findings from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age illustrating the lives of the first settlers around Merkinė
• An ornate bell of the Merkinė City Hall molded and cast by Joanes de la Marche in Vilnius in 1670 reminding of the glorious days of Merkinė from the 16 th to the 18 th century, an impressive collection of tiles, other archeological findings and a historical city hall model
• Exhibits (books of prayers, photos, documents, personal belongings) dating back to the end of the 19 th and the beginning of the 20 th century and highlighting the lifestyle of Merkinė residents and other local people in the background of complex historic events
• Documents, photos, weapons and other valuables from the 20 th century speaking of the occupation times, holocaust, exiles, the Lithuanian guerilla warriors (partisans) and their fight for the freedom of their homeland.

Visit the museum to look around its modern exhibitions, watch a video footage selected from the local video archive, listen to the legendary tales of the mystical death of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław IV Vasa in Merkinė in 1648, the attack of Merkinė launched by the Lithuanian partisans in 1945 and other stories told by the locals...