A unique historical space is open to the public – Pilininka’s house: from the Pilininka phenomenon to Lithuanian identity Culture

The exhibition contains an intriguing story and the life of a citizen

The Pilininka House, opened to the public for the first time, is the twelfth branch of the Lithuanian National Museum. It has a permanent exhibition that tells about the development of Lithuania from prehistory to the present day.

The country’s history is presented here in different sections: creativity, faith, struggles, historical turning points, world links and personalities. The exhibition also tells about the most important events that shaped the face of Lithuania, representatives of various nationalities who significantly contributed to the history and cultural development of the country.

Greta Skaraitienes/BNS photo/Lithuanian National Museum opened its newest unit at the foot of Mount Gediminas – Pilininka’s House

A separate exhibition hall is dedicated to each of these topics, where there is no shortage of unique historical objects, interactively presented stories, and modern display solutions.

The main exposition of Pilininka’s house is also complemented by a story about the craft of pilinika, piling, stonemasonry and the history of the city of Vilnius 200 years ago, which is presented in the restored cellars.

On the occasion of the opening of this museum, Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys said that the Pilinink House is an interesting and valuable newcomer to the cultural field, which most Vilnius residents have heard about, but have never visited.

“I am happy that this new branch of the museum is turning a new page in history as a fully formed cultural space with an exclusive exposition and activities dedicated to Lithuanian identity. When creating new cultural spaces, it is important to see the final vision – not only restored walls or exposed vaults, but also what kind of narrative will unfold between those walls. It is ideal when form and content coincide, when the stories created in the space complement each other,” – said S. Kairys, emphasizing that this is exactly what is revealed in Pilininka’s house.

Greta Skaraitienes/BNS photo/Lithuanian National Museum opened its newest unit at the foot of Mount Gediminas – Pilininka’s House

Director General of the Lithuanian National Museum dr. Rūta Kačkutė said that although Pilininka’s house is located in the very heart of the center of Vilnius, the history of the building has been preserved for a long time, and today is the first time that an ordinary Vilnius resident will be able to visit this building after more than four centuries since its construction.

According to R. Kačkutė, the Pilininks house exposition is a short guide to the identity of our country, with the help of which the aim is to understand why we are the way we are, what Lithuania is like and what the identity of Lithuania is.

The head of the museum hopes that the new museum will be visited not only by residents of Vilnius, guests of the city, teachers with students, but also by tourists from abroad.

On the occasion of the opening – from Wednesday to Saturday, the National Museum of Lithuania invites visitors to visit this new branch for free.

Pilinika’s house and its owners

This building at the foot of Mount Gediminas was built in 1610. after a fire destroyed a large part of the city. In the beginning, it was intended for the foreign craftsmen who repaired the palaces of the dukes and the courtiers of the palace of Queen Elisabeth of Habsburg.

Later, the headquarters of the Pilininkai of Vilnius was established here. The bailiff, who was appointed by the ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was responsible for the fortifications of the castle and the entire city, took care of weapons and castle repairs. He also leased the mill and lands, collected taxes, and settled disputes between the people living in the castle estate.

The chieftain served the ruler and the city for life. The names of 39 citizens were recorded in history, the last of them was killed by the soldiers of the Russian Empire.

As the strategic importance of castles decreased, the position of castle keepers became formal, and they resided in Vilnius much less frequently. 18th century in the second half, the power of the citizen in the city of Vilnius was no longer as great as in the 17th century. in the middle

Greta Skaraitienes/BNS photo/Lithuanian National Museum opened its newest unit at the foot of Mount Gediminas – Pilininka’s House

After Lithuania became a part of the Russian Empire, gendarmes settled in Pilininka’s house, later artillery workshops and a kitchen were installed here. in 1797 the house was incorporated into the Vilnius Arsenal, and a few years later the arched walls, galleries and stables connecting the building to the New Arsenal were demolished. In 1831, the surroundings of Pilininka’s house suffered even more. by the order of the tsar, after the construction of a fortress of the second category in the territory of Vilnius castles.

19th century the building housed gunpowder warehouses, workshops, living quarters, a canteen for the arsenal crew and a bakery on the second floor. in 1879 after the abolition of the fortress, until 1915 the building belonged to the Russian military, and later it came under the control of the Polish, then the German military.

Greta Skaraitienes/BNS photo/Lithuanian National Museum opened its newest unit at the foot of Mount Gediminas – Pilininka’s House

20th century in the middle of the 19th century, after the military unit moved out and the buildings of the Vilnius castles were adapted to the needs of the museum, the administration of the Lithuanian National Museum, departments of Lithuanian collections and restorers settled here.