It only at first glance seems that the museum is a boring and rather uninteresting place. One of the main attractions of Lithuania refutes this opinion. It is distinguished by originality, and its exhibits amaze even those visitors who think they have seen everything.
Unique exhibits
The Devil Museum in Kaunas is one of a kind. The basis of the expositions is a rich collection of the artist Antanas Zhmuizinavichyus - a huge original. A creative man who adores mysticism, in 1906 receives a tiny figurine of a pretty imp as a present.
After which he begins to collect rare exhibits. Unfamiliar people, having heard about his hobby, brought new copies of figurines of evil spirits, and gradually an unusual hobby turned into the life work of a famous master.
Overgrown collection
In 1966, Antanas муmujdzinavičius dies, and his house turns into an unusual museum, the exhibits of which were the artist’s favorite characters. At first, the exhibition was not popular, but over time, the number of visitors begins to grow. It especially attracts tourists who have never seen anything like it. Many guests bring with them presentations on the relevant topic and leave very rare figurines that replenish the collection, which was growing literally before our eyes. And the authorities had to build an extension, where all the exhibits are located.
Three thousand devils!
The Devil Museum in Kaunas, the basis of the exposition of which are figurines of various sizes, is very interesting for guests. The rich collection reveals the image of evil spirits from different angles. All objects of the three-story building are grouped by specific topics, some exhibits show the essence of the fallen angel. What colorful instances are not here: ceramic, porcelain, plastic, wooden figures, badges and posters on a certain subject, candlesticks, mugs, canes with images of devils.
The stands show demon figures brought from 23 countries. Here are Polish demons, who love to drink, and Georgian devils, draining bowls of sparkling drink to the bottom, and Ukrainian devils in pretty little chervilka, and even the unclean blockade from Leningrad. Of particular interest are the colorful masks from the colorful carnival in Venezuela, which bears a symbolic name - "Devil's Holiday".
Among the exhibits of the Devil Museum in Kaunas, photos of which can only be made for a fee, there is evil in a female form - devils. Curious works of Stephen Vincent Mitchell, an authoritative master of mystical art, are hung along the stairs. An artist working in the genre of dark surrealism often turns to the image of evil forces opposing God.
Favorite character of Lithuanian folklore
Lithuania is a country whose inhabitants often hanged a feature on the place of honor. Folk art always gravitated to folklore and was not purely religious. It is no coincidence that the main character of the museum is Spieras - the embodiment of evil spirits on earth and the character of Lithuanian stories. In local tales, he appears as a handsome guy with a cheerful disposition, and plays an important role in tradition. Narrators endowed him with human shortcomings, but which could be forgiven. In the character, people recognized either a crook living in the neighborhood, or a drunkard who fell asleep on the street.
According to legend, the devil appears on Saturdays and only where it is noisy and fun, so most often it can be seen dancing, whirling with beautiful girls. So that young ladies do not get scared, he turns into a gallant young man with exquisite manners. There is only one way to recognize a folklore character - to step on his foot, and if a girl feels a hoof under her shoe, then she urgently needs to say goodbye to her dance partner. Otherwise, the lady will not be able to resist the charms of the gentleman who, after dancing, will take his companion with him.
Museum Hours
The Devil Museum in Kaunas, whose address is: V. Putvinskio, 64 (Putvinskio St. 64) - is located in the northern part of the city center. It accepts visitors from Tuesday to Sunday from 11.00 to 19.00. Entrance ticket costs 3 euros (219 rubles), students and pensioners receive a 50% discount.
Tourists should know that from September to June, admission is free on Wednesdays. Russians note that there is a lot of information in Russian, unlike other museums in Vilnius or Trakai.
