Description of the attraction
The house-museum of the Venclova family opened in the apartment of the writer Antanas Venclova, where he lived from 1945 to 1971. Antanas Venclovy (1906-1971) was a Lithuanian writer and public figure, as well as a people's writer of the Lithuanian SSR. His son, Tomas Venclova, also grew up in this house, located on 34 Pamenkalne Street, where many educated people of Lithuania have visited. The son of the Lithuanian poet Antanas also became a poet, in addition, he was a translator, literary critic, essayist.
The foundation of the museum was established in 1973 after the Vilnius Museum of Writers was founded. The largest number of exhibits was donated to the museum by the wife of Antanas, Eliza Vencloveni, with whom the museum still cooperates.
In 1990 the A. Venclova Memorial Museum became independent by the order of the Vilnius City Department of Culture. By order of the Minister of Culture, all objects and exhibits of A. Venclova's museum were confiscated from the Vilnius Museum of Writers. By 1991, the A. Venclova memorial museum was transformed into the Venclova memorial office, which was located in the Vilnius House of Culture, closed already in 1996 - from that moment the museum found its place in the Vilnius Center for Ethnic Activity.
In 2004 the museum got its name: "House-Museum of the Venclova Family". In June 2005, the Vilnius Municipality Council decided to separate the house-museum from the Vilnius Center for Ethnic Activity and, together with some memorial apartments of other famous people, became one whole in the form of the Vilnius Directorate of Memorial Museums.
At the moment, the collection of the house-museum has about 8 thousand exhibits. The collection includes: the Thomas Venclova fund, the Anatas Venclova fund and the Rachkauskas family fund, the accumulation of the collection of which began quite recently.
Since 1996, the exposition of the museum has been operating, which has an authentically equipped study of Antanas Venclova. It contains all the furniture of the writer, as well as most of the personal belongings and art objects that existed during the life of the writer. The exposition "A. Venclova's Study" reflects the everyday side of the life of the Lithuanian intelligentsia in the 40-50s of the 20th century in the city of Vilnius.
The adult life of a writer, poet and public figure took place during the Soviet occupation, which was characterized by drama and multiple contradictions. Under the Soviet Government of Lithuania Venclove was the Minister of Education and held a prominent post of chairman of the Writers' Union and other no less significant positions.
In 1940, he allocated money for the reconstruction of Trakai Castle, and then took part in organizing the founding of the Museum of Life, took care of putting the museum in Nyuronis, where the birthplace of the writer J. Biliunas is located, and preserving T. Mann's site in Nida. In addition, he contributed overwhelming work to the formation of public opinion about the composer and artist M. K. Čiurlionis, giving it its due place in the Lithuanian cultural history.
Antanas Venclove took part in the creation of a series of books that are especially important for the preservation of the cultural wealth and heritage of the Lithuanian people - "Lithuanian" folk art "and" Literary library ", having made great efforts to ensure that these books were published. Venclove closely communicated with the writer A. Venuolise and V. Mikolaitis-Putinas, the sculptor J. Mikenas and the artist S. Krasauskas. His famous apartment was visited by a huge number of the same famous people as himself, who were Russian, Estonian, Ukrainian, German, Chinese, Polish cultural figures.
The cultural atmosphere of the Venclove family home was maintained not only thanks to the outstanding father and his activities, but also to his wife Eliza Venlovena, her sister, the artist Maria Tsvirkene, and her father, a professor of philology at Kaunas and then Vilnius University.
Merkelis Rachkauskas, a polymath, translator and expert in ancient languages, also played a significant role in enlightening the family; father's brother - translator and writer Karolis Vairas-Rachkauchkas, who was a diplomat in pre-war Lithuania.
Today the museum strives to attract the younger generation. The museum contains many books by Thomas Venclova, and collects previously unknown archival materials. The heads of the museum aim to find more information about Venclova's relatives, for example, M. Tsvirken, M. Rachkauskas, as well as about T. Venclova's literary and political activities. The museum cooperates with the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Lithuanian secondary and higher educational institutions.
