Biržų muziejaus ekspozicinė veikla
ENBiržai District Municipal Museum, founded on February 16, 1928, has been several times moved from place to place. In 1988, the Museum was moved to the fourth and its current location – reconstructed Radvila Palace, 17th century bastion-type fortess. There are 25 exhibition halls (1891 sqm) spread over three floors. The exposition space provided for regional (ethnographic) studies exhibits, is inappropriate: high rooms, fireplaces, alcoves, lots of windows, both sides of the entry hall has got transitive 4–5 room system. There were not enough of exhibits for interior reconstruction. Thus it was decided to exhibit, on collectable items basis, the collections of Biržai region and ethnology. Starting from the exhibitions, which have grown into the expositions. The exhibition furniture, made according to architect F. Samukas’ project at Fine Arts Factory “Dailė” in Vilnius, was sufficient only for a few halls. Additional funding for design and furniture purchase hasn’t been received. Museum’s Chief Curator Jadvyga Kriščiūnienė became the main organizer of a new exposition, planner and creator of exposition areas and furniture in the restored Biržai Palace. Furniture manufacturing has been started by establishing a carpentry workshop on the premises.Until 2006, there were organized and are still constantly under improvement the following expositions: Prehistory; Biržai Old Town and Castle; The Dukes Radvila; The Heritage of Counts Tiškevičius; Biržai Land under the Rule of the Russian Empire; Biržai During the Years of Independence, Deportation and Resistance Movement; Biržai Land Emigrants, their Activities and Creation. There are five exhibition halls that reveal Biržai regional history ethnographic exhibition, four – the history of Biržai area religious confessions, literature and art exhibition. Long-term exhibitions: Biržai Sports, Brewery Customs and Traditions. Only 6–7 percent of exhibits are shown in expositions (in total there are 120,000 exhibits). According to the experts, Biržai Museum expositions are of distinctive style and original. It is distinguished by architectural unity of halls, the diversity of topics, introducing local history of Lithuania and European history. Currently the main Museum’s goal is to restore the castle complex and weaponry. Next year an exhibition of the reconstructed arsenal of the castle should be installed, in the nearest future – the takeover of other side of the palace, from which a public library moves out.
