Palanga Amber Museum

Description

The Palanga Amber Museum houses a collection of amber comprising about 28,000 pieces, of which about 15,000 contain inclusions of insects, spiders, or plants. About 4,500 pieces of amber are exhibited; many of these are items of artwork and jewelry. Amber workshops appeared in Palanga during the 17th century; guilds devoted to the material functioned in Brügge, Lübeck, Danzig, and Königsberg. By the end of the 18th century Palanga was the center of the Russian Empire's amber industry. In the years preceding World War I about 2,000 kilograms of raw amber were processed in Palanga annually.

The exhibition areas open to the public include 15 rooms covering about 750 square meters. A chapel connected to the palace houses temporary exhibitions. The museum is thematically divided into the scientific and cultural/artistic aspects of amber.

The museum is located to Tiškevičiai Palace, a Neo-Renaissance style palace built in 1893-1897. The palace is surrounded by a park with ponds, fountains, and collections of rare plants. The palace is surrounded by the Palanga Botanical Garden.