Palanga Amber Museum, Palanga, Lithuania

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.

References:

Wikipedia

Museums in Lithuania

Address

Vytauto gatvė 19, Palanga, Lithuania

See all sites in Palanga

Details

Founded: 1963
Category: Museums in Lithuania

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Klaipeda Castle Ruins (22,8 km)
Kretinga Museum (12 km)
Kretinga Monastery (11,8 km)
Sventoji (13,3 km)
Grobina Burial Ground (46 km)

User Reviews

Tom Z (20 months ago)
If in Lithuania, this is a Must Visit! Incredible collection of amber you will not see anywhere else. You can buy some of your own (real) amber at their gift shop

Nataliya Grydasova (2 years ago)
Lovely park around, impressive collection of amber. There are magnifying glasses to see the inclusions. Unfortunately, there weren't enough audio guides, which could make the experience even better.

Paul B (2 years ago)
Nice museum in a restored manor house that belonged to Baron Tiškevičius. Several floors of exhibition, rare amber with inclusions, a working gift shot, manicured gardens, a gift shop and very clean toilets. Well worth visiting.

BeautifulYouTVRUS (2 years ago)
Palanga Amber Museum is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited! The museum is surrounded by a picturesque park with lots of water ponds, bridges, flower beds and a fountain. The museum itself is a great destination for a family visit! Some nice amber souvenirs can also be bought in the museum shop!

Andrew Pidduck (2 years ago)
This museum is located inside a beautiful estate. The mansion itself is a beautiful work of art. The museum does a tremendous job teaching about the creation and history of amber and its collection process. I was amazed to see the rare pieces they had on display such as a lizard inside amber and a colony of mating insects inside amber. The admission is cheap and the experience is great. I highly recommend this for a day trip.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Monceau

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Kisimul Castle

Dating from the 15th century, Kisimul is the only significant surviving medieval castle in the Outer Hebrides. It was the residence of the chief of the Macneils of Barra, who claimed descent from the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages. Tradition tells of the Macneils settling in Barra in the 11th century, but it was only in 1427 that Gilleonan Macneil comes on record as the first lord. He probably built the castle that dominates the rocky islet, and in its shadow a crew house for his personal galley and crew. The sea coursed through Macneil veins, and a descendant, Ruari ‘the Turbulent’, was arrested for piracy of an English ship during King James VI’s reign in the later 16th century.

Heavy debts eventually forced the Macneil chiefs to sell Barra in 1838. However, a descendant, Robert Lister Macneil, the 45th Chief, repurchased the estate in 1937, and set about restoring his ancestral seat. It passed into Historic Scotland’s care in 2000.

The castle dates essentially from the 15th century. It takes the form of a three-storey tower house. This formed the residence of the clan chief. An associated curtain wall fringed the small rock on which the castle stood, and enclosed a small courtyard in which there are ancillary buildings. These comprised a feasting hall, a chapel, a tanist’s house and a watchman’s house. Most were restored in the 20th century, the tanist’s house serving as the family home of the Macneils. A well near the postern gate is fed with fresh water from an underground seam. Outside the curtain wall, beside the original landing-place, are the foundations of the crew house, where the sailors manning their chief’s galley had their quarters.

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Palanga Amber Museum