Lithuanian Sea Museum

Contacts
Address: Smiltynės pl. 3, LT-93100, Klaipėda.
Tel.: (+370 ~ 46) 49 07 40, (+370 ~ 46) 49 07 54.
Fax (+370 ~ 46) 49 07 50.
E-mail: ljm@muziejus.lt
http://www.juru.muziejus.lt
Director – Olga Žalienė.

Information for Visitor

Opening hours:

From April 18th to May 31st and from September 1st to October 12th:
Wednesday to Sunday 10.30–18.00.
Dolphin shows are held at 12.00 and 15.00.

In June and from August 18th to August 31st:
Tuesday to Sunday 10.30–18.30.
Dolphin shows are held at 12.00, 14.00 and 16.00.

From July 1st to August 17th:
Tuesday to Sunday 10.30–18.00.
Dolphin shows are held at 11.00, 13.00 15.00 and 17.00.

From October 13th to April 18th:
Museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays only from 10.30 to 17.00.
Dolphin shows are held at 12.00 and 15.00.

Closed on the following public holidays: January 1st, November 1st, December 25th.

Admission:
Admission prices >

Additional services:
Excursion service (+370 ~ 46) 37 11 25.
Cafeterias in Dolphinarium and Sea Museum;
Taking pictures of visitors with animals;
Dealing in souvenirs.

Collection
The museum collections include the sea fauna and insects, archaeological, ethnographic and iconographical items, coins, documents, ships and their equipment.
The collection of the museum consists of 60 062 items kept.
In the main stock – 36 425 items.
In the supplementary stock – 23 627 items.
The biggest collection – preparations of sea fauna (cockleshells, corals, crustaceans, echinoderms, sea birds, fishes, sea mammalia). There are 19 787 items kept in it.
Other collections of the museum: collections of geology, archaeology, ethnography, numismatics, cartography, ship technique, the written language, photo-material, philately.
Special stock of the Lithuanian Maritime Museum - animate exhibits: sea mammalia, birds, fishes.
The stock of animate exhibits consists of 957 animals. Freshwater fishes of the Baltic sea and Lithuanian rivers and lakes make the greatest part of the collection – 800 items, corralling fishes – 35 items, tropic freshwater fishes – 78 items, colony of penguins – 21 penguin, sea mammalia (gray Baltic seals, sea lions of the North and Californian seas etc.) – 20 items.

Exposition

Sea mammals and birds exposition
Open air pools inhabited by Baltic seals, sea lions and penguins Seals and penguins are breeding successfully.

Aquarium
31 tank with Lithuanian freshwater, the Baltic Sea and the tropical seas fish.

Marine fauna exposition
The Baltic Sea geography, geology, fauna, an abundant collection of seashells and corals.

Navigation history exposition
Old fishing vessels, ethnographic farmstead of fisherman, models of ships, archaeological finds, document, anchors.
In this portion of exposition, “Heritage of the Sea: Fragments from the Depths”, fragments of sunken vessels found on the Baltic seafloor are on exhibit. Fragments include the anchors stocks of sailboats, windlasses, beams, eselhofts, details of keels and frames, and a centuries’ old dugout (primitive boat) found in Plateliai Lake. Museum-goers will also have the chance to become acquainted with the peculiarities behind the construction of sailboats and dugouts, learn how ropes on sea vessels were made, and the secrets of tying knots.

Dolphinarium
Hall containing 1 000 seats for the visitors and 1800 m³ capacity pool for the dolphins and sea lions shows.

The Fortress of Kopgalis – Klaipėda’s Piece of Historic Heritage
The exposition can be found in the first hall dedicated to navigation history – in a portion of the underground embankment, called the paterna. The sea fortress, which was constructed in the 19th century, once defended the entrance to Klaipėda’s harbor. At the exposition, copies of the fortresses plans – obtained from German archives – will be on exhibit, as well as iconographic material, drawings depicting reconstructed scenes of how the fortress was manned as well as illustrating the life of those who guarded the fortress. These exhibits help to recreate the history at the Fortress of Kopgalis and are further aided by the audio installation, “The Fortress’s History Rebounds with Echoes”, as well as a flag raising ceremony that is accompanied with a volley of the artillery’s cannons.

Mussel Shell Collection and the Exposition, “Crustacean and Echinoderms”

Exhibitions
Thematic exhibitions from the collections of the museum are arranged (history of shipping, sea fauna) as well as scientific research exhibitions and those of photographs.

Cultural, educational activity
A club "Friends of the museum" functions in the museum. This club organizes educational programs. Series of programs on sea biology and history of shipping are prepared for secondary school pupils.
Traditional events in the museum:
Open door days in the museum;
Festivals on the occasion of giving a name to seals;
Spring Festivals;
Christmas Holidays;
Concerts of folk music and festivals in the ethnographic fisherman's homestead.

Departments
Department of Sea mammals and birds;
Department of Aquarium;
Department of Maritime fauna;
Department of Dolphinarium;
Department of Relations for Public.

History of the Museum
The idea of the museum was nurtured and implemented by a group of architects, engineers and museum workers united by the head of Klaipėda administration of many years standing A. Žalys.
Lithuanian Maritime Museum was established in the place called Kopgalis where fishermen's village started settling since the 19th century. The fortress of Kopgalis was destroyed in 1945 and was not used for some time. 
Maritime division of Klaipėda ethnographic museum (now Museum of history of Lithuania Minor) having propagated the idea of this unique museum, collected exhibits, prepared expositions made the start for the Lithuanian Maritime Museum in 1971.
In the history of its establishment three stages are distinguished:
1) 1970-1979
The central readout of the fortress was rebuilt, the fortress of Kopgalis restored, an exposition arranged. Aquarium with freshwater fishes of Lithuanian lakes and rivers and the Baltic Sea was built, expositions of sea fauna etc. arranged. In the first stage of the establishment of the museum the exposition became a composite one, embracing all spheres of relations between the man and the sea.
On July 28, 1979 the exposition was opened to public.
2) 1980-1985
It was a turning point to the attractiveness of the museum. It was aimed to excite the curiosity of visitors in the sea flora and fauna, to encourage perceiving and preserving it. Four open-air pools for large sea-mammalia and performance grounds with a little pool were built, near-by - a viewing-stand arranged.
Animal breading was commenced. 
3) 1986-1994
This period is connected with the arrangement of the dolphinarium.
Sea animals were bred successfully.
In 1997 the museum was granted the status of the Republican museum. 
Since 1998 the museum is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.
The founder of the museum - the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

Photographs from the stock of the Lithuanian Sea Museum