News

The ethnography halls are temporarily closed until March 2023 due to the reconstruction works. We do apologize for the inconvenience and hope to see you in spring in the renovated part of the museum.

On 24 February, 2022, the Russian Federation proclaimed a war on Ukraine.

Lithuania stands with Ukraine and offers its support to Ukrainian citizens. 

You can find more information here: https://lrv.lt/lt/aktuali-informacija/informacija-apie-kara-ukrainoje/aktuali-informacija-1

On 7 February, the Belarusian opposition organized the International Town Twinning action. The museum also took part in the campaign as for many years a beautiful friendship has connected the museum with the colleagues from Mir and Nesvizh castles, the Belarusian National Museum of History and Culture and the Belarusian National Museum of Art. We support the people of Belarus in their struggle for freedom and democracy, from which joint projects and international exhibitions were born.

Travelling is not easy at the moment, so Biržai Region Museum "Sėla" invites you to travel around the history of Biržai together with the all-knowing Radziwiłł eagle. A witty short guide to the history of Biržai was supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture. We invite you to take a look...

Latviski par Biržu pilsētas vēsturi...

In 2020, Biržai Region Museum "Sėla" published an information leaflet in Lithuanian and English "Biržai - Birzh - בירזאי" about the history of the Jewish community of Biržai and its legacy to the town.

The publication of the information leaflet was partly funded by the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture.

You can find a free leaflet at Biržai Region Museum "Sėla", J. Radvilos str. 3 and Biržai Tourism Information Center, J. Janonio str. 2.

You can know more interesting facts about the life the Jews led in Biržai.

Biržai Region Museum “Sėla” received a new exhibit - a silver cover of the Jewish Bible - Tanach (תנ״ך) for the exhibition on the history of religious denomination in Biržai region. This very eloquent artefact proves the beautiful and respectful relations between two religious denominations - Jews and Catholics - in Biržai. 

Tanach is a Jewish Bible that approximately corresponds to the Old Testament of the Christians. It differs from the latter in the order and classification of the books.  

The Jewish community of Biržai donated Tanach to the Catholic priest of Biržai St. John the Baptist church Juozapas Rinkevičius (1838–1918) on the 50^th anniversary of his priesthood. The further story of the exhibit is unknown. The collector who sold the cover to the museum had bought it from a family of Vilnius residents.

The meeting with Arūnas Gelažninkas, who is known as the fastest Lithuanian motorcycle rider of Zigmas Dakar Team, his family, relatives and friends took place in Biržai Region Museum “Sėla” on 24th February 2020. 

Those who did not participate in the meeting with the fastest Lithuanian motorcyclist are invited to visit the Sports Exhibition hall of the museum and have a look at the sportsman’s trophies exhibited there.

The largest tourism fair in the Nordic countries, MATKA Nordic Travel Fair 2020, took place in Helsinki, Finland from 15 to 19 January 2020. The museum officer Lina Kuncytė presented Biržai Region Museum "Sėla" in the fair.

Valdemaras Serapinas, the ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Finland, invited the Lithuanian participants of the fair to a reception at the embassy.   

During Biržai Jewish History and Culture Week (13-16 June 2019),  a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust was unveiled in Pakamponiai Forest. The participant from the UK, Michael Kretzmer, made a video about the events in Biržai and Plungė. You can watch it here.

The Baltic Unity Day was celebrated in Biržai, on 20-21 September 2019, with many honourable guests from the Parliaments and ministries of Lithuania and Latvia, as well as people from Latvia and Lithuania, and local Biržai citizens.

There was a great amount of action for everyone: to participate in educational activities demonstrated by the old Baltic artisans, play numerous games and listen to the concerts of the Lithuanian and Latvian performers on the grounds of Biržai castle, to watch documentary films in the building of Biržai regional park administration.

An exhibition of the works of the Latvian painter Gerderts Eliass from the archives of Jelgava History and Art Museum of Gederts Eliass was opened in Biržai Region Museum “Sėla”. 

The final events of the day were the performances of Baldone and Vecumnieki Youth Symphony Orchestra “Draugi” (Latvia) and the State Song and Dance Ensemble “Lietuva” (Lithuania) in Biržai Cultural Centre.

The official regalia passed to the representatives of Kuldiga, the organisers of the next Baltic Unity Day in 2020.