Rumsiskes in Lithuania is best known for its excellent open-air ethnographic museum (established in 1966 and opened in 1974), one of the largest in Europe. The open-air museum is a unique and one of the largest open-air ethnographic museums in Europe. It has the biggest quantity of exhibits (90820 exhibits). The open-air museum in Rumsiskes displays the heritage of Lithuanian rural life in a vast collection of authentic resurrected buildings where the Lithuanian people lived and worked. The total area of 175 ha (432 acre) contains 140 buildings from the 18th–19th century with the restored original interiors and surroundings. This museum was established to help to preserve and research the former ways of living.
The buildings of this museum are exposed as farmsteads and all of them together represent the main ethnographic regions of Lithuania: Aukstaitija, Samogitia, Dzukija and Suvalkija. Each has the homes, barns, granaries, stables, mills characteristic to the area. They all have restored unique interiors with ancient Lithuanian used household furniture, utensils, and home decorations. Some buildings are equipped with workshops, presenting the ancient Lithuanian handicraft works, showing how the tools were made and antique farming implements were used.
The museum has a sector dedicated for exile and resistance. In this section there is a yurt covered with turf, an animal deportation wagon, a partisan bunker camouflaged at the stream slope and well-equipped. The territory of the museum is a very popular place where ethnographic festivals are celebrated and folk song and dance concerts are held. This museum is very easy to reach since it is located 18 km (11 mi) to the east of Kaunas near the Kaunas-Vilnius highway. Rumsiskes belongs to the Kaunas Reservoir Regional Park. The museum was featured in the reality show The Amazing Race 12 in 2007.
Access : Coordinates: 54° 51? 59? N, 24° 11? 32 E , 54.866389°, 24.192222° / The museum is located near the highway A1/E85, Vilnius – Kaunas, 25 km from Kaunas, 79 km from Vilnius. Public transport (buses) are available from Kaunas and Vilnius (direction – Rumsiskes). Find your bus trip. The main entrance of the museum is 1.8 km away from the bus stop.
1, 82, 88, 118 minibuses from Kaunas station „Kalnieciu poliklinika“ to „Rumsiskiu paviljonas“ are available. Find your minibuses trip. The main entrance of the museum is 850 m away from the minibus stop „Rumsiskiu paviljonas“ .
All trains from Kaunas and Vilnius to railway station „Pravieniskes“ are available. Find your train trip. A railway station „Pravieniskes“ is located 6 km away from the main entrance of the museum.
Every Sunday (from May to September) at 11 a. m., ship goes from Kaunas Lagoon pier near Pazaislis to Open Air Museum of Lithuania.
Location : L. Lekaviciaus g. 2 | Rumsiskes, Kaunas LT-56337, Lithuania /
Hours : Interior expositions are opened May – September: Monday – Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm. / interior and church expositions are opened 1st – 14th October: Monday – Sunday, 10 am – 6 pm. / Interior expositions are closed and visiting the museum as a park is available: 15th October – 31st March: Monday – Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm. April: Monday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm. May – September: Monday – Sunday, 6 pm – 8 pm.
Services : The guided tours and educational programmes are booked all year round. Info : Admissions : Varies
