About the Museum

Akmenes Region Museum was founded in 2007, January 2. Many years before, Akmenes town enlightened, elderly folk artists, collectors pressed district leaders to establish Regional Museum. The biggest input was from Akmenes town community: painters S. Adomaitis and A. Adomaitis, collector P. Pliuskys. S. Saliamanienė gathered 500 signatures, which indicates the need to build the museum in district. A lot of effort to create the museum has made the magazine "Vienybė" editor, journalist, and ethnographer L. Rozga.
2005 May, preparatory works of the museum began to start, taken care of Sandy Saliamanienė- enthusiast, daughter of collector P. Pliuskys and V. Beniušis. For the future museum, council granted the facilities in primary health care center Akmenes clinic, on the second floor, which has been unused for several years. During the first two years there was renovated rooms, made furniture, collected artifacts, prepared articles of association, organized the first exhibition.

In 2005 December 22, everyone were invited to presentation of the museum's vision and the first exhibition – all Akmenes folk artists works, gifts to the museum and artifacts collected by workers per years. Unfortunately, the establishment of the museum was postponed for another year. Many folk artists of that time were ripe old age and not all were destined to get a big celebration - the official opening of the museum. Over the years, Akmenes town lost P. Pliuskys, who were huge museum establishment enthusiast, wood carver O. Šimkiene ant the owner of huge diurnal butteerflies collection B. Izenbekas.
In 2006 museum were still under construction - rooms were repaired, artifacts collected, documentation of museum were prepared. Many of interested people brought things for temporary save, because the future of the museum was still vague.

The museum got an interesting minerals and fossils collection from Stanislovas Sungaila. Fossils - Jurassic animal fossils: ammonite’s shells, parts of thunderbolt skeletal, also known as "devil's fingers" of various mollusk shells and other water - living animal and plant debris. Sea life on earth ended before 150 million years.

At the end of 2006 the voice of towns people were heard, and district government council decided to establish the museum.
Akmenes Region Museum was founded in 2007, January 2. The museum operated by artist- figuration, historian, pedagogue Lionė Stupurienė. Museum kept the first employees – high accountant L. Garbenienė and cleaning lady J. Kazlauskienė.
In 2007 museum had another aim – unique collection of diurnal butterflies, from B. Izenbekas. It was collected in 50 years by Akmenes town resident, and that is why it was very relevant to region museum. According to Dr. Povilas Ivinskis, Vilnius University Institute of Ecology, head of Laboratory of Entomology, it was the biggest diurnal butterflies’ collection in Lithuania. In December, Government council decided to buy a collection. The Ministry of Culture and Culture Sponsorship fund financed the project. By the June of 2009, there were new rooms, glass-cases. June 12 museum opens steadily working exhibition of diurnal butterflies.