The exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Open Air Museum of Lithuania expositions highlights the importance of wood in our lives, and by extension, in our museum. Lithuania has always had a substantial wood culture, which is why wood has become the foundation of this museum. Over several decades, the museum has amassed an exceptional collection of wooden buildings, including homesteads and individual buildings.
Wood, wooden objects, and woodwork accompanied people at every step, from the cradle to the grave. A tree was planted when a child was born. The deceased were laid to rest on a wooden board. Wooden coffins were used for burial. In cemeteries, wooden crosses and roofed poles were built, and statues of saints were carved. Wood was significant to people in both the sacred and the domestic spheres. People continued the life of the tree through their creations.
People knew wood. They knew what tree should be used for making certain items because they knew the properties and uses of wood. That knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation.
People knew how to use wood products. They knew the composition of wood and used its parts skillfully. Not only the trunk but also the bark, roots, branches, and leaves.
The exhibition features many everyday objects used in Lithuania in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Other objects not included here can be found throughout the museum, in the interiors of the museum’s houses and bathhouses, and in further contexts.
This exhibition is like an introduction to our museum exhibitions.
Exhibition „Wood and us“ is open from the 30th of June, 2026 in the Exhibition Hall of the Open Air Museum of Lithuania.
dr. Aistė Morkūnaitė – Lazauskienė
Curator of the exhibition