New Exposition of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania in Kaunas
On 18 December, an exposition of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania was opened in Kaunas. Its main focus is on the history of the Bank of Lithuania and the national currency - the litas.
“The fact that this valuable exposition of our museum is presented in the historic building of the Bank of Lithuania in Kaunas is symbolic and meaningful. During the pre-war period the Lithuanian central bank, established in 1922, was operating in this building. Today its traditions are continued by the Bank of Lithuania. Now visitors of this building, which is spectacular in terms of its architecture and cultural heritage, will have a unique opportunity to learn about the development of banking and monetary relations in Lithuania”, said Reinoldijus Sarkinas, Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania.
Mr Sarkinas noted that the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania in Vilnius was established in 1994. Holdings of the Museum currently constitute around 40 thousand exhibits (approximately half of them are coins).
The exposition of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania presents a long period of development of domestic finances and banking: the origination of the first Lithuanian money, silver bars in the 13th century, coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the formation of the network of credit institutions in Kaunas in the second half of the 19th century–the early 20th century, complicated commercial–monetary relations at the time of the establishment of the state, the establishment of the Bank of Lithuania and the development of the national monetary system, its destruction during the Soviet occupation period, and the development of the state’s financial system after the restoration of its independence.
Visitors to the exposition will also be able to see the valuables that to date had only been stored as the Museum’s holdings, such as currency production facilities, designs of coins not issued into circulation, samples, banknotes that have not become daily legal tender, and other valuable exhibits relating to the interwar and nowadays operation of the Bank of Lithuania.
The Museum of the Bank of Lithuania in Kaunas, Maironio St 25, is open to visitors Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Lunch break 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Moments of the exhibition
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| Exposition of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania at Kaunas branch. |
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| Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania Reinoldijus Sarkinas and Governor of Kaunas branch Antanas Ivanauskas cut a symbolic ribbon during the opening of the exposition. |
Head of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania Vidmantas Laurinavicius acquainting guests with the new exposition. |
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| Head of the Public Relations Division of the Bank of Lithuania Kestutis Vanagas (from left), Stock Keeper of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania Vincas Ruzas and Senior IT Specialist Arturas Luckus presenting to the guests a new electronic publication “Money in Lithuania 1914–1945” of the Museum of the Bank of Lithuania. |
Senior referent of the Bank of Lithuania Kaunas branch Ruta Kupraitiene with the numismatists of Kaunas. |
