The Amber Museum from Lithuania for the Comenius project 'Europe in a ... museum" (2013-2015)

1. in the framework of the Comenius Multilateral Partnership Project
“Europe in a …museum”
Gargždų “Minijos” progimnazija
Lithuania
2015
PALANGA AMBER MUSEUM

2. Small but lovely is my native country,
Like a bead of amber glowing bright.
Her old melodies arouse my wonder
And her patterned weave is my delight.
For a keepsake take this bead of amber
Cast by waves upon the baltic strand.
Lithuania’s name in all its splendour
Like the sun will sparkle in your hand.
Lithuanian poetess SALOMĖJA NĖRIS,1940

3. Found in many parts of the world, amber is nowhere else so
deeply rooted into everyday life, folklore and art as in Lithuania .
One of the finest
legends, a poetic love story
about the sea –goddess Jurate
and a fisherman Kastytis
originates in the land of the
Baltic tribes. This is an
attempt by our ancestors to
explain the origin of amber.
According to the legend amber
pieces are Jurate’s tears and
fragments of goddess Jurate’s
underwater castle struck by
Perkunas, the Thunder god,
that still washes up on the
beaches nearby Palanga.

4. The Palanga amber museum was established on August 3, 1963.
It is housed on the estate of
Count Feliksas Tiskevicius
(1865-1932). The estate,
designed by German architect
Franc Schwechten (1841-
1924), was built in 1897.
The Palanga Botanical
Gardens, designed by the
landscape architect Eduard
Francois Andre (1840-1911),
surround the Estate.

5. The first floor is dedicated to displays that illustrate the formation
and composition of amber
 Amber in the area arose
about 40 to 45 million years
ago.
 The processes via
which resin is changed into
amber by microorganisms,
oxidation,and polymerization
are illustrated.
 Climate warming stimulated
the resin leak of amber trees
Pinus succinifera.
 Composition of amber: 80%
of carbon, 10% of oxygen, 10%
of hydrogen.

7. Nowadays the Palanga amber museum’s exposition takes up 15
rooms. About 4,500 exhibit pieces are found here.
 Visitors are acquainted with the formation, processing, practical
application, and morphological variations of amber.
 The museum is thematically divided into the scientific and
cultural/artistic aspects of amber.

8. The visitors can see one of the largest amber pieces in Europe,
the Amber Sun or Sun Stone.
 It’s Europe’s third
largest amber specimen of
size 210x190x150 mm and
weighing 3,526 grams.
 Baltic amber weight
ranges from 10,5 to 1,096
grams.

9. The Palanga amber museum has the collection of 15000 inclusions.
 Inclusions are amber piece
with trapped insects or plants
(centipedes, arachnida, ephemera,
termites ants, parts of the trees,
leaves and pine needles).
 They are being used as a study
material for the investigation of
the history of amber and million-
year-old flora and fauna.

11. Cultural and artistic exhibits
Exhibits include:
 a 15th-century ring,
 a 16th-century cross,
 amber jewelry from
the past four centuries,
 a number of rosaries,
 cigarette holders,
 decorative boxes,
 round beads,
 various brooches

13. Selections of modern amber work are a part of the collection.
 The collection includes pieces by
the Lithuanian artists Horstas
Taleikis, Dionyzas Varkalis and
Jonas Urbonas.
 Amber gem stone is not strictly
speaking a stone at all, but
beautiful jewelry made from it
resembles gemstones, so it is
sold as a gem stone.

15. Amber was used in many spheres of human activity, mainly in
medicine

16. Amber is a powerful healer
 Powder of amber mixed with honey cures throat, ear and eye disease.
 It also treats stomach if taken with water.
 People still burn pieces of amber in rooms where patients stay. In this way the
air is disinfected, possibility of infection to others is reduced as well as
recovery of the patient is accelerated.
People believe that amber
 balances the emotions,
 clears the mind,
 releases negative energy,
 eases stress by clearing fobias.
 Amber is a lovely warm stone to wear since it absorbs pain and negative
energy.
 Amber clears depression, stimulates the intellect and promotes self-confidence
and creative self-expression.
 Amber encourages decision-making, spontaneity and brings wisdom, balance
and patience.

17. If you want, you can try amber therapeutic yourself:
 If you have a headache, massage temples with a small piece of amber rather than
taking pills.
 If you put amber under your mattress, you will slep well.
 If the eyes are tired, keep a look at the amber. It also serves as a good meditation
making thinking easier.
 If you feel constant tiredness, hold a piece of amber in your hand. It helps to restore
strength.
 If you have a sore throat, you need to put amber on the place were you have pain and
wrap up the neck with a handkerchief.
 If you do not trust yourself, wear amber jewellery. Amber dispels doubts, suspicions,
promotes mental and spiritual activities.
 If your gums are bleeding, you need to put amber powder on toothpaste.
 Your hair strengthen and grow faster if you use amber powder when washing your
hair.

18. These days Palanga amber museum is becoming famous for its
cultural events.
Visitors enjoy the Night
Serenade
concerts in summer on the
terrace
of the estate also meetings
with
artists in the Fireplace Hall.
Don’t miss the chance to visit
Palanga in summer!