June 5, 2012 

With the aim to develop international cooperation in the field of archaeological heritage, the Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture organized a round-table discussion “Practice in Fighting against Illicit Archaeology” on May 31, 2012 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ms. Diana Varnaitė, director of Cultural Heritage Department, says that such meetings are very important, as fighting against heritage crime is possible only consolidating the efforts on the international level.

On 29 November – 1 December 2011, continuing the cooperation between the Lithuanian and Polish institutions of cultural heritage protection, director of the Polish National Heritage Institute Paulina Florjanowicz and her deputy Mariusz Czuba visited Vilnius on the initiative of the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture.

Implementing the 2008–2010 Plan of Measures to Protect the Wooden Architectural Heritage signed by the Minister of Culture, the Department of Cultural Heritage in collaboration with the State Commission for Cultural Heritage and under the aegis of the Education, Science and Culture Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania organised the international conference “Wooden Architectural Heritage and National Cultural Policy” which took place on 26–27 May 2010.

On 26-27 May 2011 in Amsterdam took place EHHF (European Heritage Heads Forum) meeting. The theme of the meeting was Changes in Rural Heritage. Twenty six counties and their experiences were represented in the meeting.

35th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee took place in Paris from 19 to 29 June 2011. On 23rd of June in Paris World Heritage Committee took decisions on the state of conservation of the World Heritage Sites in Lithuania – Vilnius Historic Center and the Curonian Spit.

On 5 April 2011 Lithuania and Norway have signed agreements on the EEA (European Economic Area) and Norway Grants for €84 million investment in the period leading up to 2014. One of the investment priorities is cultural heritage protection projects.

This book represents wooden heritage in Lithuania – its traditions, history and typology. The articles of Lithuanian scientists, architects and specialists for heritage protection gives us a view of the most exceptional and unique types of wooden heritage – sacral architecture (wooden churches, synagogues, Russian churches, belfries, chapels, cross-crafting), wooden manors and estates, traditional rural and resort architecture, architectural tradition of wooden buildings in Klaipėda region. We do believe that richly illustrated publication will be interesting both for the specialists and everyone who is interested in Lithuanian cultural heritage.

Download free copy of the book  here

Under the aegis of the Education, Science and Culture Committee of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania

The Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture in collaboration

with the State Commission for Cultural Heritage is organizing the international conference

The Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture is the institution that finances the archaeological research, preservation and restoration activities as well as the reburial of the remains of the Radvila family representatives. In the process of implementing the programme of 2007 – 2009 covering the adaptation of the Dubingiai castle-place for cultural and cognitive tourism, as provided for in the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania of 29 January 2009, the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture allocated 3 million Litas for the above purpose in the period of 2007 through to 2009. The allocated money was used to finance the archaeological research of the evangelical reformed church and that of the Radvila’s Palace, to install the crypt for the reburial of the Radvila family and to carry out the preservation works of the foundations of the church.