Published: 20250825
Ukrainian museum professionals from four institutions are visiting Lithuania: the Lviv National Borys Voznytskyi Art Gallery, the Lviv History Museum, the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv, and the Kamianets-Podilskyi State Historical Museum-Reserve. The Ukrainians are participating in training sessions aimed at developing professional competences, organized by the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
In June of last year, during a conference in Vilnius organized by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, it was decided that each country could contribute by sharing best practices in order to ensure the preservation of Ukraine’s cultural and heritage assets while introducing innovations. The Ministry of Culture allocated part of the funds, and the Museum prepared a training program.
During the training week, Ukrainian museum professionals got acquainted with the Palace of the Grand Dukes and its specialists, visited the Pranas Gudynas Restoration Center, the Vilnius University ensemble, the Church Heritage Museum, and the historic center of Vilnius. Guests were also introduced to the Pažaislis Camaldolese Monastery and its activities, the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum, Panemunė Castle, the Palanga Amber Museum, the Samogitian Museum “Alka” in Telšiai, and the Trakai History Museum.
After an intensive week, on Friday, during the discussion “Protection of Cultural Property in Wartime: Theory and Reality” held at the Palace, the guests from Ukraine shared their experiences and discussed current challenges.
In Ukraine, Russian missiles have “hit” over 100 museums, some works of art were burned or stolen, but Ukrainians claim to have managed to preserve the most valuable exhibits. They shared practical advice on how to prepare for possible aggression, what packaging materials to have, and where and how to set up storage facilities when missiles leave craters eleven meters deep... There was also talk about Ukraine’s successful decision to transfer its most valuable collections to foreign museums, to exhibit them abroad, and thus at least temporarily safeguard the country’s movable heritage.
Deputy Minister of Culture Dr. Ingrida Veliutė reminded that in Lithuania, museums, archives, and other memory institutions must first of all draw up lists of the most important valuables, divide them into separate groups of importance, and plan what and where would be hidden in the event of war or other threats. The Deputy Minister shared that the Ministry is preparing a document entitled “Algorithms for the Protection and Preparation of Cultural Heritage Assets for Possible Threats during Emergency Situations and Crisis Mobilization,” which it plans to approve this autumn. According to I. Veliutė, it is expected that the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania will become a competence center and provide practical consultations on these issues.
The Palace of the Grand Dukes has long-standing close cooperation with Ukrainian museums – joint exhibitions, cultural, scientific, and educational projects. Believing in Ukraine’s unquestionable victory over Russian aggression, the Museum remains a steadfast partner and supporter of its colleagues.
