On the 29th of January 2010 an important addition to the cultural and tourism map of Kelme region was inaugurated. Gathering at the beautiful Kelme manor, citizens of Kelme, representatives of the local authorities and the Norwegian embassy marked the completion of a Norway-grants financed project restoring the historical barn that forms a part of the estate’s architectural ensemble. In addition to restoring the historical barn, the project aimed to fully integrate it into the Kelme estate museum by adapting the barn for tourism, cultural and educational purposes.
Preservation of European cultural heritage is one of the main priority areas of EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms in Lithuania. Kelme Manor house barn renovations contribute to two focal elements of the priority area: preservation of Lithuania’s manor houses and wooden architecture.The Kelme Manor ensemble is a valuable monument of Lithuania’s architecture and history. A rare baroque provincial estate, the manor was built approximately in 1780 and was for centuries owned by the Polish Gruzewski family.
Kelmė manor
Estate gate
Throughout its rich history, the family produced many prominent personalities, such as an Adjutant General of the King of Poland. Known as active supporters of Reformation, the Gruzewskis established Kelme protestant parish and the first school, as well as compiled an archive of Reformation history. The only one in Lithuania, the archive consists of a rich numismatic collection, ancient medals as well as a library of approximately 5000 rare volumes. In the XIX century, the Kelme Estate played a key role in the start of 1831 Rebellion.
Photo: Kelmė region museumIn 1940 the last owners of the Estate Gabriele Gruzewska and her daughters Sofia and Adolfina were driven out of the Estate and were later exiled to Siberia. During the German occupation period Kelme Estate was the residence of baron von Haren. A school was established here during the postwar period, later – the Centre of Soviet Economy of Aviculture that maintained a small public museum at the Manor house. Currently the Estate houses Kelme Region Museum.
Kelmė Manor Barn is a wooden structure first mentioned in written sources in 1716. It is the oldest wooden barn of this kind in Lithuania. Barns were used for grain storage and as typical structures of Lithuanian homesteads were more known in the XVI – XIX centuries. Lithuanians used to choose the most beautiful place for a barn with its main facade facing the tidy yard.
Barn before renovation
Barn after renovation
After renovation
Project LT0014: The Restoration of Kelme Region Museum Barn and its Adjustment to Museum, Cultural and Educational Purposes
Grant amount awarded: € 289,877 from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism
Project promoter: Kelme Region Municipality Administration