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Sirutis palace

Rotušės a. 13, LT–44279 Kaunas

Manager - Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum

Dvaro adresas: Rotušės a. 13, LT–44279 Kaunas, LT-44279

The building of the Maironis Museum is often called the Sirutis Palace, because the first owner was Simonas Sirutis, the elder of Kaunas Court. Until then, there were three Gothic buildings in this place, which did not disappear without a trace - the cellars under the house have survived from the 15th-16th centuries, they are some of the oldest in all of Kaunas.

S. Sirutis – the landlord, the reserve officer, had several manors. Thinking of a permanent residence, he bought three buildings affected by the fire that ravaged Kaunas and built an ornate palace, with a wide entrance for carriages in the middle. The yard was much larger than it is now. The palace is two-storey, with a mansard roof. The interior of the palace is especially rich - the walls are upholstered in silk, there are many mirrors, works of art, and the ornate furniture matched the spirit of the late Baroque. Watches were a luxury item at the time, and there were four in Sirutis' house.

1771 S. Sirutis passed the palace on his wife Petronėlė Valatkevičiūtė-Sirutienė in a will. She later handed them over to Count Joseph Chrapovick. The new owner changed something - he broke down the central entrance, instead of a four-column portico with a balcony, changed the facade. He died and left the palace to his son Antanas Chrapovickis.

After the Russo-French War, the palace remained greatly devastated, and the former luxury began to decline. From 1812 a military hospital was established here for the Russian army returning after the victory over the French. The palace needed to be repaired - the roof, stove, windows and doors had to be repaired. The actual owner of the palace was still A. Chrapovickis, but the military hospital also operated here in 1815.

After 1863 uprising the palace was taken away from the counts. During the uprising, the Gothic cellars were turned into a prison, with a military court at the top. One of the main commanders of the uprising - priest Antanas Mackevičius - spent the last days here before the execution of the sentence.

After suppressing the uprising, the palace was bought by Jewish merchants Nathan Nathanson and Moise Gandin. 1903 the building was leased from them by the headquarters of the third regiment of Kaunas Fortress for five years. Stables for the regiment's horses were also installed in the same building.

1909 the abandoned palace was acquired by poet and priest Jonas Mačiulis-Maironis. The renovation of the abandoned palace took a year, as evidenced by the inscription "1910 J. Maironis" above the door. With his sister, the poet occupied eight rooms on the second floor of the palace, planted a garden. The other part of the house was dedicated to various societies and organizations. Many cultural or public figures have also had to live in the palace.

After the poet's death, in 1936, the museum opened in the palace, which also underwent many transformations, was constantly changing, expanding and increasing. Now the intensive activities of the Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature continue here: excursions, exhibitions, educational classes, events.
Website: https://maironiomuziejus.lt/en/