Energy and Technology Museum

Vilnius's first public power station draws the eyes of passers-by today more than ever and breaks the established stereotypes of a traditional museum. When the Energy and Technology Museum opened in 2003, it occupied only 17% of the premises of this industrial heritage site, but after the reconstruction completed in autumn 2008 the museum's space grew from 800 m² to 5,000 m². Along with the floor space, the number of exhibitions grew too, and the museum became the largest technology museum in Lithuania. The expanded exhibition devoted to energy lets visitors get to know the authentic equipment of a power station that was operating until recently, and a walk among the steam boilers, turbines, generators, condensers and intricate pipework lets them feel the spirit of such industrial sites. The wind and solar power plants operating on the museum roof introduce the public to alternative energy, which is becoming more relevant by the day. The energy exhibition is complemented by information terminals and working models of the Kruonis Pumped Storage Power Plant and the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. After the reconstruction, the Energy and Technology Museum opened new exhibitions: 'Transport' (no longer open), 'History of Vilnius Industry and Technology' and the interactive 'Science and Technology for Children'. All the exhibitions make extensive use of modern technological equipment, which encourages visitors to be not just observers but active participants in the learning process. The exhibition on the history of Vilnius technology and industry invites you to see how industrialisation changed the face and everyday life of the city, to get to know the city's industry, technologies and products, and to meet the people who made them. The exhibition begins with crafts and continues up to exhibits from the end of the Soviet period. It presents the city's important industries: textiles, glass, paper, calculating machines and laser technology. This exhibition is something of a call from the museum to start purposefully collecting the technological heritage of Vilnius, involving the city's residents and creators in the process. For those who want to learn more about the history of Vilnius technology and industry, a special themed tour, 'Made in Vilnius: the city's history of technology and industry', is on offer. With its authentic industrial setting, the Energy and Technology Museum attracts the attention not only of visitors but also of event organisers. The museum hosts both private and public events: concerts, performances and conferences. Music videos are filmed and photo shoots are held in this unconventional setting. The museum is becoming an attractive place not only for people interested in technology or energy: more and more families from Vilnius, schoolchildren, students and visitors to the city spend their free time here. To learn more about the Energy and Technology Museum's exhibitions, simply open the audio guide on the museum's website on your smart device and listen to information you won't find in the descriptions. The audio guide is available in Lithuanian, English, Russian and Polish. Since 2020 the museum has also had an escape room, 'Secrets of the Old Vilnius Power Station'.