Molėtai Sculpture Park

Molėtai Sculpture Park by Lake Pastovis is a great place not only to walk and enjoy the peace of nature but also to admire artists' works. In this modern, well-kept park, works in wood and black, grey and brown granite by sculptors and architects from Lithuania, Wales, France and Poland are displayed in the open air. The idea of founding the park came from two young artists who had settled in Molėtai, Dalia Cibauskaitė and Vygintas Čeikauskas. They wanted to spread art and saw Molėtai as the perfect place for it. In 1997 D. Cibauskaitė founded the art gallery "Akcija M", organised international painting plein-airs and other art events, and proposed setting up a sculpture park by Lake Pastovis. The idea received strong support, and on 22 April 1998 the park was officially opened, marking the start of the Molėtai Sculpture Park's history. The first sculpture in the park was Arvydas Ališanka's tall carved wooden piece "Woven Man", along with the massive sculpture "Boat", which you'll see from afar when you visit. According to its author, it negates the very idea of being able to sail. Z. R. Macijevskis's generalised female figure in brown granite and T. Gillespie's "Bridge to Molėtai", symbolising two joined banks, were also installed. Aloyzas Smilingis, called the first sculptor of Molėtai, gave the park his granite sculpture "Blossoming". In total, 9 sculptures were installed. Before long the sculpture park was renewed. In 2001 the second open-air sculpture camp took place in the park. Sculptor Mindaugas Navakas and artists Svajonė and Paulius Stanikas created new sculptures in a month and added them to the park: "Pavement" (by M. Navakas) and "Observatory" (by S. and P. Stanikas). The park, loved by locals and visitors alike, was renewed once again in 2014. Today, as you walk its pleasant paths, among other works you'll see "Drop", carved in stone by the Molėtai sculptor Vidas Stepanavičius, and Donatas Dovidavičius's sculptural stone composition "Splash", with larger and smaller stones seemingly hovering in the air. The sculptor joined the selected stones with stainless steel rods, creating an impression of infinity, while the tips of the smallest stones were polished to a shine, as if completing the composition with an aura of powerful, openwork volume. So get your cameras or phones ready: every sculpture here is worth capturing. The sculpture park welcomes visitors all year round, and most of all during the cultural events held here.