Zarasai Regional Museum and Public Library Building

The Zarasai Regional Museum and the public library are located next to Lake Zarasas and the famous observation wheel. The expressive building, which stands out from afar with its columns, was built in 1931. The chairman of the building committee was teacher and headmaster J. Steponavičius, and the school was designed by J. Selenekas. The school had Classicist proportions with an emphasised central part dominated by four columns of the giant order. Until 1935 it housed the Higher School of Commerce, which was later renamed the Kazimieras Būga State Gymnasium of Zarasai. In the years of independence it was a centre not only of education but also of culture. During the Second World War a German military hospital was set up in the school building. From 1944 to 1969 it was a school again. In 1969 the Marytė Melnikaitė Memorial Museum, part of the Rokiškis Museum of Local Lore, was founded here, and today the building is home to the Zarasai Regional Museum. The museum has four exhibition spaces: a historical one (from the earliest times to the mid-20th century); an ethnographic one (greatly enlivened by a farmer's chamber with furniture and textiles typical of the Zarasai region); one of sacred sculptures (small wooden figures of saints made in various periods by the folk carvers of eastern Aukštaitija, which once adorned roofed poles, wayside shrines, roadsides, forest edges, churchyards and cemeteries); and a gallery of paintings donated to his homeland by émigré artist Mikas Šileikis. The old building houses not only the Zarasai Regional Museum but also the public library. The library occupies both the old building and a new extension completed in 2015. The public library is one of the most modern libraries in the country, so even if you are not a regular library-goer, it is worth a visit. On the first floor of the new extension, everyone is greeted by an information and exhibition space where painting and photography exhibitions are held. Here you can browse the latest books and art albums, and there is an information terminal. A space for art exhibitions has also been set up. The spaces of the library extension are adapted for readers with disabilities. The second floor is the most modern. There is a media studio where people can create various programmes and print posters. At the "Library Cinema" visitors can watch 3D films with special glasses, and there are facilities for music lovers. For the youngest children there is a toy library with toy books, swings and games. The children's area has facilities for educational activities and puppet shows. On the third floor visitors can use scientific literature, and the curious can observe nature and the stars through a telescope. Those who want to learn foreign languages are offered literature in foreign languages and computers with headphones. There is a cosy reading room with magazines, newspapers and e-readers. Next to it is the Coffee Club: visitors can read with a cup of coffee in hand, and in summer step out onto the open-air terrace reading room "Twelve Chairs", with tables and chairs and outdoor umbrellas for shelter from the sun or rain. And that's not all. On the fourth floor there is a viewing platform offering beautiful views of Lake Zarasaitis and its unique nature. This is the first library in the country linked with cultural tourism and nature – when exploring the town of Zarasai, a visit to this building can become one of the most memorable highlights of your trip. You could end your acquaintance with Zarasai comfortably settled on the roof of the new building, admiring the views of the town and lakes.