- Place
- Bitėnai, Pagėgiai Municipality
- Region
- Lithuania Minor
- Type
- four-hectare open-air gallery of professional art founded beside the Martynas Jankus Museum in 2003
- Address
- M. Jankaus g. 5, Bitėnai, Pagėgiai Municipality
- Coordinates
- 55.08265, 22.04859
- Visit duration
- 45-75 minutes for the garden; 1.5-2 hours with the Martynas Jankus Museum
- Best time
- in dry weather from late spring to autumn for foliage and light, although the outdoor display can be visited throughout the year
Picture Garden in Bitėnai, Lithuania Minor Open-Air Picture Gallery, Mažosios Lietuvos paveikslų sodas
109 works among meadows, trees, and historic buildings
The Picture Garden occupies roughly four hectares around the Martynas Jankus Museum. Large painted panels do not form a single museum row: they are dispersed across meadowland, placed near trees and historic estate buildings. Sculptures and other three-dimensional works appear between them, allowing each visitor to form a personal route.
The museum's official description listed 109 artworks on display in 2026. That figure is not a permanent catalogue number: annual plein-air sessions add works, while pieces exposed outdoors need maintenance and renewal. Expect a living exhibition rather than an immutable collection.
Artists paint on large wooden surfaces made for an outdoor setting rather than conventional canvas. Changing sun, moisture, foliage, and snow become part of how the works are perceived. The same panel can seem entirely different amid vivid summer green and in the grey mist of autumn.
Eugenijus Skipitis's idea, growing since 2003
The gallery was founded in 2003. Its originator, Eugenijus Skipitis, was a poet, painter, photographer, journalist, and museum professional from the Pagėgiai area. His idea joined professional art, regional memory, and nature instead of adding another enclosed exhibition hall.
The museum organises professional artists' plein-air sessions each year. Participants from Lithuania and other countries interpret the culture and history of Lithuania Minor, then leave works in the garden. New pieces are traditionally presented during Gathering at Martynas Jankus, an event marking Jankus's birthday.
More than 150 artists have left creative marks here over two decades. The museum's list includes Sigutė Ach, Arvydas Kašauskas, Vytautas Kaunas, Saulius Kruopis, Ernestas Žvaigždinas, photographer Ramūnas Danisevičius, and contributors from Poland, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Germany.
Why the gallery belongs in Bitėnai
The garden surrounds the historic homestead of printer and Aušra activist Martynas Jankus, now a state-protected heritage site. Jankus operated his most important press in Bitėnai from 1892 to 1909, circulated Lithuanian publications, and became a leading figure in the national movement of Lithuania Minor.
The printing house burned in 1946. It was reconstructed from surviving photographs and local testimony, with building work completed in 1998 and the museum display moved there in 1999. This reconstructed building is more than a backdrop: it explains why writing, books, borders, and regional identity recur in the garden's art.
The setting also belongs to Rambynas Regional Park. Bitėnai village, the Bitė stream, nearby Rambynas Hill, and the Nemunas valley tie the artworks to a precise landscape. The garden therefore works best as part of a broader Bitėnai and Rambynas route, not only as a quick photo stop.
How to experience the outdoor gallery
Begin in the museum courtyard, but do not try to cover the works in a single straight line. Cross the open meadows, vary your viewing distance, and return to pieces that hold your attention. From afar, the large panels act as colour markers; close up, brushwork, surface texture, and traces of weathering emerge.
This is not an indoor gallery divided neatly by theme or chronology. A slow walk is more rewarding, particularly if you ask how each artist has interpreted Lithuania Minor. Book a museum-led tour if you want fuller stories about individual works and their makers.
Personal photography of the outdoor setting is straightforward, but the works still have creators and copyright. Do not reproduce them commercially without permission, touch painted surfaces, or climb on installations. Follow museum staff instructions during events.
Access, admission, and families
The museum says access to the outdoor garden is unrestricted, so it can be walked outside the indoor exhibition's opening hours. Nevertheless, the official 2026 price list set a EUR 0.50 garden admission during museum working hours. Check the latest policy online and do not bypass an operating ticket desk.
The indoor museum opens Tuesday-Friday from 8.30 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 8.30 am to 4 pm. It closes on public holidays, and the last Thursday of a month may be a maintenance day outside the tourist season. In 2026 museum admission was EUR 2 for adults and EUR 1 for concession categories; verify current prices.
A children's playground opened in the garden in 2025, and the museum reported around 11,000 visitors a year. Open lawns suit families, but rain, snow, and wet grass directly affect conditions. Call the museum on +370 441 42 736 to ask about path surfaces, a pushchair, wheelchair access, or individual assistance.
