- Place
- Bareikiškės, Vilnius District Municipality
- Region
- Vilnius District
- Type
- literary memorial museum in a historic wooden manor
- Address
- V. Sirokomlės g. 5, Bareikiškės, Vilniaus r.
- Coordinates
- 54.61636, 25.46324
- Visit duration
- 45-90 minutes; longer with a workshop or guided tour
- Best time
- Wednesday-Friday or at the weekend, after confirming official visiting hours
Vladislavas Sirokomlė Museum, Syrokomla House in Bareikiškės
The Bareikiškės manor where important works were written
The museum occupies a modest wooden manor in Bareikiškės, about 14 km from Vilnius. Władysław Syrokomla, whose real name was Ludwik Kondratowicz, lived and worked here from 1853 to 1861. The museum describes this as a particularly productive period, when he wrote the historical poem Margiris, the comedy A Cottage in the Forest, and other works.
Syrokomla was more than a poet. He wrote satires and comedies, translated Renaissance poetry from Latin, travelled through Lithuania, and participated in the work of the Vilnius Archaeological Commission and Museum of Antiquities. The exhibition therefore presents him as an early local historian whose literature was inseparable from the history of places.
An authentic room and personal objects
The core of the museum is the poet's surviving domestic and working environment. The official exhibition description stresses the room's authenticity. Some furniture reached the museum in 1966 after the death of Syrokomla's granddaughter Liudvika Bylinska in Vilnius and may once have stood in the Bareikiškės manor.
Personal objects include an inkpot, a knife for opening book pages and envelopes, and a cigarette case marked with the monogram Vl. Kondratovič. The displays also contain a ten-volume edition of his works published in Warsaw in 1872, facsimiles of correspondence, and stories about guests such as Stanisław Moniuszko, Eustachy Tyszkiewicz, and Antoni Edward Odyniec.
The talking cabinet and garden memorial
A modern part of the exhibition is a talking cabinet designed like a bookcase. Opening its drawers starts sixteen stories about the poet, recordings of works in Polish and Lithuanian translation, and songs based on his words. It is especially useful for visitors who arrive without prior knowledge of Syrokomla's writing.
Outside, look for the black granite table erected in the poet's memory in 1897. A lyre and a quotation composed by Antoni Edward Odyniec are carved into its surface. Together, the manor, mature trees, old well, and small memorial preserve the mood of a literary estate rather than a formal city museum.
Workshops are part of the experience
The museum runs calligraphy, pottery, weaving, straw-toy, candle-making, and other workshops. Calligraphy uses goose quills and metal nibs and links directly with the writer's craft, while pottery takes place in the old cellar. Some programmes are seasonal or available only to pre-booked groups.
If you want more than the rooms, contact the museum before travelling. On 2026-07-21, the official price list quoted EUR 15 for a guided tour for a group of up to 25 people, while workshop prices and group sizes varied by programme.
Hours, tickets, and practical visiting
On 2026-07-21, the official museum website listed Monday and Tuesday as closed, Wednesday-Friday 11:00-16:00, and Saturday-Sunday 11:00-15:00, with closure on public holidays. The municipality page still showed conflicting Tuesday information, so confirm the schedule by phone or on the museum site before making a dedicated trip.
On the same date, the official price list gave EUR 1.20 for an adult and EUR 0.60 for a pupil, student, or senior, with free admission for visitors with disabilities. These unusually low prices may change. Leave time for the garden because the memorial stone and estate setting are an essential part of the visit.
