MUITINĖS MUZIEJUS

The Lithuanian Customs Museum was established in 1994. Historical, documentary, video and audio material related to the past of the Lithuanian Customs is accumulated and displayed there.
Over 7 thousand different exhibits have been accumulated in the funds of the Museum since the start of its activities. About 3 thousand of them are constantly displayed in the permanent expositions. The rest are kept in the fund of the Customs Museum as additional exposition material.
In 2007 and at the beginning of 2008, the Customs Museum was renovated. After the renovation, more and different materials related to the Lithuanian Customs history were displayed here.
The Lithuanian Customs system started to form already in XI-XIII centuries. Rapidly developing trade by the river Nemunas and the Baltic Sea with the Western countries determined its constantly increasing importance. Customs duties were collected for the main goods being imported at the time, i.e. wax, honey, beast fur skins, hides and timber. Taxes were paid for the measurement and weighing of goods.
Salt, iron, weapons, cloth, wine were brought to Lithuania from abroad. The Customs system was particularly sound in the times of Vytautas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
The customs duties and the organisation structure of customs office of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL), formed in the XVI century, did not virtually change till the collapse of the state in 1795, when the ethnic land of Lithuania went to the czarist Russia. Maps, interesting historical and documentary material collected by the employees of the Customs Museum tell about this period.
It will be interesting for those who are interested in the later history of the Lithuanian Customs activity to get familiarised with the exhibits (as well as an authentic border pillar from the czarist Russian and Prussian frontier), telling about the period 1795–1915, when Lithuania was annexed to the Russian Empire. Postcards, pictures, documents tell about the activities of the Customs offices and border-crossing points.
One of the most important was Virbalis customs office. The stand of the so-called “sacred contraband”, displaying materials (pictures, documents and illegally published printings) related to the prohibition of the czarist power to circulate the Lithuanian press, should attract attention. In 1914, when the World War I started, the Lithuanian Customs offices terminated their activities.
On 16 February 1918, the Lithuanian Council, headed by Jonas Basanavičius, proclaimed the reconstitution of the independent democratic Lithuanian state. The reestablishment of the system of the Customs houses started. On 8 May 1919, „Provisional Bylaws of Lithuanian Customs Houses“ and „Provisional Tariffs of Lithuanian Customs Houses“, signed by President A. Smetona and Prime Minister A. Sleževičiaus came into force. The historical materials, documents and pictures where the fragments of the Lithuanian Customs activities in 1919–1940 come to life, are displayed herein. They tell about the establishment, development and changes of the Lithuanian Customs, its role in the then economic life of the state. There are displayed pictures of the first heads of Customs, models and sketches of some Customs buildings, domestic article and work tools used by customs officers as well as the authentic workplace of a customs official of Memel (Klaipėda) region. Among the valuables of the Museum, we see the personal belongings of the prominent pre-war Customs officer Ipolitas Kymantas, Goverenment awards of one of the interwar Heads of Customs Service Aleksandras Danta, Kantvainiai border sign of Memel (Klaipėda) region, the uniform of a customs officer of the interwar period, border pillar for the demarcation of the borderline of 1920, and other interesting exhibits.
More information about this period will be available upon listening to the sound clips and looking films with archival footage material. Some information is published in the terminals with touch-sensitive screens.
On 15 June 1940, the Soviet Army occupied the Lithuanian state. The Customs activities were discontinued. The occupation period lasted till 1990. The Customs offices, which were left to operate, followed the instructions of the Soviet Union. The exposition relating to this period displays documents, pictures, a copy of the exile case of the former Customs officer Apolinaras Stasiulis and materials about other Customs officers, against whom repressive actions were taken. There may be seen an illegally published „Kronika“ (“Chronicle”), the work tools of soviet border guard and Customs officers, methodical literature used and Customs officers’ clothing.
The independence of Lithuania was re-established on 11 March 1990. On 9 October 1990, the Reconstituent Parliament (Seimas) of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Temporary Law on Customs. Two days later, the Customs Department was established. This was the beginning of the development of the re-established Customs of the Republic of Lithuania. However, the conditions for that were particularly unfavourable due to the activities of the Soviet Union and its special OMON troops in Lithuania. The exposition acquaints with the aggression of the Soviet Army and its OMON troops against the re-established independence of Lithuania, attacks of the Customs posts and tragic events of 31 July 1991 at Medininkai border post. The film demonstrated at the Museum retells about the first steps of the re-established Lithuanian Customs and Border Guards, attacks of the posts, destruction of property, events of the Medininkai tragedy.
It is possible to see at the exposition, devoted to the development of the Lithuanian Customs upon the re-establishment of the Lithuanian state, the Lithuanian tricolour, bullet shredded at Lavoriškės post, authentic logbooks of the Lithuanian Customs and border posts full of entries about the provocations and attacks by the aggressors. This part of the exposition displays the personal belongings, documents, pictures that immortalize the memory of the Medininkai tragedy victims: Customs officers Antanas Musteikis, Stanislovas Orlavičius, Ričardas Rabavičius, heavily wounded Tomas Šernas, SWAT team “Aras” officers Mindaugas Balavakas and Algimantas Juozakas, road police officers Juozas Janonis and Algirdas Kazlauskas as well as the Head of Shift of Dieveniškes Border Checkpoint of Šalčininkai Frontier Station Gintaras Žagunis, killed on 19 July 1991 in Krakūnai.
In 1996, the Customs system was re-organised. The number of the territorial Customs offices was reduced from 15 to 10, 74 posts and their units were left.
On 1 May 2004, Lithuania became a member of the European Union (EU). The Customs frontier and Customs control were eliminated between Lithuania and EU Member States. Upon Lithuania’s accession to the EU, the Lithuanian Customs officers ceased to perform Customs control on the Polish and Latvian borders, since those countries also belong to the European Union. Henceforth, Lithuania grants particular attention to the protection of the EU frontier. Presently, the Lithuanian customs system comprises 5 territorial Customs offices, Customs Information System Centre, Customs Laboratory, Customs Criminal Service and Customs Training Centre.
It is possible to see at the Customs Museum how the first uniforms of the Lithuanian officers, i.e. Voluntary Border Defence Service, border Police and the present Lithuanian Customs officer looked like as well as the copy of the present Lithuanian border pillar, cargo seals and sealing devices.
Information placed in two terminals with touch-sensitive screens will familiarise with the main stages of the development of the re-established Lithuanian Customs’ activities. The documentary materials and pictures will retell about the activities of the officials of the Customs Department and territorial Customs offices, their leisure time and co-operation with the Customs institutions of other states.
Detained articles transported both as petty and grave smuggling, which are displayed in a sea container, will draw exceptional attention. You will be surprised to see how inventively smugglers manage to hide illegally carried goods. The model of an automobile, depicting hiding-places skilfully arranged for carrying smuggled goods and narcotic substances in private and cargo automobiles, will attract attention.
It is interesting to see the exhibits presented by the Customs Laboratory, i.e. diesel oil of different kinds, husked and not husked buckwheat, residue of maize, fabric samples and other goods, which codes are established by the Customs Laboratory, and Customs tariffs are applied referring to these codes.
Detained articles and different souvenirs (stuffed animals, beast fur skins, ivory articles, crocodile and snake skins, different beverages in bottles with animals, plants and part thereof, etc.), made of endangered animal and plant species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are also displayed at the Customs Museum. The exposition is intended to draw attention of the public to the threats posed to nature by illegal trade of endangered wild animals and plants. People encourage the extinction of certain species by buying certain products and souvenirs, produced using wild animals and plants.
Detained and counterfeit goods produced and sold infringing intellectual property rights, i.e. by faking trademarks of well-known companies without the consent of right-holders, are also displayed in the sea container.
A film produced by the Customs Criminal Service will enliven materials displayed on this subject.
Interesting and original souvenirs received by the Lithuanian Customs as gifts from various countries of the world, the exposition of which meets and accompanies the guests of the Customs Museum, shows co-operation with the Customs services of other countries.