PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION "OLD, DEAR DRUSKININKAI"

From March 15th, we invite you to the photography exhibition "Old, Dear Druskininkai".

The exhibition presents images of M. K. Čiurlionis' hometown, his dreams, and the city of creative inspiration - Druskininkai, captured in photographs a century ago. This is the place where the artist took inspiration from nature and where his unique worldview was formed. For M. K. Čiurlionis, Druskininkai was not only a family home, but also a symbolic place where his musical and visual pursuits converged. Here, surrounded by the rustling of forests and the flow of the Nemunas river, he discovered harmony, which was later reflected in his work. The photographs capture the parks, streets, sanatoriums, Nemunas coast, Ratnyčėlė stream and other surrounding fragments of this nature-rich resort, allowing you to return to the era in which the most famous Lithuanian painter and composer matured and flourished.

These are photos marked with the surname of Leon Baranowski (1870-1920), which make up the largest part of the legacy of Druskininkai photo negatives, photos, and postcards from the first half of the 20^th century. The photo studio established in the house of photographer L. Baranowski, a contemporary of M. K. Čiurlionis, on the V. Kudirka street, near Druskonis lake, was the only one in the resort. From 1924, photographs marked with the imprint "FOT. L. BARANOWSKI", belongs to Bolesław Czerechowicz, the heir of this company, who continued the work of the pioneer after marrying the widowed photographer's wife Emilia Baranowska. How the fate of this family unfolded - it is not known whether they left Druskininkai before 1945 or were deported. Over time, the photographer B. Czerechowicz was forgotten. His name emerged from oblivion only at the end of the 20th century and is undoubtedly associated with the personality of Marshal Józef Piłsudski.

Next to the old photos, the images of Druskininkai captured in 2018 by the photographer Andrius Grigalaitis (1983-2024) are exhibited. Andrius Grigalaitis is a new generation Lithuanian artist, photographer, member of the Lithuanian Union of Artists. His photographs become a bridge between the past and the present, allowing the visitor to explore the changes that have taken place in Druskininkai over the centuries, and to feel the flow of time and the importance of the history created by each person through the reflections of architecture and natural monuments that have not survived to this day.