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One of the more interesting museums I visited was in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was called The Devil's Museum. I read about this museum in my Lonely Planet: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania book. It seemed like something a bit off the wall. I figured it would be a fun place to visit. It was also fairly conveniently located. It was between the train station and the Old Town so I was going to pass by anyway. 

 This museum was started from the collection of Lithuanian artist, historian and collector Antanas Zmuidzinavicius (1876-1966). Please don't ask me to pronounce the name. I was told thrice and still couldn't get it right. Antanas Z collected sculptures of devils taken from Lithuanian folklore and myth. His personal collection reached 260 pieces. They never really explained his motives for the collection but it is interesting nevertheless.

The museum was originally opened to exhibit his collection. It would grow over the years. Through other donations, the museum now houses over 2000 works of devilish art including pieces from other regions and cultures. This shows how the early Lithuanian myths evolved into Christianity. The early faiths often had devils in plural as opposed to a single devil. His collection traces many centuries.

 The sculptures can be scary or amusing depending on one's viewpoint. There is also a devil dinette set that Antanas had made during his lifetime. He also collected devil masks. Lithuanians celebrate Shrovetide. This is the day before Ash Wednesday. They didn't note whether or not this predates the Fat Tuesday celebration of other countries. This celebration marked the coming of Spring. The festivities included mask wearing. Many wore devil masks in the celebration. Several of the masks were on display in the museum.

 The museum had information in both Lithuanian and English so I was able to learn a lot as I read. It was interesting to learn that there was something like a Robert Johnson crossroads story in their myth. The devil could teach musicians how to become excellent musicians. Of course, the price of this musical virtuosity was their souls. Often time the instrument of choice was the violin. Maybe they mean the Republic of Georgia when they say the devil went down to Georgia.

There was also a section on the devil's creation of alcohol. In Lithuanian folklore, the devil created alcohol from she-goat urine. Apparently several major American breweries came across this recipe. There were sculptures showing how the devil used alcohol and alcoholism to seduce and corrupt people. They also had a few paintings on the same theme. The Devil also sowed an unknown grass that came to be called tobacco. That’s very interesting to know.

There is a lot of attention paid to the mythological origins of devils. The devils often combatted Perkunas, the God of Thunder. I think this would be of interest to those who hold pagan views. It's also of interest to people interested in mythology and folklore. In the third floor collection they include pieces obtained from around the world. This further explores the mythical and theological evolution of the devil. 

One really compelling piece in the collection is My Lithuania by Kazys Derskevicius. This sculpture shows Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin as devils. It's a provocative and truthful piece. They are struggling with one another but the sculptor recognizes that this is a power struggle between two forces of evil. It was one of my favorite pieces in the museum.

I liked when they went through devils from different cultures. This included Boruta from Poland and the Devil of Besaine from France. There were sculptures and drawings of Vedic devils from India. The origins of Halloween were dealt with in this exhibit. They also reveal the Walpurgis Night which came from Germany. Other works of art come from Hungary, Russia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Argentina and America. This shows how the devil or devil figures have haunted and hounded man in every culture. T

There is even a small display of devil toys. I was amused by this. They also displayed an exhibit of drawings done by children on their impressions of the devil. This can also be enlightening to see how children perceive the world and what they are taught. 

The Devil's Museum has three floors of exhibits. I like the way the have prison doors at the entryway into each floor. This adds a bit of eerie ambiance to the displays. A tea room in the basement can be visited if one wants to linger in the moment. Yes, you can also get she-goat urine and Tobaccy down in the cafe.

 This was a fascinating museum. It has a bit of a Halloween feel to it. I was impressed with the factual aspects of the exhibits. There are also sufficient notes for the person that needs to learn how the many devil motifs in culture arose. If you are going to visit Kaunas, you really should check this museum out. It's not that far off the beaten track and it does provide a unique selection of sculpture and paintings.