This year, Neringa and Klaipėda are celebrating the Year of Lighthouses, an initiative that highlights the importance of lighthouses as maritime and cultural navigational objects and the need to preserve them for future generations. Neringa Museums, in cooperation with their partners, are inviting everyone to the Lighthouse Days in August, which will be marked by a rich programme. The series of events will start in Nida, where the 150th anniversary of the first lighthouse in Nida will be celebrated.

From Thursday to Sunday, 15-18 August, events will include not only concerts and educational programmes, but also the presentation of archaeological research that will reveal the historical significance of the first lighthouse in Nida, built in 1874, and its impact on navigation and culture in the region. In addition, locals and visitors will enjoy a fair where unique souvenirs and the work of craftsmen and folk artisans will be available for purchase, as well as interesting meetings with historians, artists and museum professionals.

Programme

15-18 August 2024
Artistic composition at Nida Lighthouse, concerts, excursions, education, fair and discussions!

Thursday, 15 August
Holy Mass
Venue: Nida Catholic Church, Taikos str. 17, Neringa
Time: 10.00 am.

"Music Humana" chamber music concert
Venue: Nida Catholic Church, Taikos str. 17, Neringa 
Time: 11.00 am
Performers.Soloists: Robertas Beinaris (oboe), Lukas Abromaitis (cello), Gediminas Kviklys (harpsichord, organ)Programme: music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Bernard Wayne Sanders, Camille Saint-Saëns, Francis Beinaris, Noah Mackevičius, Egils Straume.

Folk Art and Merchants Fair in Nida
Venue: Nida marina and surroundings
Time: 10.00 am - 8.00 pm

Educational activities in Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead 

Location: Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead, Naglių str. 4, Nida
Time: 11.00 am - 2.00 pm

Programme:
Gastronomic heritage of Lithuania Minor (Šilutė Hugo Šojus museum);
Education on the fauna of the Curonian Spit (Curonian Spit National Park);
"Meškeris" - a children's game of the Curonians.
"Nida Lighthouse" (Neringa Museums)

11 am - 12 noon. "Harbour of Winds" (Lithuanian Maritime Museum)

12 noon -1 pm "Take the Sea Challenge!" (Lithuanian Maritime Museum)
1 pm - 2 pm "What do lighthouses say?"  (Lithuanian Maritime Museum)

Education at Nida Lighthouse
Venue: Close to Nida Litghthouse, Švyturio str. 8, Nida
Time: 4 pm (pre-registration edukacija@neringosmuziejai.lt)
Price: 5,00 EUR

Hike-walk "Dunes - guardians of the Curonian Spit"
Led by geographer Aušra Feser
Start at: Curonian Spit History Museum, Pamario str. 53, Nida
Time: 10.00 am
Duration of the walk: approx. 3 hours, length of the route: 3 km.
Price: 10,00 EUR (9,50 EUR for online purchase). Tickets are available here. 

Excursion-hike "Through sand and water - towards the Pervalka lighthouses" organised by Denisas Nikitenko. 
Start at: Pervalka bus stop
Time: 11.00 am.
Duration of the hike: approx. 3 hours, length of the route: 3 km.

Presentation of the music project. A sound installation "Heart of the Lighthouse" by Donatas Bielkauskas and an artistic composition at Nida Lighthouse

Venue: Nida Lighthouse, Švyturio str. 8, Nida
Time: 8.00 pm

The artist D. Bielkauskas aims to extend the traditional lighthouse lamp lighting ceremony by "speaking" to the lighthouse using sound recording technology. He will record the sounds of the lighthouse structure, such as the creaking of the metal stairs, the voices of people and the sounds of nature, which will become the motifs of a sound composition. The composition will be industrial, with elements that harmonise or contrast drastically with the environment, and will be complemented by ambient music composed by D. Bielkauskas. The project will also be complemented by a text inspired by local ethnography and a visual solution with light chutes that will help visitors to experience the interior and exterior lights of the lighthouse.

Lighting of the Fresnel lens of Nida Lighthouse

Time: 10 pm.

Friday, 16 August

Folk art and Merchants Fair in Nida
Venue: Nida marina and surroundings
Time: 10.00 am - 8.00 pm

.

Educational activities in Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead 

Venue: Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead, Naglių str. 4, Nida
Time: 11.00 am - 2.00 pm

Programme:

Gastronomic heritage of Lithuania Minor (Šilutė Hugo Šojus museum);
"Meškeris" - a children's game of the Curonians (Neringa Museums);

Ink painting workshop (Pranas Domšaitis Gallery of the National Museum of Art);
Ceramics workshop "Create a lighthouse!" (Pink Sand Ceramics);
"Get to know the fisherman's craft" with Karolis Tamulis, a fisherman from Juodkrantė

Education at Nida Lighthouse
Venue: near the Nida lighthouse (Švyturio g. 8, Nida)
Time: 4.00 pm (pre-registration edukacija@neringosmuziejai.lt)
Price: 5,00 EUR

Open-air concert by pianist Šarūnas Meškys at the Nida Lighthouse - "EUSA/NIDA"
Programme: piano music programme "EUSA/NIDA", featuring a cycle of 12 piano pieces about lighthouses in EUSA by the famous French composer Yann Tiersen. It is a musical story about the composer's homeland, the remote island of Ouessant (Eusa) in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of mainland France.
Venue: close to Nida Lighthouse
Time: 8.00 pm
Duration: 1 hour

Yann Tiersen is a contemporary French composer and multi-instrumentalist, widely known for his versatile style ranging from classical music to avant-garde rock. He began his musical career learning to play piano and violin, and later added accordion, guitar, electronics and other instruments to his arsenal. Tiersen initially rose to fame with his music for the 2001 film Amelie, which became a worldwide phenomenon and popularised his music. After the success of this film, Yann Tiersen has released more albums and is an active performer. His music is characterised by its emotional depth and minimalism, its melodic and atmospheric sound, often incorporating natural sounds and inspired by the Brittany landscape.

Šarūnas Meškys is a prominent contemporary Lithuanian pianist, journalist and public figure. He is characterised by his sensitive interpretation of musical works. He began his musical studies in Vilnius and continued them at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Šarūnas Meškys is known for his wide repertoire of both classical and contemporary works and has been recognised by Yann Tiersen himself, winning first prize in the international music video competition "My EUSA". By the way, the winning video for this competition was filmed in Nida on the pier.

You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7x_DazxGbc

Šarūnas Meškys' concerts are highly regarded for their ability to create depth and emotional maturity in music. The pianist is not limited to the world of music - Šarūnas Meškys is an active public figure, a journalist for the news portal Delfi, and editor of the Science section.

Lighting of the Fresnel lens of Nida Lighthouse

Time: 10.00 pm

Convocation of Nida and Cape Ventė lighthouses
Time: 10.00 pm

Saturday, 17 August

Folk art and Merchants Fair in Nida
Venue: Nida marina and surroundings
Time: 10.00 am - 8.00 pm

.

Educational activities in Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead 

Venue: Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead, Naglių str. 4, Nida
Time: 11.00 am - 2.00 pm

Programme:

Gastronomic heritage of Lithuania Minor (Šilutė Hugo Šojus museum);
"Meškeris" - a children's game of the Curonians (Neringa museums);

"Lighthouses as Signposts" (Pranas Domšaitis Gallery of the National Museum of Natural History);
"Lighthouse" in STEAMPUNK style (Art Studio "Inspiration for Creativity");
"Get to know the fisherman's craft" with Karolis Tamulis, a fisherman from Juodkrante.

Education at Nida Lighthouse
Location: near the Nida lighthouse, Švyturio str. 8, Nida
Time: 4.00 pm (pre-registration edukacija@neringosmuziejai.lt)
Price: 5,00 EUR

Night of the Lighthouses of Freedom, Nida

Presentation of the results of the archaeological survey of the site of the old lighthouse in Nida and exhibition of the finds
Venue: Neringa municipality meeting hall, Taikos str. 2, Nida
Participants: representatives of Neringa Municipality, archaeologist Justinas Račas, MINK members, historians and guests
Time: 7.00 pm. 

Concert by music artists "Los Secretos De Pablo"
Venue: premises of Nida Culture and Tourism Information Center "Agila", Taikos str. 4, Nida

Time: 8.00 pm 

A musical procession of candle lanterns and rhythm
Time: 9.40 pm
Direction of the procession: from Nida Culture and Tourism Information Centre "Agila" (Taikos str. 4, Nida) to the Nida Lighthouse on Urbas Hill (Švyturio str. 8, Nida)

Lighting of the Fresnel lens of Nida lighthouse and the memory beam of the old lighthouse
Presentation and opening of the archaeological exploration site of Nida Old Lighthouse.

Venue: Nida Lighthouse premises, Švyturio str. 8, Nida

Time: 10.00 pm

Sunday, 18 August 

Folk art and Merchants Fair in Nida
Venue: Nida marina and surroundings
Time: 10.00 am - 6.00 pm
 

Recital by pianist Viktoras Paukštelis
Venue: Thomas Mann Memorial Museum, Skruzdynės str. 17, Nida
Time: 7.00 pm
Programme:
Robert Schumann's Kinderszenen ("Children's Scenes"), Op.15
Frédéric Chopin's Ballade No.1 in G minor, Op.23
Sergei Rachmaninoff "Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor", Op. 36
Ticket price: 10,00 EUR. Please find the tickets here. 
 

Viktoras Paukštelis (b. 1983) is a Lithuanian pianist who studied at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts, later graduated from the B. Dvarionas School of Music, and between 2001 and 2007 obtained the degree of Licentiate of Arts at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He continued his studies at the Hamburg Academy of Music and Theatre and the École Normale de Musique de Paris, and graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Viktoras Paukštelis performs internationally, including the USA, France and Germany, and participates in various music festivals. He is known for his ability to perform well-known classical works as well as lesser-known composers. He is also chairman of the jury of the Musica Amabile competition for young pianists, and has performed in influential venues such as the Berlin Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall in New York.

Lighting of the Fresnel lens at Nida Lighthouse
Time: 10.00 pm

13-17 August

Užupis Film Festival in Preila (Preilos str. 27, Neringa). 

More information: www.kulturossala.lt. 

Enjoy cultural diversity and traditions during Lighthouse Days in Neringa!

Organizers:
Neringa Museums
Thomas Mann Cultural Centre
Neringa Municipality
Nida Culture and Tourism Information Centre "Agila"
Public Institution "Ministry of Light"

Event partners:

"Švyturys nealkoholinis"
More information about the event:
www.neringosmuziejai.lt
Tel. +370 469 52260

The organisers reserve the right to change the event programme if necessary.

Please note that there will be photography and/or filming during the event. Photos and videos taken during the event may be used in the organisation's internal and external communication tools (e.g. website, social networks, etc.) and for publicity purposes.

Photo by Andrius Kundrotas.