Museum of Martynas Jankus

 

Address:
Bitenai village, LT-5730 Pagegiai.
Tel. +370-441-42736.

The museum is located in the birthplace of Martynas Jankus (1858-1946), a printer and publisher of Lithuanian books and periodicals, public figure, leader of the Lithuanian national liberation movement, and an ardent fighter against germanization. He spent nearly all his life in Bitenai. The exhibition on display reflects his life and activities.

Martynas Jankus
M. Jankus (August 8, 1858 - May 23, 1946 in Flensburg, Germany).
Activist of the Lithuanian national movement, publisher. He resisted the Germanization of the Klaipeda area, and propagated the union of Lithuania and Lithuania Minor. One of the founders of newspaper Ausra (The Dawwn, 1883-1887) and cultural society Birute, publisher of the magazines Varpas (The Bell, 1889-1905) and Ukininkas (The Farmer, 1890-1905). He co-operated with book carriers during the period of the prohibition of Lithuanian press, and co-ordinated the trade of banned Lithuanian books. From the end of 1922 till the beginning of 1923 he was the Chairman of the Chief Salvation Committee for Lithuania Minor.