The charity organization JanukonisFondas and the National Museum of Lithuania have signed a cooperation agreement to create the Lithuanian Migration Museum, the first institution of its kind in the Baltic region.

The new museum will serve as a permanent space dedicated to exploring Lithuania’s migration history and the contributions of Lithuanians scattered across the globe to the development of the nation, society, science, business, and culture. The museum is expected to open its doors to visitors in 2028.

Its content will be developed in partnership with the National Museum of Lithuania, drawing on the expertise of scholars and curators as well as the experience gained from the widely acclaimed exhibition “Lithuania the Size of the World: Our Migration Story”, presented at the museum’s House of Histories.

At the heart of the museum will be a modern digital exhibition designed to guide visitors through more than a century and a half of Lithuanian migration—from the great waves of nineteenth-century emigration to the realities of today’s global Lithuania. Through advanced technologies, interactive installations, and audiovisual experiences, the museum aims to create a living narrative that continually renews itself, telling the story of Lithuania and Lithuanians around the world.

“Lithuanian history does not end at the country’s borders,” says Ignas Janukonis, head of the Janukonis Foundation. “Over the course of more than 150 years, millions of Lithuanians built lives in countries across the world, founded businesses, contributed to scientific progress, created culture, and helped carry Lithuania’s name far beyond its homeland. We want to create a place that shows that Lithuanians living abroad are an inseparable part of our nation’s history.”

According to Janukonis, the museum’s mission extends beyond recounting departures from Lithuania. It seeks to reveal the scale and significance of what is often called Global Lithuania.

“This is a story about people who carried Lithuania with them wherever they went and who, in countless ways, helped build and strengthen it,” he says. “We want the museum to become a place where visitors can discover these stories and personalities, uncover unexpected facts, and take pride in just how much Lithuanians have accomplished around the world.”

The museum will distinguish itself not only through its subject matter but also through its format. Unlike a traditional exhibition, its content will be continually expanded and updated to incorporate new research, fresh stories, and accounts from Lithuanian communities abroad. In this way, the institution is intended to grow alongside society itself and remain relevant for future generations.

Representatives of the National Museum of Lithuania say the new institution will provide an opportunity to develop a topic of deep public relevance over the long term.

“The exhibition “Lithuania the Size of the World” demonstrated that migration history is both important and personally meaningful to people,” says Rūta Kačkutė, Director General of the National Museum of Lithuania. “The new museum will allow this narrative to continue on a permanent basis, drawing on contemporary technologies while maintaining the highest academic standards.”

The museum is being designed for a broad audience, including schoolchildren, university students, international visitors, members of the Lithuanian diaspora, and anyone interested in the country’s history. Its exhibitions will trace migration processes from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, presenting both emigration and immigration stories and examining their impact on Lithuania’s development.

Work is currently underway on the museum’s concept, the formation of partnerships, and the search for a suitable location. The project’s initiators hope that the Lithuanian Migration Museum will become not only a new cultural institution but also an important forum for dialogue about Lithuania’s past, its present, and the future of a nation dispersed across the world.

In 2025, Lithuania’s Ministry of Culture awarded JanukonisFondas the title of Patron. The foundation provides financial support to a range of Lithuanian organizations and backs initiatives of public importance, including educational, cultural, and social projects.

The National Museum of Lithuania is the country’s first public museum and today unites twelve branches. Its history began in 1855, when Count Eustachy Tyszkiewicz founded the Vilnius Museum of Antiquities. Today, the National Museum of Lithuania preserves more than 1.5 million objects, ranging from archaeological discoveries and historical documents to works of art, photographs, and artifacts of ethnographic heritage. Together they form the largest collection of Lithuanian history and culture, telling the story of the state and its people across the centuries.

Press release prepared by Paulius Ugianskis, UAB Mano BŪSTAS.