Šiauliai: Art Nouveau, Photography and Nature

Šiauliai offers a range of themes to consider when planning your trip: Art Nouveau and gardens, photography, family and community history, and an ecology trail by Lake Talkša. If you are looking for a hotel, it helps to decide first what you would like to focus on during your stay. This will help you weigh up whether you are particularly interested in architecture, historical connections, Lithuania’s visual heritage or an activity focused on nature.

Art Nouveau between villa and park

The Chaimas Frenkelis Villa has an Art Nouveau park that is open to visitors. A rose garden was created there in 2018, and almost 2,000 roses grow in it. The park and rose garden thus form a connected garden setting: the grounds combine the park’s Art Nouveau style with a specific garden design. If you would like to include both gardens and architecture in your trip planning, this is a clear focus among Šiauliai’s attractions.

The villa itself is also an Art Nouveau building, constructed in the early 20th century. Its authentic interior is distinguished by wood panelling and elaborate stucco decorations. This brings together the period in which the house was built and specific features of its interior design. This makes a difference when choosing a theme: here, Art Nouveau is not just a name for an era, but is further defined by materials and decorative forms.

Family history and educational activities

The exhibition “Fabrikantai Frenkeliai” at the Chaimas Frenkelis Villa explores the history of two generations of the Frenkelis family and the Jewish community of Šiauliai. Alongside the history of the building and its design, it offers a focus on social history. The family’s history and that of the community are both at the heart of the exhibition. If you choose cultural themes based on more than architecture alone, this perspective on family and community offers a different way to explore the villa.

The Chaimas Frenkelis Villa Museum offers guided tours and themed educational activities. These formats may be relevant if you would like to include a guided tour or an educational activity in your plans in addition to visiting the exhibition. It is best to check directly with the museum to find out what arrangements are currently available. This lets you match your interest in family history, architecture or education with the relevant offering, without conflating the exhibition’s themes.

Photography and visual heritage

The Fotografijos muziejus preserves a collection of almost 150,000 exhibits and museum objects. It includes Lithuania’s visual heritage, photographic technology and equipment, as well as prints and documents. The subject matter therefore extends beyond photographs alone: technical objects and printed or documentary materials are also part of the collection. The museum offers a distinct focus for your trip if you are interested in images, photographic technology or different forms of visual documentation.

An ecology trail by Lake Talkša

The Talkša Ecology Trail begins on the shore of Lake Talkša. This offers a nature-focused activity with a specific starting point, alongside the attractions of the villa and the Fotografijos muziejus. If you are weighing up collections, exhibitions and a trail with an ecological focus, you can consider this as a separate option. Its lakeside setting gives the trail a different character from the architecture and museum themes.

When deciding what you would like to shape your stay, you can distinguish the themes by their content: the villa combines Art Nouveau and interior design with family and community history; the Fotografijos muziejus is devoted to a wide-ranging collection; the Talkša Ecology Trail offers a different, ecological focus. Use these differences to guide your trip planning and choose a hotel in Šiauliai to suit your stay.

Discover more destinations: Kuršėnai, Jurgaičiai, Kelmė, Pakruojis, Bubiai, Šiaulių kaimiškoji seniūnija, Meškuičiai, Joniškis.

For the wider travel overview: Šiauliai County.