Mažeikiai District Municipality: Museums, manor culture and special places

At the Mažeikiai Museum, the history of oil and regional cultural themes come together. The permanent exhibition “Naftos kelias” covers the extraction and processing of petroleum products, production processes and products, as well as the history of the Mažeikiai oil refinery. The museum also presents the history, archaeology and ethnography of the Žemaitija region, as well as folk art. If you plan your visit by theme, you can choose between a clearly defined industrial topic and a broader look at the region.

Museums exploring pharmacy and manor culture

The Viekšnių vaistinės muziejus is a rural-style pharmacy museum. The pharmacy family’s living quarters have been preserved, along with the complete history of the pharmacy, recorded by hand. The exhibitions cover pharmacy, the household of an intellectual from the first half of the 20th century, and a medicinal plant garden. Medicinal and aromatic plants are grown there, and the museum also offers hands-on educational activities. Pharmacy history, a historically styled household and practical activities involving plants are all brought together here.

A distinct theme is explored at the organic medicinal herb farm of herbalist and pharmacognosist Jadvyga Balvočiūtė. Its medicinal plant exhibition is visited by both groups and individual visitors. This adds a focus on medicinal plants to the exploration of pharmacy.

Since 2012, the restored Renavo dvaro sodyba manor complex has housed a museum exhibition introducing visitors to Lithuanian manor culture. This adds a distinct perspective on manor culture alongside the history of oil, the region and pharmacy.

Recreation area and historic sites

The Plinkšių poilsiavietė recreation area is suitable for events and has several viewpoints. It also has a path designed for the recreation of people with disabilities. The area brings together a range of leisure opportunities in one place.

The Piliakalnis hillfort near Gyvoliai, also known as Švedkalnis, is a small defensive fort dating from the 1st millennium to the 13th century. Wooden walkways, an information board, a viewpoint and visitor paths are also part of the site. Here, historical context and clearly specified visitor facilities come together at the same hillfort.

The complex of structures forming the railway bridge over the Venta, Geležinkelio tilto per Ventą statinių kompleksas, is also classified as an immovable cultural property. It was classified in 2007.

There are several themes to choose from when planning your trip: oil and regional history at the Mažeikiai Museum, pharmacy and plants in Viekšniai, manor culture in Renavo, or archaeological history at the hillfort. The Plinkšių poilsiavietė recreation area offers a different focus, with its viewpoints, event facilities and recreation path. In Telšiai District, the Germantas Landscape Reserve covers 924 hectares and protects a landscape typical of the Central Samogitian Upland, with lakes, forests, streams and wetlands.

Discover more destinations: Kalnėnai, Seda, Telšiai District Municipality, Plungė District Municipality, Rietavas Municipality.

See the broader travel guide: Telšiai District.