Kapčiamiestis: Museum, History and the Baltoji Ančia

Key facts

• In the ethnographic exhibition area of the Emilija Pliaterytė Museum, agricultural tools, household items, and furniture illustrate the traditional culture and everyday life of Kapčiamiestis in the early 20th century.
• Other museum exhibits focus on the lives and work of Česlovas Sasnauskas, Veronika Povilionienė, and Gražina Bigelytė-Bulavienė.
• A separate exhibition is dedicated to Antanas Sadeckas: an engineer, traveler, and photographer, a pioneer of expeditions to Siberian deportation sites, and founder of the “Lemtis” community.
• The wooden Catholic Church of Divine Providence was built in 1824 on the initiative of Prince Tadas Antanas Oginskis.
• A historical monument commemorates Lithuanian partisans who were tortured to death by Bolsheviks in a well.
• Emilija Pliaterytė is honored with a monument in the Kapčiamiestis cemetery and another in the town center.
• The Baltoji Ančia flows past Kapčiamiestis to the south.
• The Pinčiaragis archaeological settlement site is 2 km south of the town. Its facilities include outdoor furniture, an information board, a parking lot, a boat landing, and steps.

The Museum: Everyday Life and Life Stories

The ethnographic area has a different focus from the biographical exhibitions. Old agricultural tools, household items, and furniture bring everyday life to life; together, they convey a sense of traditional culture in Kapčiamiestis in the early 20th century. Alongside individual life stories, the focus is also on the everyday life of an earlier era.

The other exhibits range from music and folk songs to Lithuanian television history: Česlovas Sasnauskas was a composer, Veronika Povilionienė is noted as a folk singer, and Gražina Bigelytė-Bulavienė was LTV’s first announcer. The separate exhibition on Antanas Sadeckas offers another perspective. It focuses on a person whose life encompassed engineering, travel, and photography, as well as expeditions to Siberian deportation sites and the founding of the “Lemtis” community.

The Emilija Pliaterytė Museum’s seasonal visiting days are Tuesday to Saturday from June to August and Monday to Friday from September to May. Confirm before traveling whether a visit is possible.

Church and Memorial Sites

The Church of Divine Providence is a wooden Catholic building dating to 1824; it was built on the initiative of Prince Tadas Antanas Oginskis. Monuments to Emilija Pliaterytė mark two different locations in Kapčiamiestis: the cemetery and the town center. Another monument commemorates Lithuanian partisans who were tortured to death by Bolsheviks in a well. Together, these sites offer different historical points of reference, though they do not tell the same story.

The Baltoji Ančia and Pinčiaragis

For orientation, it is worth considering the river and the archaeological settlement site as two separate points of reference: the Baltoji Ančia flows past the town to the south, while Pinčiaragis is 2 km south of Kapčiamiestis. The Pinčiaragis site has outdoor furniture, an information board, a parking lot, a boat landing, and steps. Check the condition of the facilities before visiting.

Hotels and Planning Your Stay

If you are looking for hotels in Kapčiamiestis, base your choice on the themes that matter to your trip. If you would like to visit the museum, factor its seasonal visiting days into your plans and confirm your visit in advance. If Pinčiaragis is also on your itinerary, bear in mind that the settlement site is a separate point of interest 2 km south of the town.

Discover more destinations: Bertasiunai, Meteliai, Krosna, Veisiejai.

Return to the main travel overview: Lazdijai District Municipality.