| Abstract [eng] |
Castles have a significant place in Lithuanian history at all times being a symbol of the grandeur of the state and also a symbol of struggle and resistance. Few buildings of this type have only remained in Lithuania until now, and museums are accommodated in almost half of them. So it gives us an opportunity to witness the interaction of two objects of different type of heritage: a castle itself and a museum with all its treasuries. There have not been many scientific studies on museums in Lithuania so far and there are no studies on the museums of castles at all. Therefore, it may be reasonable to give more attention to the castle museums in Lithuania. Having analysed the communication between these types of memorial institutions we will be able to supplement the knowledge about them that we have from scarce studies on this subject. At the same time we can contribute to the research on the demand of Lithuanian museums by ascertaining and emphasizing the commonalities of the structure, areas and means of communication in castle museums and other types of Lithuanian museums, and by rating them according to numbers of visitors and the demand. The research includes 8 castle museums of Lithuania. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate the nature of the communication of Lithuanian castle museums and the indicators of the areas of communication in 2007 and 2009, to ascertain the level of demand of communication in castle museums and to determine their position in the rating according to the demand of communication of Lithuanian museums. In order to fullfil the aim the following tasks have been set: 1. To analyse the concept, structure and means of the communication of museums. 2. To clarify the classification and typology of Lithuanian castle museums. 3. To analyse the indicators of the areas of communication in castle museums (exhibitions, education, events, publications, visiting) from 2007 and 2009. 4. To determine the rating of castle museums in general museum attendance. In order to implement the tasks, a method of historical comparative analysis and empirical data analysis has been chosen. The master thesis consists of an introduction, three chapters, the conclusions, the list of literature and sources and a summary in english. Having fulfilled the set tasks the following conclusions have been drawn: 1. In Lithuania, the castle museums have been established since the middle of the 20th century. This process can be split into two stages: the Soviet period and the independent Lithuania period. During Soviet times, the establishment of museums in castles was influenced by ideological attitude of the government: the castles built in the times of the Grand Dutchy of Lithuania symbolised the fight against the Crusaders. The self-consciousness of independent Lithuania associated the castle museums with historical glory, the fight for the freedom and independence of the land, nation and the state and with cultural achievements. The castles are usually set in good, strategic places that are eagerly visited both by the inhabitants of Lithuania and by guests from abroad. 2. Most of the castle museums have the municipality museum status. 3. The dominant type of a castle museum is a historical museum. 4. The communication in the castle museums is developing; the demand of electronic communication is particularly growing. 5. The castle museums with republican and national status are among the most visited museums in Lithuania. |
