Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture

Founded in 1966 in Chicago, Illinois, the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Lithuanian culture. The Museum celebrates the notable achievements of Lithuanian Americans, the Lithuanian nation, and Lithuanian communities world wide.

The Balzekas Museum is the largest repository of Lithuanian cultural artifacts outside of Lithuania. Current exhibitions include “No Home To Go To: The Story of Baltic Displaced Persons, 1944-1952” “Lithuania Through the Ages”; “Honored Lithuanians”, “War After War”, and the Women’s Guild Room, which showcases a collection of Lithuanian folk arts: amber, textiles, Easter eggs, dolls, and traditional Lithuanian costumes. The Children’s Museum of Immigrant History is a popular destination for the Museum’s youngest visitors.  The Museum’s departments include Humanities, Genealogy, Fine Arts, Numismatics, Philatelics, and the Library and Research-Resource Center. Department programs highlight respective areas of interest. Maps chronicling Lithuania’s dramatic history comprise the Irene Balzekas Memorial Map Collection. Events, such as concerts, workshops and social gatherings, are held in the Amber Ballroom and third floor Art Gallery, which is also the location of the museum’s larger temporary exhibitions.