Devils' Museum

The painter Antanas Žmuidzinavičius began collecting devils in the early twentieth century, and by his death in 1966 he had gathered around 260 of them; the collection has since grown past three thousand, sent from all over the world, and occupies a purpose-built wing beside his house in Kaunas. Most are folk carvings, since the devil in Lithuanian folklore is less a figure of terror than a trickster who can be outwitted, and appears constantly in wooden sculpture, masks and household objects. Alongside those are ceramics, puppets and satirical pieces from dozens of countries, and one work that visitors remember: a group showing Hitler and Stalin as devils dancing over a Lithuania made of bones. The museum is odd, crowded and entirely serious about its subject.

What you actually see

• Devils from everywhere - thousands of figures in wood, clay, metal and cloth.
• Folk devils - Lithuanian and Baltic carvings and masks.
• Satirical pieces - the sharply satirical devils carved in the twentieth century.
• International oddities - devils sent from collectors worldwide.

When to go

Year-round; an easy indoor stop, often paired with the Ciurlionis museum next door. Quiet on weekdays.

Honest expectations

It is a one-theme novelty museum, delightful for an hour but not a deep experience. The sheer repetition of devils is the point and the limit. Best combined with its neighbour rather than visited alone.

Nearby

The Ciurlionis Art Museum is next door; central Kaunas spreads around it.