Museum of Ethnocosmology

In the dark lake country of Moletai stands a strikingly futuristic building of stacked glass rings, the Museum of Ethnocosmology, devoted to humanity's relationship with the sky. It sits beside a working observatory, and on clear nights visitors can look through telescopes at a sky far darker than the city allows.

The main sights

• The tower - the futuristic glass-ring building and its viewing decks.
• The cosmos exhibition - how cultures have understood stars and sky.
• The observatory - the neighbouring research telescopes.
• Night sky sessions - stargazing on clear evenings under dark skies.

When to go

A clear evening for the stargazing, which is the highlight; daytime for the exhibition and views. The Moletai skies are among the darkest and best in Lithuania.

Practical notes

The stargazing depends entirely on clear weather and runs at set times, so check and book rather than turning up. It is remote, deep in the lake country, so it takes a real drive. The building and dark skies are the draw more than a large collection.

Nearby

The Moletai lakes and the Aukstaitija park lie around it; Vilnius is ninety minutes south.