The farmstead near the village of Prauliai in Jonava is the residence of three famous artists of the 20th century. Stasė Samulevičienė, a master of soft sculpture and animalist painter, lived and spent her childhood here; her son, the playwright Raimundas Samulevičius, spent his childhood here; and Raimundas's uncle, the most famous Lithuanian Expressionist artist Antanas Samuolis, had a studio in the homestead before he left for Switzerland to treat his hectic illness.

In 1994, an authentic exhibition commemorating all three artists was set up in the homestead: A. Samuolis, R. Samulevičius and S. Samulevičienė. The museum stores the artists' furniture, R. Samulevičius's book collection, toys created by S. Samulevičienė, photographs, letters and documents. In 2016, the exposition was renewed. Literary evenings, artists' plein-airs in memory of A. Samuolis, traditional crafts camps, excursions and education are organised here.

What was special about the Samulevičiai family and why should you visit their memorial homestead?

Antanas Samuolis, one of the most famous artists of the first half of the 20th century and the founder of Lithuanian Expressionism, came from a large family of impoverished workers and was characterised by his outward simplicity and restraint, while at the same time he was ripening great revolutionary ideas inside, which were revealed in his expressive works. Although he was particularly appreciated by the luminaries and progressive thinkers of his time, he was often misunderstood by his contemporaries, who tended to admire his classical art and graceful manner of painting, and so he did not have the chance to make a name for himself in his short life. The artist's inner world is revealed through his works and his everyday life: in Samuolis's small room, only the essentials - a bed, a table and painting supplies - are provided, while the walls are decorated with paintings depicting the workers of the Žaliakalnis district, the poverty of the family and the vanity of the upper class, and still lifes of the most basic household objects. This was our great modernist - this is how you can feel him when you enter the artist's room. Perhaps Antanas Samuolis would have fallen into oblivion if his nephew Raimundas and his brother's wife Stasė, who had finished writing a book of memories of their son's tragic death about their uncle, the great painter, called "White Apple Tree", had not taken care of his memory. However, Antanas Samuolis was not the only one whose memory R. Samulevičius helped preserve. The writer wanted to bring to life and speak out about the great writers and luminaries of our nation, so that they would not be forgotten in the occupied homeland. In this way, the playwright brought to the stage the works of J. Tumas-Vaižgantas and V. Krėve.

Raimundas Samulevičius, who was famous for his humanistic worldview and fought against the regime that was destroying humanity with his courageous ideas, was himself destroyed by the regime. This courageous idealist can also be recognised in his homestead: his photographs and letters show an artist who is open to the world, travelling, creating, enjoying life surrounded by family and friends.

A folk artist who created toys for children, which later became the heroes of her books, she became particularly famous during the Soviet era - her books were translated into Russian, Czech, Polish and other languages and became popular in all the countries of the Union. Stasė Samulevičienė became the only Lithuanian woman to be awarded the Order of the Smile, a children's decoration for services to children. However, recognition and popularity did not spoil the artist - in life, as in her children's stories, she was sincere, open and taught kindness to all - children and adults alike. The warmth created by Stasė Samulevičienė can also be felt in the exhibition of the Memorial Homestead, where visitors are greeted by a room full of the artist's sewn fluffies, soft puppies and mystical creatures peeping out from the walls, cupboards, window sills and shelves. In order for children and adults to bring some of the goodness from the Samulevičiai home to their own homes, each visitor is invited to create their own mystical animal - a "junk" - just like the ones S. Samulevičienė herself used to give to her guests in the past.

Jonava region has always been a favourite place for landlords - the vast Kosakovskis family of Jonava's founders lived here, the name of Skaruliai village may have originated from the surnames of the nobles Skorulskis, who ruled the manor. Abraomas Kulvietis originated from Kulva surroundings, the famous architect Vaclovas Michnevičius was born and raised in a mansion near Žeimiai.

However, the classicist-style Žeimiai manor has survived to this day, where the last descendants of the Kosakovskis family of the founders of Jonava lived until World War II.

Žeimiai manor began to form at the end of the 15th century - 16th century. It is known that in the 16th century Žeimiai was ruled in parallel by Zaviša, Medekša, Čechovičiai. At the beginning of the 18th century, the homestead of Žeimiai manor was inherited by Dominykas Medekša - a famous state figure of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a political supporter of the Radvilas and Kaunas palaces. In the second half of the 18th century, he started the construction of the brick ensemble of Žeimiai Manor. A chapel dedicated to the memory of Dominykas Medekša's son, Teodoras, a Baro confederate who died in 1768 at Višakio Rūda, has been preserved from this period. In 1780, Dominykas Medekša sold the Žeimiai manor to Bishop Juozapas Kazimieras Kosakovskis. In 1780, Dominykas Medekša sold the homestead of Žeimiai manor to Bishop Juozapas Kazimieras Kosakovskis. This manor belonged to the noble Kosakowski family until the World War II, when it was nationalized in 1941. During the reign of Kosakowski around 1830 - 1840 the old manor was reconstructed and rebuilt in the Classicist style. In the beginning of 20th century Žeimiai manor was renovated again. On the east side of the palace, stairs to the second floor were built, old barns and pavements disappeared, a new couch and a silo tower were built. After the nationalization of the manor, apartments were installed in it. In 1956-1965, the Agricultural Technical School operated here. Later, the manor was equipped with primary schools and a dormitory for the Žeimiai school. There was a sewing shop in it for a while. At the beginning of Atgimimas (the period of movement of restoring the Indipendence of Lithuania), the manor buildings were abandoned for some time. Currently, the manor belongs to the artist Domas Noreika. Here you can find the Aikas Žado laboratory, which invites to the cultural events, art exhibitions and installations.

Jonava region has always been a favourite place for landlords - the vast Kosakovskis family of Jonava's founders lived here, the name of Skaruliai village may have originated from the surnames of the nobles Skorulskis, who ruled the manor. Abraomas Kulvietis originated from Kulva surroundings, the famous architect Vaclovas Michnevičius was born and raised in a mansion near Žeimiai.

However, the classicist-style Žeimiai manor has survived to this day, where the last descendants of the Kosakovskis family of the founders of Jonava lived until World War II.

Žeimiai manor began to form at the end of the 15th century - 16th century. It is known that in the 16th century Žeimiai was ruled in parallel by Zaviša, Medekša, Čechovičiai. At the beginning of the 18th century, the homestead of Žeimiai manor was inherited by Dominykas Medekša - a famous state figure of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a political supporter of the Radvilas and Kaunas palaces. In the second half of the 18th century, he started the construction of the brick ensemble of Žeimiai Manor. A chapel dedicated to the memory of Dominykas Medekša's son, Teodoras, a Baro confederate who died in 1768 at Višakio Rūda, has been preserved from this period. In 1780, Dominykas Medekša sold the Žeimiai manor to Bishop Juozapas Kazimieras Kosakovskis. In 1780, Dominykas Medekša sold the homestead of Žeimiai manor to Bishop Juozapas Kazimieras Kosakovskis. This manor belonged to the noble Kosakowski family until the World War II, when it was nationalized in 1941. During the reign of Kosakowski around 1830 - 1840 the old manor was reconstructed and rebuilt in the Classicist style. In the beginning of 20th century Žeimiai manor was renovated again. On the east side of the palace, stairs to the second floor were built, old barns and pavements disappeared, a new couch and a silo tower were built. After the nationalization of the manor, apartments were installed in it. In 1956-1965, the Agricultural Technical School operated here. Later, the manor was equipped with primary schools and a dormitory for the Žeimiai school. There was a sewing shop in it for a while. At the beginning of Atgimimas (the period of movement of restoring the Indipendence of Lithuania), the manor buildings were abandoned for some time. Currently, the manor belongs to the artist Domas Noreika. Here you can find the Aikas Žado laboratory, which invites to the cultural events, art exhibitions and installations.

Although Jonava is now often identified as an industrial city, it was not always so. It was once a very different life in a roadside trading town, and between the wars, Jonava was even called the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" because of the large number of Jewish traders who lived here. You can still feel the spirit of the old town when you walk along Kauno Street. The best preserved street in old Jonava reflects the lifestyle of Jewish traders. When the Tsarist Russian government imposed bans on Jews' free use of land, they were forced to crowd into small rented plots of land. A strategic location and access to the main streets, which were frequented by potential customers, were important for the development of business and commerce. The Jews were therefore concentrated in the centre of the town, around the market square and in the streets leading to it, and the part of the town they inhabited was the most densely built-up. The surviving street fragment shows the main features of the Jewish houses: the streets are lined with small, one- or two-storey houses with one or two-storey ends facing the street. The ground floor of the house would have been used as a 'commercial space', either a workshop or a shop, which could be accessed through a door on the street side. The owners of the house had living quarters on the second floor or in the attic, and usually also had a cellar where they stored their goods. Small traders with shops usually sold foodstuffs, while wealthier merchants sold radio equipment, bicycles and large household items. Jonava, through which goods passed on the river, was famous throughout the county for its grain trade - in this field, Jonava Jews were second only to Kaunas merchants. A large number of Jonava Jews were also involved in crafts. In Jonava, Jews were known and appreciated for their diligence and knowledge of their craft, and they had completely taken over the basic crafts such as blacksmithing and sewing. In the first half of the 19th century, the construction of the postal road linking the old capital of the tsarist empire with the cities of central Europe brought a steady flow of freight, passenger and parcel traffic, and in the middle of the century, the closure of the empire's ports due to the military conflicts led to an even greater increase in overland traffic. The Jews who lived there rushed to provide services related to horse transport and its servicing: coachmen, ferrymen, wrenches, carpenters and carriage repairers. In Jonava, which was famous for its wooded surroundings, woodworking crafts developed very quickly, and by the beginning of the 20th century they had developed into industrial production. 

Even today, walking along Kaunas Street, one has the feeling that if one closes one's eyes and listens carefully, one will be able to hear the former bustle of the street on market days, the doors of shops opening, the shouts of traders, and the sounds of a shoe-maker's or a blacksmith's workshop. And we can transport ourselves to Jonava in 1920-1941 and take a walk along the old Kaunas Street by reading the novel "Romance of the Town" by Grigorijus Kanovičius, one of the most famous and prolific contemporary Jewish writers and a laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize and the Israel Writers' Union Prize. In the novel, the author vividly depicts the memories of his childhood and the life of the Jews of Jonava at that time. 

The area around Skaruliai, where the Neris and Šventoji rivers converge, has been inhabited since the Stone Age. It is one of the few places where traces of the oldest Svidrai culture in our region have been found. The Skaruliai camp also contains finds from the Brass Age, while the Gudžioniai, Lokėnėliai (Žvalgakalnis) and Laukagaliai (Giant hill) mounds on the other side of the River Neris indicate that people lived here in the Middle Ages. The 1522 deed of foundation of the church mentions the land in the area, then called Lipnikis, and a wooden church. At the end of the 16th century, these lands were acquired by the Skorulskis. The most famous representative of this family is Andrius Skorulskis. In 1582-1584, together with Mikalojus Kristupas Radvila the Orphan, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The famous journey is described in the book "Journey to Jerusalem". The story tells that Skaruliai St. Anne's Church model, Andrius Skorulskis, copied from one of the churches in Jerusalem.The church, founded by Andrius Skorulskis, was built in 1620-1622 and dedicated to St. John of God. It was dedicated to St. Anne. The rectangular, gabled church was given the old Gothic structure. The combination of red bricks and white plaster gives the building a special charm. The front façade features a portal with the sign of the Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. Andrius Skorulskis was ordained to this order when he travelled to the Holy Land with Nicholas Christopher Radvila the Orphan. The sign of the Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Cross of Jerusalem, also adorns the church's main altar, which is one of the oldest of its kind in Lithuania. St. Knight's Church is the most ancient and the oldest in the world. St. Anne's Church is also famous for its authentic 17th-century wooden sculptures. 

A new neo-Gothic bell tower of four bays in stone was built in the churchyard in 1898 to replace the former wooden bell tower. One of the bells in the bell tower is very valuable, dating from 1670. The bell of the belfry was cast by Jonas Delamarsas, the best bell founder in Lithuania at that time, on the order of Rapolas Zigmantas, the son of Andrius Skorulskis. This bell still invites believers to St. Mass.

The Church of St. Anne and the nearby cemetery commemorate both the town of Skaruliai and the nearby manor house. The village of Skaruļiai was raised during the construction of the Nitrogenous Fertiliser Plant. However, the people once exiled from Skaruliai still take care of the cemetery and the church themselves, and once a month (on the first Sunday of the month) they gather in large numbers at St. Mass. The Church of St. Anne hosts concerts of the International Skaruliai Music Festival and St. Anne's Feast. 

Peace Square is a park in the very centre of Jonava. This place has been the site of the Jonava Cemetery since the 18th century. During the Soviet era, the old town cemetery was moved out of the town. On the site of the former cemetery, 4 memorial stones have been erected - to the Orthodox Church of Jonava, to the participants of the Lithuanian Independence Struggle, to the German soldiers who died in World War I, and to the memory of those Jonavians whose remains were not raised. Only the grave of Jeronimas Ralis remains in the Square of Peace. Jeronimas Ralys (1876 - 1921) was a doctor, translator, public figure, and disseminator of the Lithuanian press. Although he lived in Jonava for only a few years, he became an inseparable part of the history of Jonava. Jeronimas Ralys became the first chairman of the City Council of Jonava in independent Lithuania and supported local industry. While living and working in Jonava, he spent his nights translating the works of Homer after a hard day's work as a doctor. He was the first to translate Homer's Odyssey into Lithuanian from the Old Greek. He was also in the middle of translating the Iliad. However, in the memory of the people of Jonava, he has remained a beloved doctor who did not discriminate between patients according to age, nationality or financial status, but gave equal attention to all and treated the poor for free. The tomb of Dr Jeronimas Ralis was designed by architect Adolfas Netiksa. 

There is also a monument in the square, created by Vladas Vildžiūnas, dedicated to the poet, translator and playwright Petras Vaičiūnas (1890-1959 ), who came from the village of Piliakalnių in the Jonava district. Right next to it is an impressive sculpture by sculptor Alfons Vaura, dedicated to Jonava's Honorary Citizen, signatory of the Act of Independence, long-time President and Chairman of the Board of Achema, Doctor of Technical Sciences Bronislovas Lubys (1938 - 2011). 

On the other side of the street, next to the Jonava District Municipality, there is a sculpture of one of the most prominent Lithuanian and European educators of the 16th century, the founder of Lithuanian literature and the founder of the first higher school in Lithuania, Abraham Kulviečius (c. 1510 - 1545), created by the famous sculptors Konstantinas Bogdanas and Mindaugas Šnipas. The legacy of the enlightened man from the Kulva estate is the first Reformation text in Lithuania, the Confession of Faith (Confessio fidei), a letter to Queen Bonn Sforza, in which Abraham Kulvietis outlined his views, and his translation of the hymn Pagarbints būki ir pačestavotas (Pagarbints būki ir pačestavotas), which was published in the hymnal of Martynas Mažvydas in 1570.

The Church of the Birth of St. Virgin Mary is one of the most beautiful objects in Jonava district, decorating the center of Žeimiai town. The first Roman Catholic church in Žeimiai was built by landowners Zavisi around 1522. It has suffered and been rebuilt many times since then. The current neo-Gothic style church was designed and donated to its homeland by the architect Vaclovas Michnevičius from these areas. The new church was consecrated in 1906. The Title of old church of the Birth of St. Virgin Mary was left to the church. During the World War I, the church suffered greatly. In 1915, while retreating the Russian army left and blasted mines in the towers. The south tower was badly damaged during the explosion, the organ collapsed, and 53 stained glass windows were smashed. The Russian army removed the bells, which could not be recovered. New bells were made only in 1938. After World War I, the church was rebuilt.

The Church of the Birth of St. Virgin Mary is graceful in shape, with pointed windows and two pointed towers. Many of the church altars in the magnificent three-nave interior were designed by the Augustinas Meslinas. On the high altar there is an upholstered gracious painting of the St. Virgin Mary with the Baby, richly decorated with votals.

Probably the most important buildings of the churchyard of Žeimiai church are three chapels - crypts. Relatives of Counts Kosakowski and landowners Nelovicki are buried there. The architect Vaclovas Michnevičius and other people well deserved to the country and the church are also buried in the cemetery.

Just in front of the church, in the center of Žeimiai town, there is a square dedicated to the local sculptor Konstantinas Bogdanas, near the square and a monument to the church architect Vaclovas Michnevičius created by K. Bogdanas, K. Krasauskas and A. Narkevičius. A memorial museum of sculptor K. Bogdanas has been established in the eldership building next to the church.

Old Believers - preservers of the traditions and rites of the Old Orthodoxy. In the 17th century, Patriarch Nikon began reforms of the Russian Orthodox Church. Some of the church's spiritual leaders and laymen opposed the reforms. A split in the Russian Orthodox Church occurred. Over time, those who held to the old faith and did not accept the innovations came to be known as Old Believers. The Old Believers traditionally cross oneself with two fingers, recognise only the old icons, liturgical books and rites, and the eight-pointed cross. The Russian Orthodox Church cursed the old rites and persecuted the Old Believers for their opposition to the reform, leading them to move to other countries.

It is not clear when the first Old Believers began to live in these areas. The old Perelozai Orthodox church is mentioned in the 1827 census of Russian Lithuania: "I. Kosakovsky's estate in Lukonys is inhabited by many Russian families, who have their own houses and are engaged in agriculture, and in the village of Perelozai there is even an Orthodox church with a community house, as well as a priest elected by people. This shows that the village has been inhabited by the Old Believers for a very long time." In the second half of the 19th century, the Orthodox church and the community centre burnt down. In 1905, a new wooden Orthodox Church of the Lord's Cross with a Byzantine tower and bell tower was built on old stone foundations. During the Soviet era, collectivisation accelerated the movement of the population to cities and towns and the village emptied out. In 1980, the Orthodox church was no longer used for services and the building was not maintained. In 1984 the parish was dissolved. Although the village is no longer inhabited, the Orthodox church has been revived thanks to the help of emigrants from Perelozai, who are scattered all over Lithuania. Over the years, the Orthodox church has been repaired and services are held here periodically. This house of worship is one of the most beautiful and impressive in Lithuania. 

The Perelozai Old Believers community was and is closed. Mikhail Rybakov, Chairman of the Perelozai Old Believers Religious Community, said that the members of this community still pray and sing only in the Old Slavic language, are without a pop, i.e. they do not recognise spiritual authority and hierarchy. According to Mr Rybakov, the community chooses a so-called chief who can perform the rites. The community also follows old traditions, living according to a special calendar which specifies when to fast and pray.

Near the village, by the Lietava stream, there is a well-kept cemetery of the Perelozai community, believed to date back to the 18th century.