Lithuania was a dairy powerhouse before the Second World War. One family from Panevezys is now trying to bring that heritage back to life.
There were almost 300 dairy plants in Lithuania in the 1930s, and about 2,000 more milk-skimming stations, according to Alfredas Bumblauskas, history professor at Vilnius University. They processed about 500 million litres of milk a year. Much of it went into making butter.
About a fifth of Lithuanian dairy production would go for export. According to Bumblauskas, the dairies that operated between the two world wars were of great importance for the history of Lithuania. He has therefore suggested that at least one of them should be restored as a museum piece.
“Lithuania was one of the biggest butter exporters in Europe, so if we want to be proud of something, as we sometimes say, then, dear friends, take a look around, put on your cobblers and find a dairy,” the historian said.
One such dairy used to operate in Tiltagaliai, a village in the northern Panevezys district. Constructed in 1936, it wasn’t closed until 2000. Gintaras Urbonas, a Kaunas resident who lived in the village as a child, says he still remembers going to fetch milk every summer morning.
It was sad seeing the building fall into disrepair, which had nearly collapsed once the dairy was closed, he said. Therefore, he took Bumblauskas’ advise to heart and set out to rebuild the dairy at his own expense.
“It is a pity that Lithuania, a land of agriculture and dairy farming, does not have its own museum, as the Latvians and Estonians do. The building has been preserved and hopefully it will have a future and find its niche in the life of the Tiltagaliai village community and perhaps in the history of Lithuanian dairy farming,” says Urbonas.
The dairy building has very little surviving equipment or other objects that could become museum pieces. However, when the community of Tiltagaliai learned about the would-be museum, they began bringing objects, photographs and documents.
The building is to house not only a museum, but also venues for cultural activities. Urbonas’ son, who has been collecting historical material about the dairy, says the aim is to make the building a community centre.
It is not yet clear when the former dairy will open for visitors. At the moment, various exhibits are being collected, while consultations with professional collectors are ongoing. The big dairy producers may also take notice and contribute, Urbonas hopes. (LRT/Business World Magazine)