The first museum in Lazdijai was founded in 1924 at the old Žiburys Gymnasium by Motiejus Gustaitis, the director of the gymnasium, a priest and an educator. Nowadays, the Lazdijai Regional Museum holds various exhibits of fine art, folk art and ethnography, and it has an exhibition featuring the works of Salomėja Nėris. In addition, various educational activities take place here. Salomėja Nėris settled in Lazdijai as an ‘exile of love’, and from 1928–1931, she taught German in the gymnasium. Here, she wrote a collection of poems called Feet in the Sand (Pėdos smėly), and the poet’s footprints in the sand can be found in the museum even today.
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