Description
Senadvaris is an ethnographic farmstead on the northern shore of Lake Jūžintas, a few kilometers from Antalieptė toward Vencavai, where the Antalieptė Lagoon now lies. People have lived here since ancient times—the very first mention of this place in historical sources dates back as far as 1660! The owners of the Senadvaris homestead, Arvydas Stanislavas Každailis and Regina Irena Každailienė, purchased the completely abandoned and dilapidated house of the poet Faustas Kirša (1891–1964), and restored it in 1973. Since then, the homestead has been so beautifully restored that it has become one of the most beautiful in the municipality. The homestead continues to preserve the memory of Faustas Kirša—a Symbolist poet, publicist, translator, and active figure in Lithuanian culture and society during the interwar period—and periodically hosts “Poetry Springs” and other cultural events. At one end of the authentically restored house, there is an exhibition dedicated to the poet F. Kirša, who, after leaving Lithuania in 1944, lived in Germany and the U.S., where he actively participated in the activities of the American Lithuanian Scouts and served as the first president of the Lithuanian Writers’ Club in exile. While in exile, he published the poetry collections *Tolumos* (1947), “Šventieji akmenys” (1951), “Pelenai” (1969), and “Palikimas” (1972). The hosts of the homestead, Arvydas Každailis—a renowned Lithuanian graphic artist, book illustrator, and recipient of the Lithuanian National Culture and Arts Prize, who has restored and designed more than 40 coats of arms and flags for cities and towns, as well as the historical flag and coat of arms of the Lithuanian state, the flag of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, the Grand Coat of Arms of the State of Lithuania, and others; Regina Každailienė—a well-known Lithuanian artist, textile artist, and designer of heraldic flags. The hosts invite you to visit their farmstead, but please be sure to make an appointment in advance before arriving.
