Kretinga (Lithuania) English travel guide | True Lithuania
True Lithuania

Kretinga Town

Kretinga (pop. 19 000) is primarily notable for its Franciscan and nobility heritage.

Most places of interest are located along the north-south Vilniaus street. Tiškevičius family palace at its northern end now serves as a regional museum. It is primarily famous for its cozy indoor garden, housing a restaurant popular for celebrations. Other exhibits are lackluster but the Neoclassical atmosphere of some halls is nice.

Tiškevičius palace in Kretinga with an indoor garden in the middle. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Like many prime Lithuanian manors the Kretinga manor once boasted a well-landscaped park which has been destroyed and partly built up by Soviets. It is being slowly regenerated. A wooden sculptural composition for the annual holidays has been erected, while the former manor water mill now houses an exhibition of traditional Lithuanian celebrations.

The rest of the town also suffered damage by the Soviets, thus the important gems (just like the palace) are now surrounded by rather boring mid-20th-century architecture.

Going south Vilniaus street gets hugged by two cemeteries with nice chapels. The eastern gothic revival chapel houses Tiškevičius family remains.

Tiškevičius famiy chapel in cemetery. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

Further south stands the Annunciation church and Franciscan monastery. Once among the prettiest in Lithuania, the church tower has been heavily simplified under the Soviet rule but the complex still has some charm left.

Nearby massive main square is the trade hub for the town, its surroundings having most shops and a marketplace. Kretinga being not far from Lithuania Minor it also houses a Lutheran church.

The passion of modern Kretinga is motoball, a sports resembling football on motorcycles that is played on some spring, summer and autumn weekends in a local motodrome, attracting attendances that surpass local basketball and football. The local "Milda" team plays in the Central European League against Belarusian and Latvian rivals.

A match of motoball in Kretinga. ©Augustinas Žemaitis.

While Kretinga may not warrant a longer trip on its own, its location makes it a convenient place to visit from Palanga Resort during those overcast days. It is also the closest railway station to Palanga and well connected by frequent buses to Klaipėda.

English tourist map of Kretinga.

Article written by Augustinas Žemaitis

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  1. My family (GLOZERIS) lived in Dupuliai were baptized, and married, in Kretinga Church so the Kretinga Church is of interest to me. I do not speak or read the Lithuanian language.
    Would it be possible to communicate with the Church Fathers in English?

    • You may try contacting them in English – although only a minority people speak English in Lithuania, you may be lucky.

      You should also note however that many historic records from churches are now available in State Archives.

      We offer heritage search and related translation services here at True Lithuania website. If you are interested, you may contact us at tour.baltic@gmail.com .


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